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Literally meaning “ baked earthly concern , ” terra - cotta is a cherry-red - browned glassless clay that ’s often used to create pots and planters . After a terra - cotta skunk has been used for a while , green algae stains and livid deposits of mineral salts , usually from tough pee and plant nutrient , incline to build up on its surfaces .

Some gardeners like these rustic signs of ageing , while others would choose their pots to keep their out of practice hue . Even if you like the lived - in smell of a varnished pot , keep in mind that crusts of mineral depository can glow or dehydrate plant stems that consist on top of them . If you want to keep your bay window spot - complimentary , do the following to clean terra - cotta sight .

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Before YouBegin

Although you’re able to use either blanching agent or vinegar to clean and disinfect pots , never compound the two . Doing so can create toxic Cl gas that will leave you heave for breath .

Step 1: Remove loose dirt with a scrub brush or hose.

At the end of the horticulture time of year , dump the oldpotting soiland plant debris from your pots before clean them . To avoid breathing in all that dirt , be trusted to wear a junk mask . Because it may be contaminate with bacteria , fungi , or worm eggs , do n’t save the erstwhile dirt . When the grass are empty , put on plastic baseball mitt and clean off any loose poop still clinging to their sides , using either a stiff scrub brushwood or a hard stream of water from yourgarden hose .

Step 2: Wash the pots in water with dish detergent added.

After you have removed the loose dirt , plunge the terra - cotta potentiometer into a large pail or sink make full with water to which you have added a dollop ofdish soap . Then , scrub the pot with either a scour pad , brand wool , or a conducting wire brush . Once you have finish , gargle the mass in clean water supply . If you are washing your terra - cotta spate in the spring in readying for planting , leave them in that water until you are ready to apply them . Damp clay pot wo n’t blow moisture out of the potting filth the way ironical I do .

Step 3: Remove salt marks and algae stains.

If salt marks or algae stains stay after cleaning , endeavor to houseclean your terra - cotta locoweed withvinegar . start out by placing the cleaned mess in a container fill with a potpourri of one part acetum and one part water . tolerate them to souse overnight before attempting to call off off the white or green film .

If dilute vinegar does n’t work , expend a rag dampened with full - strength vinegar to strip the white or green off your terra - cotta pots . you may also use this method acting to make clean terra - cotta Mary Jane with plants in them if you are heedful not to leave the vinegar to touch the plants as you scavenge the exterior of your terra - cotta sess .

Note : The acetum in which you soaked your pots has bactericidal properties , and can rid them of fungi and bacteria . If you did n’t use vinegarto scavenge your terra - cotta pots , you could disinfect them with bleaching agent , using a answer of one part blanching agent to nine parts pee . permit the pots to posture in that answer for at least 10 minutes and preferably up to an hour or more before rinsing them well in clean water . Do not utilize whitener on the pots if you have used acetum at any stage during the cleaning physical process .

Woman scrubbing the inside of a terra-cotta pot, with a bucket of soapy water next to the pot.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Step 4: Dry the pots and store them inverted and indoors for the winter.

Invert the pots and allow them to dry out before storing them in a garage or shed . ( Clay tidy sum left alfresco over the wintertime months are prone to break up . ) For the near results , salt away them upside down in rows rather than stacks . If you must pile the pots , place newspaper between them to prevent them from sticking together . Should any of your pots break during the cleaning process , save their bit for other use , or repurpose additional heap to make an cunning outer space warmer .

Final Thoughts

The above footmark are normally all you will require to clean terra - cotta garden pots , which are the best container for cacti and succulents that require first-class drainage . However , the same methods can generally also be employed to scouring less expensive plastic jackpot that mimic the spirit of terra - cotta and other pricier stuff .

mark that it can be more ambitious to clean house orotund terra - cotta pots than small-scale unity because big pots wo n’t fit easily into sinks or bucket . You may want to try washing them in a gravid , clean food waste can instead .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

Terra-cotta pots on a table with materials used to clean them: vinegar, cleaning supplies, and bucket.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

We ’ll facilitate you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a raised layer , or an in - earth plot of ground out back — and pick out the right-hand plant life for your soil and region .

Woman uses scrub brush to clean dirt inside terra-cotta pots.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Woman washing a terra-cotta pot in a bucket filled with soapy water.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Woman wearing rubber gloves cleans a terra-cotta pot with steel wool, with a spray bottle nearby.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Woman wearing rubber gloves with four inverted terra-cotta pots on an outdoor table.

Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila

Young couple (heads not seen) use trowels to dig into a small raised garden bed on Astroturf, surrounded by gardening accessories.