How to Remove Coffee Stains From Aluminum Pots

Coffee commonly stains alumimum pots and cookware. Use a household solution to break up coffee stains.

Coffee can often leave stains on pots, carafes and mugs. Coffee carrying items made from aluminum can be especially difficult to clean, as common alkali cleaners can damage aluminum. According to the India Curry website, using bleach or baking soda to clean an aluminum pot will discolor and damage the pot. Instead, use a cleaning solution made from household items like white vinegar or cream of tartar. These household products are not damaging to aluminum and effective at loosening coffee stains. For stubborn stains, it is necessary to scrub the pot after soaking in a homemade cleaning solution.

Things You'll Need

• 1 tbs. white vinegar
• 4 cups water
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon
• Stove
• Pot
• Non-abrasive cleaning pad
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• Soft scrub brush
• Crushed Ice
• 4 to 5 tbs. salt
• Lemon slices

Instructions

Vinegar Method

1. Pour one tablespoon of white vinegar into a small mixing bowl.

2. Add two cups of room temperature water to the vinegar. Stir the solution to combine the water and vinegar

3. Transfer the vinegar and water solution to a cooking pot.

4. Heat the vinegar solution to boiling over the stove

5. Soak the stained pot in the heated vinegar solution. Scrub with a non-abrasive pad to remove all of the stains.

Cream of Tartar Method

1. Mix one teaspoon of cream of tartar and two cups of room temperature water in a mixing bowl.

2. Stir vigorously until the ingredients are completely combined

3. Pour the solution into the stained aluminum pot

4. Place the stained cookware on the stove over low heat. Bring to a simmer.

5. Simmer the cookware for 15 minutes to remove most of the stains. Use a heat-safe scrub brush to remove any stubborn stains.

Crushed Ice Method

1. Fill the stained coffee pot or carafe with crushed ice. Add three to five tablespoons of table salt to the ice.

2. Add two to three slices of lemons. Swish the ice, lemon and salt mixture around in the pot for several minutes.

3. Set the mixture on the counter and allow it to sit until the ice melts.

4. Drain off the mixture and rinse out the pot.

5. Use a soft scrub brush to scrub away any stubborn stains.

References

• India Curry: How to Remove Stains on Aluminum Cookware?
• Kitchen and Restaurant: The Cleaning and Care of Aluminum Cookware
• Thrifty Fun: Cleaning Coffee Pot Stains