Tea Kettles:
When hard water is boiled in your tea kettle to prepare a pot of tea, minerals build up over time. Try boiling water and ½ cup of vinegar in the tea kettle for 15 minutes to help remove the mineral deposits inside the pot and spout. Dump the mixture and rinse thoroughly.
Sealed Ceramic Teapots:
A sealed ceramic tea pot can be safely cleaned to remove any build ups. Boil a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar for several minutes. Pour it into the tea pot and let it stand for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and towel dry. For interior stain removal, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda into tea pot, and then fill with boiling water. Let it stand for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and towel dry. Stains that won’t budge, prepare a mixture of salt with lemon juice or vinegar. Put a small amount into the tea pot and scrub the stain using your fingers. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and towel dry.
Yixing Teapots:
The cleaning instructions for Yixing tea pots are simple. Rinse the inside with hot water; dry the outside with a soft cloth. The pot should only be used for one kind of tea, so it will absorb the flavor and make each brew better. NEVER use soap or cleansers on the porous Yixing pots!
Cast Iron Teapots:
Cast iron teapots absorb the flavors of the tea it brews. To keep the outside of the cast iron teapot clean, you can use mild dish soap. To clean the inside of a cast iron teapot, simply rinse with hot water and towel dry. To remove any rust, try using a damp cloth to rub in a mixture of olive oil and coarse salt. The mixture will remove the rust, then rinse and dry the pot.
