Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

Thanks in advance, I hope.

In rec.food.drink.tea Myron Bennett wrote:

Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds
in small envelopes at the grocer's?

Baking soda / water works well. It also keeps the soap taste out.

Ian
--
I will not weary you with descriptions of quiet,
similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep,
and pipes, and coffee. (Sir R.F. Burton)
http://www.bookstacks.org/

In rec.food.drink.tea Myron Bennett wrote:

Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds
in small envelopes at the grocer's?

Baking soda / water works well. It also keeps the soap taste out.

Ian
--
I will not weary you with descriptions of quiet,
similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep,
and pipes, and coffee. (Sir R.F. Burton)
http://www.bookstacks.org/

Ian Rastall writes:

In rec.food.drink.tea Myron Bennett wrote:

Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds
in small envelopes at the grocer's?

Baking soda / water works well. It also keeps the soap taste out.

Seconded!

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Ian Rastall writes:

In rec.food.drink.tea Myron Bennett wrote:

Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds
in small envelopes at the grocer's?

Baking soda / water works well. It also keeps the soap taste out.

Seconded!

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Myron Bennett wrote:
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

I prefer dilute, warm bleach. Fast, complete and no residue. Any alkali will
work - no detergent required - but adding an oxidant dramatically enhances
effectiveness.

-DM

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:22:36 -0500, Myron Bennett typed:

Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

Thanks in advance, I hope.

I prefer a half-hour soak of about 1/4 tsp of Oxiclean in 1 quart of
boiling water.
--
Cordially,

Sonam Dasara
11/8/2004 7:51:57 PM
dovekeeper+at+electric-ink+dot+com

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 14:22:36 -0500, Myron Bennett typed:

Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

Thanks in advance, I hope.

I prefer a half-hour soak of about 1/4 tsp of Oxiclean in 1 quart of
boiling water.
--
Cordially,

Sonam Dasara
11/8/2004 7:51:57 PM
dovekeeper+at+electric-ink+dot+com

Myron,

I see a slew of responses to your post, so having not a clue, I continue
with....

OAN, hand washing and tea drinking are not, I find, always compatable. I was
drinking some subtle, delicate, complex, and might I say, costly tea with
friends a month ago and made the mistake of washing my hands mid-way through
the tasting with a perfumed soap. Even unperfumed soaps add their own
aromatic touch. So, for those who care, what's the answer to *my* dilemma?

BTW, if you are forced to spend time on this earth, "mundane" is probably
not the worst.

Michael



Myron 11/8/04


Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

Thanks in advance, I hope.

Myron,

I see a slew of responses to your post, so having not a clue, I continue
with....

OAN, hand washing and tea drinking are not, I find, always compatable. I was
drinking some subtle, delicate, complex, and might I say, costly tea with
friends a month ago and made the mistake of washing my hands mid-way through
the tasting with a perfumed soap. Even unperfumed soaps add their own
aromatic touch. So, for those who care, what's the answer to *my* dilemma?

BTW, if you are forced to spend time on this earth, "mundane" is probably
not the worst.

Michael



Myron 11/8/04


Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

Thanks in advance, I hope.

I try not to wash my tea pot. Just rinse. Chinese folks I have spoken
to about this believe that the mineral buildup on the teapot is good
for you.

Think of it this way - it won't hurt you. Boiling water passes over
the concretion often enough to sterilize it. If you notice the flavor
of your tea changing because of the mineral buildup, maybe it's time to
break out the toothbrush and pipe cleaner. Otherwise, don't worry
about it.

Sonam Dasara wrote:
Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

I prefer a half-hour soak of about 1/4 tsp of Oxiclean in 1 quart of
boiling water.

Despite of what some people here are saying: DON'T DO THIS! You drink
from that Teapot and mugs. Never use bleach or Oxiclean (Am I correct?
This is usually used with clothes?) for cleaning. Ever saw one of these
old Miss Marple Movies? The ones where people were frequently murdered
with bleach? Think about it for a second: that stuff is usually highly
toxic, and should NEVER be in contact with any food or drink.

For non toxic, easy to get chemicals, just go to your local supermarket
and buy some baking soda, this should work fine in most cases.

Someone here mentioned oxidants. Might be a good Idea. Hydrogenperoxide
(you should be able to buy that in pharmacies) of very high purity might
be suitable. You should get it at pharmacies, and a solution of about
3-5% in Water should be well enough.

Hydrogenperozide is not toxic, so it should be suitable for cleaning.
Anyway, it is highly corrosive, so　be careful with that stuff! Always
keep
http://chemdat.merck.de/cat/web2.sds...n=0&displang=1
in mind, please. Rinse the pot well before using it again.

DISCLAIMER: I never tried to clean my pot with Hydrogenperoxide. I
suggest using Baking Soda. If you want to give it a try, then do that on
your own risk, and take any needed precautions.

bye
Patrick

Sonam Dasara wrote:
Horribly mundane question. A few months ago, I moved from my house,
which had a built-in dishwasher, to an apartment, where I was dishes
by hand.
I have found that Dawn, no matter how good it is at getting oil-spills
of of ducks' feathers, has practically no effect on the tea stain
buildup in my ceramic teapot and ceramic mugs.
Are there any choices beyond the coffee pot cleaners one finds in
small envelopes at the grocer's?

I prefer a half-hour soak of about 1/4 tsp of Oxiclean in 1 quart of
boiling water.

Despite of what some people here are saying: DON'T DO THIS! You drink
from that Teapot and mugs. Never use bleach or Oxiclean (Am I correct?
This is usually used with clothes?) for cleaning. Ever saw one of these
old Miss Marple Movies? The ones where people were frequently murdered
with bleach? Think about it for a second: that stuff is usually highly
toxic, and should NEVER be in contact with any food or drink.

For non toxic, easy to get chemicals, just go to your local supermarket
and buy some baking soda, this should work fine in most cases.

Someone here mentioned oxidants. Might be a good Idea. Hydrogenperoxide
(you should be able to buy that in pharmacies) of very high purity might
be suitable. You should get it at pharmacies, and a solution of about
3-5% in Water should be well enough.

Hydrogenperozide is not toxic, so it should be suitable for cleaning.
Anyway, it is highly corrosive, so　be careful with that stuff! Always
keep
http://chemdat.merck.de/cat/web2.sds...n=0&displang=1
in mind, please. Rinse the pot well before using it again.

DISCLAIMER: I never tried to clean my pot with Hydrogenperoxide. I
suggest using Baking Soda. If you want to give it a try, then do that on
your own risk, and take any needed precautions.

bye
Patrick

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 15:15:18 +0900, Patrick Heinze wrote:


Despite of what some people here are saying: DON'T DO THIS! You drink
from that Teapot and mugs. Never use bleach or Oxiclean (Am I correct?
This is usually used with clothes?) for cleaning. Ever saw one of these
old Miss Marple Movies? The ones where people were frequently murdered
with bleach? Think about it for a second: that stuff is usually highly
toxic, and should NEVER be in contact with any food or drink.

Ridiculous! It's been used for years by innumerable people to clean drip
and espresso machines without any ill effect. Read the alt.coffee archives
for more information.

Miss Marples is fiction, and besides which, a good rinse will remove any
traces.

--
Cordially,

Sonam Dasara
11/11/2004 11:57:50 AM
dovekeeper+at+electric-ink+dot+com

Patrick Heinze wrote:
Despite of what some people here are saying: DON'T DO THIS! You drink
from that Teapot and mugs. Never use bleach or Oxiclean (Am I correct?
This is usually used with clothes?) for cleaning. Ever saw one of these
old Miss Marple Movies? The ones where people were frequently murdered
with bleach? Think about it for a second: that stuff is usually highly
toxic, and should NEVER be in contact with any food or drink.

Your comment borders on hysteria. (I'm not sure from which side.) On what
authority do you assert this warning? The scientific, biomedical and
epidemiological didactics of Miss Marple? If you want to draw on movie
deaths as authority, you might note that burnings cars rarely if ever blow
up (I've watched a few and read technical literature on the subject);
shooting victims are not knocked over by impact (conservation of momentum
would knock the shooter over as well), strychnine cannot be added to coffee
w/o anyone noticing (it's one of the bitterest known molecules, and would
make anyone with taste buds gag right away - and yes, I've tasted it), and
since about 1960, you can't commit suicide by sticking your head in a gas
oven (because they changed from CO-rich town gas to non-toxic hydrocarbons).
Drama is not always based on reality.

BTW, "that stuff" is not highly toxic; in fact, it's hardly toxic at all. It
is a strong irritant and can do rapid tissue damage,e specially to the eyes
and mucus membranes. The salient difference is that diluting a gram of
bleach in a liter of water makes a solution that won't hurt people and
doesn't even taste all that bad, compared (say) with stale Lipton bag tea.
Diluting a real "highly toxic" poison like botulinum toxin or even
(relatively pallid) aresnic won't make it much less toxic - with bleach,
it's mainly the concentration that's an issue.

BTW #2: a little browsing will reveal that all common bleaches are used
routinely in food preparation, e.g. for bleaching flour. We eat them all the
time.

And BTW #3: tea reacts more or less instantly with bleach - an easy
demonstration, since tea is colored and its oxidation products are not. The
byproducts are harmless. So you'd have to try pretty hard to absorb much
bleach after washing, rinsing and using a teapot or cup.

I've tasted bleach at about 1%, and it's not too bad. How do you think those
tooth-whitening mixes work, anyway? I don't know what Oxiclean is - sounds
British - but around the world, most "bleaches" are based on either calcium
hypochlorite, sodium monopersulfate or similar compounds. Water is expensive
to ship, but they still keep concentrations down to limit user risk, caustic
damage from spills and also fire hazards. After just one or two quick
rinses, none of these will leave a toxic residue - or they couldn't be sold
for home use. Real industrial bleaches are rather more aggressive, but you
can't buy them.

For non toxic, easy to get chemicals, just go to your local supermarket
and buy some baking soda, this should work fine in most cases.

Eat a few spoonfuls of that and then decide if it's toxic. That much sodium
alone would kill many people, if they weren't fortunate enough to expel it.
Then there's the mega-burp menace.

Someone here mentioned oxidants. Might be a good Idea.

What do you think most bleaches are? There are enzymic systems and some that
use reduction to remove color, but almost all are oxidants.

Hydrogenperoxide of very high purity might
be suitable. You should get it at pharmacies, and a solution of about
3-5% in Water should be well enough.
DISCLAIMER: I never tried to clean my pot with Hydrogenperoxide.

"Pure" H2O2 - practically limited to about 90% - is an intimidatingly
dangerous material even to a chemist. "Pure" dilute H2O2 is too unstable to
store; evolved oxygen would shatter the bottles. Pharmacy solutions always
have added stabilizers, some not so good to eat. Further, it won't clean tea
stains nearly as well as an alkaline solution due to the cyclic enol
oxidation - Michael addition - ionization pathway for degradation of
polyphenols. As you said, you've never tried it - so why recommend it?

Hydrogenperozide is not toxic, so it should be suitable for cleaning.

First clause is untrue - again, drink some if you want to find out - and in
any event, very few cleaning materials are good to eat. That's why they
invented the concept of rinsing.

Anyway, it is highly corrosive, so　be careful with that stuff! Always
keep

http://chemdat.merck.de/cat/web2.sds...n=0&displang=1
in mind, please.

Material safety data sheets are written for the physical protection of
industry technicians and the legal protection of manufacturers. They are
very strongly worded. Read the ones on salt, sugar and water sometime if you
want a scare. Further, the one to which you refer is for 30% solution, a
dangerous combustion enhancer that is not readily obtainable by private
citizens. (But fun for Mr. Wizard shows, if you know what you're doing.)

Sharing ideas is fine. Asserting proper technique when you know nothing of
the subject helps no-one. It's the same mentality responsible for the
results of the recent US election. Here's a concept: learn before you teach.

-DM
(who regularly cleans red-tea vessels with warm, dilute Clorox bleach)