Kettle filter
A mesh in the spout that catches scale flakes on the way out. It is removable, and it is why some kettles pour clear while scaling badly inside.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
Start here
What this is, what goes wrong with it, and where CleaningHQ can help.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
A hard, chalky calcium carbonate deposit left by hard water. Dissolved by acids, essentially untouched by detergents.
Why it is difficult: Water hardness, Crystallisation, Adhesion and cohesion
- Dustvia its material
Mostly textile fibres and skin, held by static as much as by gravity — which is why a dry cloth on a plastic surface makes it worse.
Why it is difficult: Static and dust, Mechanical action and abrasion, Why different surfaces get different dirt, Surface roughness
A concentrated water-soluble dye with nothing else in it. Nothing has to be emulsified or dissolved — the only question is whether the surface has taken the colour up.
Why it is difficult: Capillary absorption, Dye migration and colour bleeding
A sticky, yellow-brown tar film deposited everywhere at once. It is the reason a room smells after everything visible has been cleaned.
Why it is difficult: Adsorption of odour molecules, Solubility and polarity
Coloured by turmeric in most prepared mustards, and curcumin is a pH indicator — which is why an alkaline cleaner turns a yellow mark red.
Why it is difficult: pH indicators in stains, Fat-soluble pigments, Photodegradation, Pigment retention
The commonest cleaning problem that is not dirt. The tackiness is the plastic's own additive arriving at the surface, which is why wiping it off works for a week.
Why it is difficult: Plasticizer migration, Damage versus soiling
The science behind this: Solvent crazing, Static and dust, Solvents and polymers, Plasticizer migration
Part of Kettle.
In detail
Most kettles have a fine mesh filter in the spout whose job is to hold back the flakes of limescale that detach from the element and the walls, so they do not end up in the cup. It is a useful piece of design and it has one consequence worth knowing: a kettle can be heavily scaled inside while pouring perfectly clear water, so the absence of bits is not evidence that descaling is unnecessary. The filter is normally a clip-out plastic frame with a stainless or nylon mesh, and it clogs progressively, which shows up as a slow or splashing pour rather than as a visible problem. It is cleaned by removal and brushing under a running tap; where the mesh has scaled solid, a short soak in a mild acid clears it, and doing that to the small removable part rather than to the whole appliance avoids the seals and the element entirely. Two cautions. The mesh is delicate and a stiff brush deforms it permanently. And the filter must be refitted, because without it the scale that does detach goes into the drink — which is a nuisance rather than a hazard, since limescale is calcium carbonate.
Related
- Kettle filter is made from Household plastics
- Kettle filter is commonly affected by Limescale
Sources for this page
Sources
How do I descale my Philips Steam Iron?
Philips · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That scale detaches from the water circuit of a heating appliance as particles and is expelled during descaling. (cleaninghq's interpretation of what it says)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The general descaling routine that the page states applies to all Philips steam irons, and the three model-specific variants (Quick Calc Release at the base, Quick Calc Release below the soleplate, and the built-in calc container). Supports the claim as stated. Opens the steam iron as an object with a manufacturer behind it, and establishes that the maker's descaling routine adds no chemical to the water — which is the context the separate prohibition on vinegar and descaling agents belongs in.
Last reviewed by a person on .