TeaChat

I've had the IngenuiTea since 12/04 and am very happy with it. However, I'm trying to figure out how best to give it a thorough cleaning (there's lots of little particles and staining in the filter area). I usually rinse well after each use, and throw it in top of dishwasher every 4-5 uses (at most). Ideas?

-E

I dishwasher it every time.

I find that my dishwasher leaves it more gunky than when I put it in. You can either A. pry off the bottom. I think the instructions on how to do so are sitting around here on this forum somewhere. or you can B. oxyclean it. It won't actually remove the gunk, but it will bleach it out so you can't see it.

thanks for the tips! I may try both at some point. Still brews great tea though

I've only had mine a week, so I'm not speaking from much experience, but one cleaning step that I took today (as in non-routine) was to fill it with water and microwave for a minute after it started to boil. This could/should work well to loosen some gunk for those of us who are dishwasherless. One trouble I see is that it's really hard to rinse dishsoap out of it so make sure you keep rinsing the thing! I'll try not to use soap too often - just get all the leaves out and rinse with hot H2O a lot then dry it (but not closed!).

Cheers,
Rebecca

any more hints, ppl?

I've found baking soda and lemon juice to work well to remove tea stains. If you combine the two, it foams up a bit. Let sit for a few minutes, take a soft small brush and brush gently; rinse. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Tracy, I agree with you. Baking soda works well and is gentle on the plastic. It may need to sit for a while, but should do the trick.

This may not work very well with the IngenuiTEA, but for removing tough stains and buildup on smooth surfaces (even baked-on transfers from electric heating elements), Brasso will make short work of them all. Works on far more than just glass or plastic, too. It is a strong chemical mixture, though, so thorough rinsing is a must, though the stuff comes off very easily. Works better than anything else I've tried. But as I said, I think this is a less appropriate use for the technique.