FOOD NEWS
How To Deep Clean Your Teapot With A Little Bit Of Chemistry
By Nick Johnson
On the surface, there aren't many recipes more basic than a cup of tea since all you need to start sipping is a few loose leaves and some hot water, but it does take some work to keep your teapot clean. If you want to ensure that your well-worn pot is primed for tomorrow's tea, you're going to need to give it a thorough, scientific scrub.
Tea contains tannins that are imperative to its flavor but can also cause stubborn stains, so to get rid of tannic residue, you’ll need to think like a scientist. Tea is acidic, with a pH that can range from 5.5 to 2, so in order to create a cleansing chemical reaction that’ll remove stains, you’ll need a base: baking soda.
To clean with baking soda, just mix a bit of the powder into water and let it sit on the stained surface for 20 minutes before wiping it clean. If the tea stains are too much for baking soda alone to solve, you can add an additional source of acid like vinegar or lemon juice to forcefully strip away the residue to reveal a gleaming teapot.