Here's our favorite blog post from the March 10 ezine. It includes more information on the dangers of using bleach:
For pots that may have been washed with a bleach based product repeatedly or simply soaked in bleach, we would suggest a simpler, more environmentally friendly approach.
You should soak the piece in a solution of white vinegar and water. The purpose of the vinegar is to neutralize the effects of the bleach and stop the disintegration of the piece. After soaking the piece in the vinegar solution, clean and soak in distilled water to remove the vinegar.
Should you need to lighten the crazing lines on a piece, never use bleach. Instead, use hydrogen peroxide, the kind sold at the beauty stores for bleaching hair. You can soak the piece in the peroxide, then wash well and soak in distilled water. (Use gloves.) Some pieces may need more soaking than others.
Lenore Gusten
Gusten's Restoration Studio
http://www.gustens.com/
2 comments:
The horrors of bleach! I have had the best success in removing stains from porcelain and pottery, especially tea cups and coffee mugs, with a simple mixture of cream of tarter and baking soda. I don't measure, but just shake about a 1/2 tsp. of each into the bottom of the cup, add a small squirt of water and rub it around for a few seconds. It's safe on your hands, becomes very cold and rinses clean without any residue. Good Luck.
Melissa Brinkley
Duckwife2@msn.com
With regard to soaking pieces in vinegar and water. Caution: Do NOT soak chalkware (plaster of paris)pieces in the above solution. When restoring or repairing old oil lamps, the brass colors were attatched to the glass lamp font with plaster of paris. To remve the collar, I have always soaked the collar and font in a vinegar/water solution which breaks down the plaster so the collar can be detached. Many other early glass pieces (creamers, sugars, cracker jars, perfumes, etc.) had metal collars attatched with plaster, also.
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