Kettle cleaning

[MiddleAgedDread]

The water gauge up the outside of my kettle is disgusting - it looks like water has gone stagnant inside it. Is there any way of cleaning it? I don't want to start boiling random chemicals in the kettle!! I don't think it's limescale as we have very soft water.

I use citric acid in my water distiller., it works really well for me.
I buy online.

@NotLegallyBlonde do you just leave it in to soak?

Milton liquid. Pour a bottle into your cold, empty kettle and top up with tap water until the gauge is full. Leave for 24h, pour away, refill with tap water and pour away again. If it doesn't work then try again with more Milton and less water in the mixture.

Milton is just thin bleach. The sort with nothing added, no fragrance, no colour, no thickener, nothing. So you can leave it to do its job and then rinse it out with no residue. If you are worried about residue, just fill the kettle with fresh water when you're done and leave it for 24h. The bleach breaks down into salt and water, and the chlorine dissipates harmlessly in the air. Actual thin bleach is cheaper than Miton, but harder to find.

Sorry, yes but in hot water for about twenty minutes to half an hour..
After emptying the fluid, I give the kettle (or distiller) a good rinse and then a small squeeze of dish wash as you would normally, and rinse til you’re satisfied it’s clear.
you should see your indication panel really clearly.
By the way, living in a soft water area doesn’t alway result in clear water… well it looks clear, for sure, until you run it through a distiller system, and then you see all the disgusting debris left behind, once the water has finished distilling.
My water distiller, makes a. Brita (or similar) water filter look useless.
Hope you get on ok with the citric acid.

ooh i've got some Milton, or supermarket equivalent, I never even thought to use that!!

I use white vinegar:
Fill kettle about 1/2 to 3/4 full with white vinegar and water (equal parts or 1:2 vinegar to water).
Boil the solution, then turn off the kettle and let it sit for about an hour.
Empty the kettle and rinse thoroughly with fresh water.

I used to use white vinegar to clean my distiller, but over time, I was finding that it was “eating” into the metal and creating a hole.
with that experience, I advised the op to use the citric acid.
note- when I buy a brand new distiller, it lets comes with a small container of citric acid, so it’s obviously recommended.