Water In A Kettle

[joko]

i only use my kettle a few times a week, but usually there is some water left in there from the last time.
how many days can you leave boiled water in a kettle, and then still use it?
i know it wont kill me etc, i mean when does it lose its quality or taste weird etc
when is it no longer ok to reboil it and use it?

i know tapwater in a glass at room temp starts to go weird tasting after about a day, & about 4 days, it can start to yellow

but the water in the kettle has been boiled immediately from the tap.

just curious.
any thoughts?

thanks :)

[Hopkirk]

If you ask a professional how to make a perfect cup of tea, they would say draw fresh water off each time.
They would say some science about the oxygen being boiled out of the reused water.

However, if you can't taste the difference, just use the old water.

[Buenchico]

It's never even occurred to me to throw old water out of a kettle. I've been topping up what's left in there for over half a century. It's never killed me and several people have complimented me on making an excellent cup of tea.

[Atheist]

Slightly off-thread, but I believe there are (or were, in the bad old days, or probably still today in poorer parts of the world) families whose stew-pot would be topped up and re-cooked each day, so that a tiny proportion of the family stew could be many years old.

[haras2]

Save the water - save the planet

[Atheist]

Buen; only 'several' in half a century? That's not exactly a resounding endorsement!

[Barsel]

I'm curious to know why you don't empty the water that's left in the kettle before you put fresh water in.
I use my kettle everyday, but if there is plenty of water left from the day before, I will use that, but I would then empty it and put fresh water in the following day.
Don't think I would use water that's been in there for more than 2 days.

[barry1010]

I can't abide hot drinks made with reboiled water, I can always tell. Maybe it's because my water is very hard.
I also find that emptying the kettle after use stops limescale build up

[TheWinner]

In a morning, yesterdays water is poured away (very little anyway). Start the day with fresh water. Top up during the day and reboil. At the end of the day whatever is left can be used for a hot water bottle (if needed). Then the next day start again.

[Buenchico]

Atheist: I don't exactly have a wide social circle! Nobody is ever invited into my house, so it's only workmen out in the street (for example) who enjoy the benefits of my first-rate tea-making skill ;-)

[Hopkirk]

Our water is hard, so the kettle is rinsed out regularly.
The little filter in the kettle means that, if not rinsed out regularly, it will start to look like milk of magnesia in there.

[douglas9401]

We're lucky, our water's so soft it minces from the tap and has a lithp.

[aelmpvw]

:-)

[fripfrip]

haras2,Save water,save the planet,have you not heard about the water cycle,any water on our planet is recycled.

[Peter Pedant]

when does it start going off ?
oh, weeks, see mariupol

I had half a fizzy codeine in water and didnt want to drink it ( hallucinations) so kept it just in case. 21 d before going yellow

Depends on the history - I dont think I would drink bath water unless under duress...My dog drinks from the lavatory pan but....

[anneasquith]

Rinse the kettle before use, it’s hardly going to cost a fortune.

[pastafreak]

I use leftover water for my houseplants. Water that stands for 24 hours is supposedly better as chemicals have dispersed/evaporated.

[Canary42]

I never empty my kettle, just gets topped up each time when necessary.

[jourdain2]

Like Hopkirk we have very, very hard water. After a couple of days you can see chunks of limescale floating around (Pictorially, think of 'Desperate Dan' with attitude.) At this point I tip it out of the side into a jug, run a little fresh water through the spout to clear the filter and then tip that all into the jug as well. This water is then used to revive house-plants. They don't seem to mind the bits.
I can't see any problem with reusing boiled water.

[DonkeyHoaty]

Avatar Image douglas9401
We're lucky, our water's so soft it minces from the tap and has a lithp.

Brilliant!
I rarely consume hot drinks at home so any leftover boiled water goes into the iron.

[Maydup]

We have hard water too and after a few days there are flakes of limescale in the kettle, at which point I empty it and rinse it out. Probably do that 2/3 times a week.