The kettle is the indispensable element to heat the water for the mate that thousands of Argentines drink every day. With so much use, it is normal for tartar to form and accumulate, a white substance that is usually concentrated in places in contact with hot water and that occurs when water evaporates and minerals remain in solid form.

If we do not remove it, the scale can increase in thickness and this will make it difficult for the heat to be transmitted, so it will take longer and we will use more gas to heat the water. Tartar can even cause the kettle’s beak to clog.

In the long run, tartar ultimately becomes something annoying and affects what we Argentines like so much, the moment of enjoying a delicious mate.

Therefore, today we leave you with a simple method to clean tartar from your kettle and some tricks to prevent it.

The best thing is for this you should not spend a lot because we will use ingredients that you surely already have in your kitchen, and we are also going to teach you a little old trick to avoid tartar.

Below we tell you what this method consists of to remove tartar from the kettle.

You will need: vinegar or lemon juice, brush or sponge, water

Procedure: fill the kettle halfway with vinegar or lemon juice, top it off with water and let it rest for at least an hour. Then, we put the kettle on the fire and, once it starts to boil, we will see that the tartar has loosened. With the help of a brush or sponge we proceed to clean it completely, without scrubbing hard because we can damage the inside. Empty the kettle and, while we are there, take the opportunity to clean the outside with an anti-grease product. Rinse well and go over with a damp cloth to leave our kettle shiny.

To prevent tartar we can place a glass ball (yes, the “play ball” ones) that will prevent the tartar from sticking, or a bottle cork that absorbs the salts from the water.

Ancient Creole method for removing tartar from kettle

This remedy is usually used in the countryside and is cited by the great connoisseur of these things Amaro Villanueva, a scholar of mate and the things of the people, in one of his works.

The method consists of letting a good amount of potato peels or fresh potato rind boil in a kettle with water. Little by little we will see that the tartar of the kettle will be dissolved. Then pour all the contents and leave the kettle upside down until it is very dry.

When we see that it has dried completely, the tartar will come off on its own or we may have to touch it a little.

If the tartar still continues, since it may take a long time, we repeat the procedure again.

I can assure you that this method does not fail.

Now, let’s have some delicious mates with the kettle as new!