Teapot De-coke

Muddypause · Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:18 pm

I made the mistake of peering into my well used teapot the other day. After 15 or more years use, it has a thick, chunky layer of residue build-up inside it, the colour of strong tea. Very very strong tea. It's clogging the spout holes, and occasionally bits of it come adrift to give me 'tea with extras'.

I left it soaking overnight filled with vinegar, but this did nothing to shift the crud, and made my morning cuppa taste rather, um, challenging.

Anybody know what I might be able to use to shift this stuff?

Shirley · Post: # 43386Post **Shirley** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:20 pm

rub salt onto it...

Actually, I misread your post at first... I didn't see the R in the word... peering!!

Wombat · Post: # 43395Post **Wombat** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:34 am

Shirlz2005 wrote:rub salt onto it...

Actually, I misread your post at first... I didn't see the R in the word... peering!!

Mate!

I think the deposit is - among other things - tannic acid, so an alkaline cleaner is needed. If you want to go low tech try washing soda.

Nev

The Chili Monster · Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:32 am

Like Nev I think it's tannic acid but mostly an iron compound. I've been racking my brains trying to recall an article in a Chemistry journal about exactly the same thing.
Essentially as the tea cools, the iron compound is precipitated out (at boiling or near boiling point of water tannic chelates iron). A good blast/soaking in caustic soda'll help.

wulf · Post: # 43400Post **wulf** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:18 am

Washing powder is what we use from time to time, to good effect. Just make sure to give it a couple of thorough rinses before making tea again. In future, maybe wash the inside of the pot a bit more often!

Wulf

Chickpea · Post: # 43409Post **Chickpea** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:45 am

Can't you just leave it be, Muddy? It hasn't done you any harm so far. When cleaning things off pans etc. I take the view that anything that won't come off with hot water, a scouring pad and plenty of elbow grease won't come off in normal use either, so I leave it alone.

2steps · Post: # 43410Post **2steps** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:53 am

my thoughts too

along with if it doesn't come out in the dishwasher it's probably not coming out!

baldowrie · Post: # 43452Post **baldowrie** » Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:38 pm

Wulf

maybe wash the inside of the pot a bit more often!

What do you want to do that, that's where all the flavour is

Muddypause · Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:23 pm

And the winner is...

Actually, what I did was to fill the teapot with a strong salt solution and leave it overnight. I didn't actually think this would achieve much (I thought, like Shirlz says, you had to rub the salt in, so that it acted like an abrasive - that's what those two on the telly keep going on about). But to my surprise, a good rinse out with fresh water this morning and many years of deposits simply rinsed out with it.

It now pours properly, is clean and shiney inside, and I don't get bits swirling around in me tea.

Job done.