How to clean a vintage teapot

[MadelienneBlack]

I recently just won <a href=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250303775674> this </a> tea kettle on ebay. It came in the mail today and I'm so eager to use it! However, there's a bit of a smell and a little dirt on the inside. Otherwise, it appears to be in excellent condition. I want to clean it, but I don't want to ruin the enamel. It appears to be almost...plaster-like on the inside? Maybe porcelain? It has a rough, porous finish. Any suggestions to clean it? I'm just hesitant. I don't want it to turn out like the last <a href=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=380070067128>tea kettle</a> I bought on ebay which I ended up using as a flower pot because it was so disgusting and falling apart on the inside when it got here.

 

[Justdog]

Teapot

Boiled vinegar.
Yes that is a kettle. Actullay I have heard that a well seasoned teapot should not be cleaned as the aging adds to the flavor of the tea. Tanic acid stains the inside I think?

 

[dhermann1]

From the looks of it, that's NOT a teapot. It's a kettle. It's metal, right? Designed for boiling water? If that's the case, it's a kettle. You put loose tea (or if you're NOT a purist, tea bags) in a ceramic tea POT, and pour the boiling water out of the kettle, into the pot. But it's a very nice kettle.
To clean the outside of a kettle like that, that's sat on a gas flame for years, you can use oven cleaner. It's a mighty potent chemical, so read the directions carefully. I think it ought to come out surprisingly well. For the inside, I guess vinegar is good. I believe boiling it with some baking soda would also be effective. But not both at the same time. Vinegar and baking soda will give you LOTS of foam. That's how some fire extinguishers work.

 

[MadelienneBlack]

A thousand pardons.

Tea kettle.

 

[dhermann1]

. . .

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I have an -odd- feeling that the rough finish on the inside you are talking about is not the -finish- of the tea kettle at all but rather the lime build up from many years of use.


The vinegar is a good basic try, also try heating that up and letting it soak hot in the kettle.

If that does not work, they do make solutions that you use to clean out coffeepots and makers, you could try one of those.

 

[John in Covina]

Wash with dish detergent as usual then try some Lime-Away or CLR on it.

Another thing you can do is to fill the pot with cold water and add several tablespoons of plain Unscented Clorox bleach and let sit over night or a day. You can repeat a couple of times too if needed. Rinse and fill with water then bring to a boil, the heat will help evaperate the clorine out of the Kettle. If the metal is exposed inside do it for much shorter time periods.

 

[Warden]

Have you tried cheap cola? Leave it in the pot overnight and give it a bit of elbow grease in the morning

Works wonders

Harry

 

[dhermann1]

The only exception would be if the bottom has rusted and you have pitting. If that has happened the kettle is toast.

 

[MadelienneBlack]

The only exception would be if the bottom has rusted and you have pitting. If that has happened the kettle is toast.

The outside and bottom of the kettle are in absolutely beautiful condition. No cleaning on them needed whatsoever. It's the inside that worries me. I'm trying some cheap cola tonight since I have some of that at home, and I'll pick up some vinegar and baking soda next time I'm at the store. Thanks for all the tips, friends! You guys are wonderful.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

The outside and bottom of the kettle are in absolutely beautiful condition. No cleaning on them needed whatsoever. It's the inside that worries me. I'm trying some cheap cola tonight since I have some of that at home, and I'll pick up some vinegar and baking soda next time I'm at the store. Thanks for all the tips, friends! You guys are wonderful.

Here is a quick test...slightly gross...but worth it.

try using something gentle (fingernail if you have ones even slightly long) to scratch at the 'rough finish' inside. If I am right about it being built up calcium and hard water deposits...you will at least -dent- the surface if not have some bits flake off.

If so...then yea...the vinegar, soda, coffee pot cleaning thing is the right direction.

 

[DeeDub]

Wash with dish detergent as usual then try some Lime-Away or CLR on it.

I think John called it right with the CLR suggestion.

I'm more finicky about my tea and coffee apparatus than a surgeon about his scalpel. I used to live in Southern California where the water is extremely hard and mineral deposits build up on the coffee and tea things. That's where I learned about CLR.

A good soak in CLR (for Calcium, Lime, and Rust,) purifies the pot and makes the brew sublime.

 

[Natty Bumpo]

Bar Keeper's Friend or Bon Ami are non-abrasive powders with weak oxalic acid. Removes stains and rust. At the store usually next to the Comet and Ajax scouring powders.