Wednesday 3 April 2013

Marble in a Tea Kettle

A little something I thought I would share with you....A glass marble placed in a tea kettle and left in there permanently will keep limescale at bay!  It bounces around when you boil the kettle chipping away at any limescale!

How do I know this?  Well I was picking up a kitchen larder to renovate from a house that was being cleared by a family after the death of their elderly relative.  She sounded like an amazing character who always did something for a reason.  She collected newspaper clippings with tips and ideas for making household chores easier.  When I picked up an old brown enamel tea kettle there was something rattling inside it.  When I looked inside and saw the marble I wondered why on earth there would be a marble in there.  I asked the family and they didn't know why but said there must be a reason as everything was done for a reason!

I kept the marble and the kettle and returned home to research the reasoning behind the marble in the kettle! Quite a common notion I discovered and so from now on I will put a marble in every stove top kettle that I sell with an explanation of course and keep this useful tip alive.  I am going back to this lady's house on Saturday and I will have a little smile in her kitchen for the useful tip she has passed on to me!  Wish I had known her.....oh the things she could have taught me!
Gonna sit down now and have a nice cup of tea...limescale free....cheers!

15 comments :

  1. Well, I have never heard that before! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. That is a new one for me! Thank you for the info. Lizzie

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  3. It's rubbish. Don't waste your time

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    1. Trust me it works for 25 years for me

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  4. .this is a trick as old as cleaning kettles.
    Stone or marble works well...
    BUT
    Unless you are trying to confuse, why use a picture of a teapot?

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  5. mom has done it for years


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  6. My Mom also did that and I had forgotten the reason. So I looked here and you reminded me why. Thank you!

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  7. Does that mean that we are drinking the limescale instead of it staying in the kettle???

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    1. I think in just means you're consuming the minerals instead oxidizing on the bottom but that's just my guess

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  8. Your relative sounds most interesting. My neighbour was such a lady a land girl, a young communist and adventurer and i loved her. Does this work in electric kettles? Would be fab.

    Lorna

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  9. My mom always had a marble in the tea kettle. She was always full of wonderful little known tips.

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  10. Modern Electric Tea Kettles will boil water faster than stove top kettles, because of their specialized design. electric tea kettle

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  11. But would this not mean you'll actually be consuming more of the limescale since it's been chipped away into the water? I use vinegar and boil that a couple times until it looks decently clear and pour away.

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  13. I still put marbles in my kettle. My mom did it and I just assumed that everyone did. But even folks older than me ask me about the rattling in the kettle.

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