The Power of Denture Tablets

[the_economist]

So a while ago I posted one of my acquisitions (a porcelain kyusu). It came in atrocious condition with tea stains all over and a huge gunk buildup in the spout and filter.

So, I dunked the whole thing in a solution with 4 denture tablets which got rid of much of the stuff. But I quickly realized burning 4 denture tablets did not do much. Slow and steady was the better strategy, since the tea stains and gunk were probably in layers. So I did 2-tablet soaks for the next 2 days, after which most external stains were removed, leaving only the spout gunk, which was the hardest to get at.

SO i followed up with 4-5 more days of soaking, this time breaking a single tablet directly into the spout (crushing if necessary) aaaand I'm happy to report it did the trick and I feel I can now use the pot with just a tiny risk of death.

EDIT: I'd also like to know if the ballfilter can handle fukamushi leaves

Here's a b4 and after photo shoot:
Before -

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After -

DSC_2871 - Copy.JPG (12.38 KiB) Viewed 1250 times

[the_economist]

Second photo:
Before -

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After -

DSC_2870.JPG (11.97 KiB) Viewed 1249 times

[Victoria]

Wow, great, good work!

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

Denture tablets work wonders. I used them in a white crackle-glazed cup that I had. I drank a lot of black tea in it which really caused a lot of staining and not in a good way. I put a tablet in some water and inverted the cup over it. After a few treatments, it was like new. It even removed the stains from the crackles.

[David R.]

I concur. As it happened, I have just restored 3 old teapots I got from my grandmother using these. Works like a charm.

[Drax]

Wait for it....

Ready?


I guess they really take a bite out of stains!



Okay, I'm done. Meanwhile, very nifty! They could also probably take a hagi back to the "first change..."

[debunix]

Do beware: while they're great for the porcelain, they're gentle to all surfaces. I destroyed a nice stainless steel thermos interior with some denture tabs that basically etched the metal--going from some tea stain to unusable.

Has anyone used them on plastic? I have a plastic kamjove 'gongfu art' infuser cup thingie that is now pretty darkly stained.....

[Poohblah]

Do beware: while they're great for the porcelain, they're gentle to all surfaces. I destroyed a nice stainless steel thermos interior with some denture tabs that basically etched the metal--going from some tea stain to unusable.

Has anyone used them on plastic? I have a plastic kamjove 'gongfu art' infuser cup thingie that is now pretty darkly stained.....

given that denture tablets cause a solution to become slightly acidic, and acid works most effectively on metals, I would assume that this would be ok. Though with plastic, it's better to be safe than sorry...

[wyardley]

I usually use a not-too-thick baking powder paste first before trying oxygen-bleach type stuff or other stronger cleaners. I will use denture cleaner sometimes on extra stubborn stains, or with older stuff where I'm concerned about using even mild abrasives.

This is one of the few non-scented denture cleaners I've been able to find:
http://www.usdentalcorp.com/product_inf ... 8fcb731c24

I think that using a solution of non-chlorine bleach (essentially, strong hydrogen peroxide, I think) would probably be similar chemically, no?

[debunix]

May take my Kamjove home this weekend and try out the denture tabs. The problem with it is a lack of access to an intermediate chamber so I can't rub or scrub it clean even if I wanted to. But there is a little ball in there, whose tight fit to a round hole is what makes the whole device work. I can't let that get etched or it will leak. But a short exposure might do the trick. It's cheap enough to be worth the risk.