Did you find an old samovar that your great-grandmother used to use in the attic or in the pantry? Do not rush to throw it away! The fact is that today it is incredibly fashionable to have tea parties with a samovar on the table. They say that the water in it turns out to be softer, the tea becomes tastier, and the atmosphere is more soulful. However, before you begin to exploit the rarity, it should be thoroughly cleaned. Today we propose to talk about how to clean a samovar at home, using not only modern, but also folk remedies. After all the procedures described below, you will be able to brew aromatic tea and enjoy it with your closest people.
Step by step instructions
In fact, there is nothing difficult in cleaning a rarity that was used many decades ago. The most important thing is to strictly follow the instructions, do not damage the product, do not scratch it. The first stage is to disassemble the samovar. You will need to remove the key, handles, crown and stand. All these parts must be soaked in a solution prepared from a tablespoon of baking soda and half a liter of water. Both ingredients of the cleansing composition must be carefullymix, and then soak all the small parts in it and leave for 30 minutes (by the way, during this time you can clean the samovar outside and inside), and then rinse the removable parts in clean water and wipe with a soft cloth.
Cleaning the interior
Speaking about how to clean a samovar, it should be noted that one of the most important steps is cleaning the inside. If you clean the rarity only from the outside, leaving scale inside, you are unlikely to be pleased with the taste of a drink made from water boiled in a samovar. There are several proven methods to tidy up the insides of a samovar. Let's take a closer look at them.
Decalcification can be done with any decalcifier available at the hardware store. Please note: a composition designed for cleaning the kettle is suitable for you, but what is intended for washing machines and dishwashers should be discarded. Always follow all instructions carefully. In the event that the plaque on the walls is not particularly noticeable, you can simply boil a kilogram of potato peelings in a samovar. They must be thoroughly washed, put in a samovar, pour boiling water and leave until the water cools completely. This procedure must be repeated 3-4 times, of course, constantly changing potato peelings. After that, the container must be emptied, rinsed and rubbed with soda powder. The best way to do this is with a soft brush. It is with its help that you remove all traces of scale. After that, you need to thoroughly rinse the samovar again, pour it intohim fresh water, boil it. And only after you have drained the cooled liquid, the samovar can be used for its intended purpose.
If you are thinking about how to clean a samovar, try using acetic acid. Pour table vinegar into the samovar, heat it up to 50-60 degrees. After that, leave for a few hours. During this time, the acid will have time to corrode the plaque. Please note: after this, the samovar must be washed. Instead of acetic acid, you can take citric acid. Two or three bags should be diluted in water, boiled and left for 12-15 hours. Instead of powdered citric acid, you can take a kilogram of fresh lemon fruit. Effectiveness in the fight against plaque also demonstrates Coca-Cola. You need to pour it into a samovar, boil it, wait until it cools down, drain it. After this procedure, any scale can be easily removed with the hard side of the sponge.
Speaking about how to clean a samovar, one cannot but mention disinfection. After you remove the scale from the inside of the appliance, dilute potassium permanganate in water and pour it inside for 20-30 minutes.
Cleaning the samovar outside
The answer to the question of how to clean a samovar to a shine, our grandmothers knew well. At that time, there were still no modern washing gels that could remove dirt, and therefore the housewives used ordinary river sand to clean the outside. True, this tool, although it was quite effective, left behind quite noticeable scratches on the sides of the samovar. Today you can find a lot of household chemicals that can handlewith all impurities, without damaging the samovar. In order to clean a samovar, you need to understand what material it is made of, because the care of dishes made of copper, brass and stainless steel is significantly different.
Copper samovar
How to clean a copper samovar? Best of all, this folk remedy will cope with this task: combine s alt, flour and vinegar in equal proportions. Using a sponge with this composition, it is necessary to process the entire surface of the device. After that, the samovar should be wiped with a soft cloth. Experts say: no need to wait until a greenish coating appears on the surface. It is best to wipe the samovar from time to time with a slice of lemon, scrub off the plaque with a soft brush. In order to restore shine to the samovar, you can simply rub it with a cloth.
By the way, a slight touch of patina on copper will give your samovar a noble look. For this reason, it is absolutely not necessary to remove it. It is worth getting rid of only a dense gray-green layer, which indicates oxidative processes that negatively affect the condition of the product.
Brass samovar
Ammonia will help restore the brass samovar. It must be applied to a soft cloth, wipe the product from the outside in a circular motion. You should not press on the sides of the samovar. By the way, you should not wash it after this procedure: just ventilate it. By the way, if the pollution outside is not too strong, you can dissolve ammonia in one liter of water. How to cleanbrass samovar? Another great remedy is oxalic acid. You only need one glass per bucket of warm water. This composition must be applied to the metal with a sponge, and after five to seven minutes, simply rinse with cold water. While the surface is wet, you need to rub it with a gruel of baking soda, and then rinse it off along with the dirt. Please note: brass samovars must be wiped dry. In order not to clean such a product too often, it is advisable to simply store it in a dry place. Do not use household chemicals when working with brass.
Stainless steel samovar
How to clean a stainless steel samovar? Dishwashing gel will help you. In the event that there is no detergent at hand, you can take table vinegar. With it, it is enough to wipe the samovar well. It is worth noting that even clean areas of the product are subject to cleaning. Another great way is to use a remedy made with three tablespoons of room temperature water, a teaspoon of any tooth powder, and a tablespoon of 10% ammonia. In the resulting composition, it is necessary to moisten the sponge and rub the samovar, and then polish it with a dry cloth.
Helpful tips
So that you do not have to think about how to clean the samovar to a shine, we have prepared a number of useful tips. First, never leave a hot samovar empty. Because of this, the inner pipe may be soldered, inas a result, water will begin to seep out of the main tank. A samovar with water residues should not be left in a cold place. The fact is that water, freezing, significantly increases in volume. Because of this, a network of small cracks may appear on the surface of the product. Of course, it is simply impossible to restore the samovar in this case. In no case do not store it in damp, unventilated areas, because because of this, the metal darkens and loses its luster.
