Do you want to learn how to properly clean the outside of your stainless steel tea kettle?
It is universally accepted etiquette that when you have visitors, you offer them a cup of tea or coffee.
In those cases you would want to serve the tea or coffee with a kettle that’s clean.
Not one that has greasemarks and gunk all over it.
Unless it is visitors you don’t want to see again.
In this article I will explain to you exactly how you should clean your kettle on the outside.
Cleaning on the inside, though, involves descaling your kettle. To learn how to do that you can read this article.
In this article I will discuss:
Introduction
A kettle is the centerpiece in most kitchens.
One would think it would be something else like a stove.
But think about it, which appliance gets used most often? Which appliance is unintentionally positioned so that it’s within easy reach?
Kettles has been with us for ages.
You first had the old stovetop kettles. Several of these were the whistling types.
They whistled when the water boiled.
Then came Arthur Leslie and invented the electric kettle in 1922.
Fast forward to today and you get all sorts, shapes and sizes.
There is still, though, something nostalgic, something special, about using a stovetop tea kettle.
It is as if it gives a more relaxed atmosphere when you boil your water in one of these.
Even better when it is one of those whistling ones!
This whole vibe is quickly spoilt, though, when your kettle, the star of the show, is full of grease and grime.
Keeping that kettle spotless is key.
Here is how you do it.
Cleaning your stainless steel kettle
There are basically three ways you could clean it.
Clean the kettle with ammonia
The most important thing to do first is to make sure there is more than adequate ventilation. Ammonia has strong fumes that can be harmful to your health.
Put some ammonia on a cloth or sponge and wipe down the kettle.
Don’t soak the cloth or sponge otherwise you will end up with ammonia all over the place.
The ammonia will most likely remove most, if not all, of the grease and grime on the outside of your kettle.
When you are done, wipe down the kettle with a damp cloth or sponge. Make sure to get all the ammonia cleaned from the kettle.
Clean the kettle with baking soda
Most kitchens already have some baking soda stashed away in a cupboard somewhere.
Make a paste by mixing water and baking soda. It should have the consistency of toothpaste.
Put some of this paste on a clean cloth and rub away the stubborn marks on your kettle with circular movements.
Keep adding more paste to the cloth as you go to ensure you have enough to do the scrubbing with.
Once you are done, leave the paste on the kettle for 10 minutes, then wipe down with a clean damp cloth or sponge.
Instead of water you can also use white vinegar.
Clean the kettle with oven cleaner
Oven cleaner is a really potent cleaning chemical that you can try if all else fails.
Follow the instruction on the label as if cleaning an oven surface.
Most of the time it will involve applying the cleaner, letting it sit for a certain amount of time and then wiping it off.
The oven cleaner should only come into contact with the outside stainless steel part of the kettle.
Avoid the handle, spout or the inside.
Sometimes stainless steel has a thin coating that could interact with oven cleaner.
To make sure there is no unwanted permanent damage to the larger exterior of the kettle, try the oven cleaner on a small area less conspicuous.
If you don’t see anything gone awry, you are all good to go.
When you are done, make sure the kettle has no oven cleaner residue left on it.
Wipe it off thoroughly with a damp cloth. If possible, rinse the outside of the kettle.
Stainless steel with grain
Many stainless steel appliances have a grainy finnish. You can easily spot that by taking a closer look at the surface.
If you see prominent lines running in a certain direction, you appliance has visible grain.
Be very careful with scrubbing pastes on these surfaces.
Pick a very inconspicuous spot on the kettle you want to clean.
Use the paste as you would all over, and see if there are any negative effects.
If not, you can proceed to clean the rest of the outside kettle surface.
Conclusion
Cleaning the outside of your stainless steel tea kettle is a really easy and quick job.
As with most things, it is much easier to keep the kettle clean instead of letting it get beyond dirty and then trying radical methods to get it looking new again.
In general, the more you maintain the appearance of your kettle, the less harsh chemicals you need to clean it.
Many times you will even get away using only warm water.