In many families, the tradition of gathering at the samovar and inviting guests to tea is being revived. Some time ago, this item was in almost every home, and it still is. Only the appearance of samovars becomes unpresentable over time. They become dull on the outside, and on the inside they are covered with limescale. You can’t put one in front of your guests, but not everyone knows how to give a samovar its original appearance. In fact, it is not difficult, and expensive means are not needed for this. Here are some tips on how to clean a samovar.
Adding shine
At different times, samovars were made of different materials. The most common of them are copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. Brass products are less common. Stainless steel can be gilded on the outside.
Before cleaning the outside of the product, unscrew all removable elements. They can be immersed in cleaning solutions to remove dirt from them.
- To clean aluminum, make a solution consisting of 1 part (you can measure in matchboxes) ammonia, 3 parts borax and half a liter of warm water. A soft cloth is soaked in the solution, after which the samovar is rubbed until it shines. More tips on cleaning aluminum dishes here .
- It is more difficult to clean a gilded samovar. Take 1 egg white and a tablespoon of eight percent sodium hypochlorite. It should be rubbed carefully, without much pressure, so as not to erase the gilding.
- Clean the copper well with a solution consisting of a spoonful of fine salt, the same amount of flour and two spoons of table vinegar. The result is gruel, in which a dishwashing sponge is dipped and the sides of the samovar are rubbed.
- For a brass samovar, oxalic acid is suitable, approximately 1 tablespoon per liter of water. A soft cloth is suitable for rubbing.
- Stainless steel is easy to clean. 9% vinegar is enough.
- A samovar made of any material is well cleaned with tooth powder. Take 50 g of cold water, 3 spoons of tooth powder and 30 g of ammonia. After mixing, a gruel will be obtained, which is applied to the surface of the product with a soft cloth.
After applying a wet solution to the surface of the product, it is important to wipe it dry with a napkin or a soft cloth such as flannel.
Descaling
Scale is a substance dangerous to human health. It is formed due to the presence of heavy metal salts in the water. It is necessary to remove at the first signs of appearance, and it is even better not to allow this at all. After using the samovar, you should drain the remaining water, rinse it under the tap and wipe it dry.
To clean scale, you can use potato peels. They need to be rinsed under the tap and put in a samovar. Pour boiling water there, cover with a lid and leave to cool. The cooled water is drained, the husks are removed and the container is filled with new ones. The procedure is repeated three times. After rinsing the product, dip a damp sponge in soda and rub the inner surface of the samovar. After repeated rinsing, pour water and boil it. The samovar can be considered cleaned.
A good old method for removing scale: boil water with two packets of citric acid dissolved in it. It will be successfully replaced by sweet carbonated water, which must also be boiled in a samovar.