Anxious after descaling kettle

[Anxioustealady]

Hi everyone,

I get anxious about my health so please let me know if I'm being ridiculous.

I used oust descaler for dishwashers/washing machines in my kettle earlier. I boiled water and rinsed it out 5 times, checked it wasn't fizzing anymore, but I can still taste the cleaner after using it a few more times.

Have I accidentally poisoned myself by using the large appliance version or is this normal? What would happen anyway if you did ingest oust?

Thanks everyone

You're very welcome. I got an email someone commented on this and I was expecting someone to be making fun of me for being anxious (I was having a really bad time with it when I posted it) so I'm really glad I could make someone feel better.

I love your dedication to having a kettle lol, it's always good to have a spare anyway.

If your concerned with chemicals, use white vinegar. We have really hard water and found it was much better and cheaper when DD's steriliser needed doing all the time and ive used it since for the kettle too

Oh absolutely not.
I just feel stupid not checking the oust box before putting it in.

They make the boxes the same between small appliances and the dishwasher/ washing machine.
I should have realised that it was powder rather than liquid.

We live and learn lol

Oust is citric acid. Aka lemon juice.

so you’ll be fine.

in addition boiling the kettle neutralises the acid.

it’s not a problem. At all.

Ditch the Oust and use citric acid in future. It works better than Oust and it's non toxic.

Def just use vinegar in future. Very effective and risk free. Don’t worry though, you’ll be fine x

Oust is non toxic. It's lactic acid (a common food additive) and water.

If a kettle has been boiled and the water thrown away three times, I would not worry. If it harmed anyone we would have heard of it by now.

I find citric acid works better in a kettle. Super easy and no aftertaste or worrying chemicals. Personally I’d keep boiling and refilling the kettle until the taste goes away but you are unlikely to have done yourself any harm test drinking the water, as it will be so diluted by now.

Have a feel around inside the kettle when it's cool obviously.

I would guess that there is still some limescale left which is holding onto some of the crystals.

Drinking diluted citric acid won't harm you - it's just the same stuff that's in grapefruits and lemons etc. It can be harmful if you drink it in a concentrated form but it's very unlikely that's what's happened.

Just noticed this is an old thread so glad original OP came back to verify they are still alive and kicking

That's a really good idea about there being some limescale left holding onto the chemical.

Yes I did live to tell the tale thankfully :)

Just use lemon juice or vinegar next time. No need for harsh chemicals

you do know Oust is citric acid?

Not horrible, but funny.

Stop with the melodrama.

lemon juice is citric acid. Oust is citric acid.

no “harsh chemicals” involved.

Buy a kilo of citric acid crystals from Amazon, about a fiver iirc. It will last a year or more. Put a couple of spoonfuls into your half full kettle every few weeks or so. Boil it. Let it cool ot pour it down the loo or sink to help deal with any limescale build up there. Rinse your kettle. It's ready for use. Citric acid is a safe food ingredient, nobody will come to harm from using it to descale any household tool.

Thanks for the typically Mumsnet patronising tone in your reply.

If we are being pedantic, actually, Oust is actually citric acid AND lactic acid. However, it does not appear to be food grade, given the safety warnings on the packaging. I certainly wouldn't eat it!

£5 buys you a 1kg bag of food grade citric acid (ie can be used in making drinks etc). This will last for years as you only need the tiniest amount to descale a kettle. Much cheaper than Oust which is £1.60 in Sainsbury's for three sachets, and no concerns re safety.

I'm a bit like this when l've done my water bottles with Milton, OP, l wash and rinse them a few times, and l still think l can smell/taste it.
But l've always been fine, l think it's what one of the previous posters said, that it tastes different because all the gunk is gone.
It's gradual while it builds up, so you don't notice the change then, but it goes in one fell swoop.

I use this and I just give it an extra boil beyond what they say. Plus always throwaway the water between boils. Yiu could also empty it and leave the lid off to dry overnight. I am sure you'll be fine I have used it this way for years.