jim777-
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white stuff on ceramic pottery

What is the white stuff that forms on ceramic pottery and how do I get rid of it?

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

That’s a little vague. Is it powdery, sticky, or crystalline? Soft, sandy/gritty? Easily dissolves with water or alcohol? Or vinegar?

Vanisle_BC
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Location: Port Alberni, B.C. Canada, Zone 7 (+?)

applestar wrote:That’s a little vague. Is it powdery, sticky, or crystalline? Soft, sandy/gritty? Easily dissolves with water or alcohol? Or vinegar?
Fired or raw?

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I think you are talking about the salts that crystalize on the pots especially around the drain holes.

Scrub any dirt, roots and grime from the pots first with a stiff brush.The pots can be soaked in 10% bleach for about a week. The chlorine will off gas in a couple of days. After that, soak the pots in water, change the water daily to leach out chlorine and more salt. This process will sterilize as well as dissolve the salt. If the terra cotta pot is totally white, from top to bottom, it may not be worth it to save a pot that is that saturated with salt.



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