In this tutorial, we share with you some steps to clean up your art pottery. The dirt, metal marks, and mineral deposits are some common issues that you may find. However, keep in mind to use any of the steps at your own risk as particular art potteries may require particular treatments.
Just keep scrolling to check our tutorial on How to Clean Art Pottery below.
How to Clean Art Pottery
Cleaning dirt and grime
Mix two gallons of water and a cup of ammonia thoroughly. Soak your art pottery in the cleaning mixture for about 24 hours and you will see that all the dirt and grime are completely removed from the vase. If the pottery is extremely dirty, you can also add an all-purpose cleaner like Spic and Span to the mixture.
Cleaning silver marks
Metal polish is the best cleaning agent to clean silver marks that you may find on some matte glazed art pottery. Some pottery owners recommend a metal polish from Noxon which does the job really well.
Here’s what you can do:
- Add a few drops of the metal polish onto a rag.
- Rub the affected area on your art pottery. You might need to use quite powerful pressure until you can remove the silver marks. Keep in mind to always be careful in doing this step.
- Use another clean rag to remove the remaining metal polish on the surface of your art pottery.
Another way that you can try to clean up the metal marks is by using a stainless steel cleaner like Bar Keeper’s Friend. Just simply apply the cleaner with a damp sponge until the metal marks are removed.
(You may also like: A Complete Artificial Grass Maintenance Guide That You Should Know)
Cleaning mineral deposits
You may find some mineral deposits on your art pottery like calcium and rust stains. To handle this problem, strong white vinegar is commonly used.
If the stains are not that bad, you can soak the vases in the white vinegar for a day or two but for a more severe case, you might need weeks until the stains are completely removed. You can use a butter knife to rub the mineral deposits within the timeframe of soaking which is good to allow the vinegar to penetrate the buildup.
It’s also highly recommended to change the vinegar if you need several weeks to soak the pottery. Once you are sure that the mineral deposits are completely removed, wash the pottery with a mixture of warm water and soap.
The vinegar may leave a strong smell, especially if you soak your art pottery for weeks. You can simply soak the pottery in tap water until it doesn’t smell bad anymore.
Always be careful in executing this step since you may end up breaking the vase.
Cleaning paint specs
Extra drops of paint definitely can ruin the overall look of your art pottery. You can use acetone to remove them easily. Use a needle cuff if the paints specs are thick before applying the acetone.
(Image source: depositphotos.com)
