The only hack I'll ever use to clean my kettle also works for my washing machine

Once you've found a cleaning hack that works you never go back, and that's how it is with descaling my kettle.

I tried lemons and then vinegar and neither worked, as well as using citric acid.

The lemons did nothing when boiled with water and the vinegar only did the trick when I wiped the kettle out afterwards, which I had to wait to do because, of course, the kettle was steaming hot.

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And yes, I know lemons contain citric acid but it's not as concentrated as using citric acid on its own. I also didn't have to cut anything up and spend $1.50 on something I'd only use once.

The first time I used citric acid I was blown away by the fact the residue on the bottom of the kettle disappeared just within just 15 minutes.

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The best kitchen cleaning hacks that actually work

All I had to do was pour out that water and then rinse it out by filling it up and boiling it again.

It was as simple as that.

All you need is two tablespoons of citric acid which you add to a litre of water, boil that and leave it for 15 minutes before pouring out and rinsing.

Unlike a lemon you'll only use a tiny portion of the 75g or 150g can, which costs about $3 or $5 respectively. Then you can leave the rest for next time, another cleaning hack or use in cooking.

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When I need to descale my kettle, I always get the 150g can so after I descale my kettle I can use the entire amount left in the can to clean my washing machine.

I run the hottest, longest cycle and once the water has filled up in the drum I add in all the citric acid remaining in the can and let it do it's thing. This helps get rid of detergent residue and any other yucky thing left behind during the washing process.

This tip came from an LG troubleshooting guide for dealing with soap scrud so I know it's approved for my specific washing machine and it usually does the trick.

Not bad for two cleaning tasks sorted with one $5 pantry staple.

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