Cast Iron Teapot Rust?

I enthusiastically bought a cast iron teapot from World Market, and didn’t know really how to take care of it. So now there are a couple spots of rust on it. I found a lot of websites and info about how to prevent rust, but not much detail on how to remove it. Any tips?

7 Replies
sandra said

you can remove these with wet tea leaves. (use a t-sac for instance).

Ooh, thanks! I’ll try it out this weekend :)

Dustin said

Do you scrub it with the leaves or just let them soak?

This was my interpretation: I used wet leaves left over from a cold brew that I had in a paper filter. I took the whole filter and kind of used it like a sponge to rub at the rust spots. It seemed to do the trick.
I also read somewhere about steeping tea in it because the tannins create some kind of seal? I just threw some CTC into the pot with boiling water, let it sit for 20 minutes, rinsed it all out, and dried it with a towel completely. So far so good!

xhado123 said

Antioxidants. Tea’s antioxidants prevent oxidation. Though I buy cast iron with some form of lining, and try to stick with Japanese forges.

Login or sign up to post a message.

carol who said

It’s really funny but I just bought one at World Market yesterday. I got the blue/green with dragonflies. The lady there said not to use it to boil the water, don’t leave the tea in too long and completely drain the kettle each time leaving the lid off for at least 2 hours. But I’m glad to see that sandra recommended the trick with wet tea leaves so I don’t worry too much. It’s an inexpensive piece so I’m not really too worried about it. Have you ever had any of their loose leaf tea? They don’t have much and I haven’t had much luck on the few I’ve tried. (They did take it back though). :)

Dustin said

I have a cast iron pan and I imagine the tea pots require similar care. After I wash my pan (no soap with a plastic bristle brush) I have to put it back on a hot burner until all the water has steamed off or it will rust.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.