How to Clean Clay Pottery

It is necessary to clean clay pots

Natural, clay pottery is a very sensible way to house your plants. Clay pots protect roots from damage caused by extreme temperatures. The porous nature of clay prevents over-watering from killing the plants as well. Clay pottery does, however, need to be maintained well. The best way you can do this is by keeping them clean. This will also keep them attractive and provide a more pleasant overall display of your plant life. Whether kept inside or outdoors, clay pottery will occasionally need to be cleaned.

Things You'll Need

• Soft scrub brush
• Baking soda
• Bleach or vinegar
• Oven

Instructions

Cleaning Clay Pottery

1. 

   Empty the pot of all dirt and debris. Do this by removing any of the loose material inside of the pot. Use a wet scrub brush to remove the rest of the debris and dirt that may be sticking to your pot internally and externally. You may want to make a baking soda paste to scrub your pots with. Do this especially if there is a salty white crust on the outside.

2. 

   Kill any bacteria and virus invisibly on the pot by placing it in the oven. Set the oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the clay pottery for about an hour to kill the germs. At then end of the hour, turn off the oven and leave the pot alone. Do not move the pot until it has cooled down significantly.

3. 

   Mix bleach and water together in the bathtub and place your over-sized pots in this water to soak. You can also do this with any size pot instead of or in addition to the oven method. Leave the pots in the water to soak for about a half an hour. Doing this may slightly weaken your pots, but it is still a viable option. Keep the bleach solution very diluted. If you do not want to dirty your bathroom, find another type of basin to do this in, perhaps outside. A large plastic storage box works well.

4. 

   Use a vinegar mixture to soak them if you do not want to weaken your pots with the bleach. Rinse your pot out well after soaking them in vinegar.

5. 

   Dry your pottery out thoroughly by allowing it to sit outside for a couple of days before use. This should ensure that the bleach residue has dissipated.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy clay pottery from garage sales and make them beautiful again.

• Don't use a bleach mixture that is very concentrated. This could weaken the pot.