How to clean a new (or very old) Yixing teapot

A tea pot made with a porous clay material, such as a Yixing, or an unglazed earthenware would absorb in various proportions of any liquid that comes into contact with it. This characteristic contributes to the infusion effect that the particular teapot is capable of rendering. It also makes the vessel vulnerable to contamination, such as by a dish detergent or grease. It is, therefore, important to clean the pot only with water. Use hot water when you want to clean it better.

Use a low heat to keep the water slightly boiling, and make sure the clay parts do not collide.

For a new pot (or an old one), when there maybe various dust, kiln debris of various different materials and dirts, it is important to clean it well before use. We advise the following steps:

1. Wash the teapot under running water
2. Put it into a stockpot, fill with water until the teapot is totally submerged
3. Bring it to a boil and then turn the fire to low. Keep the slow boil state for at least 5 min
   1. if there are tough tea stains that are still remaining, you may choose to brush them off using baking soda at this stage when the teapot is still quite hot after boiling
   2. add a little bit of water to the baking soda to make it into a paste
   3. use a toothbrush with the paste to brush off the stains
   4. rinse well
4. Flush with running water. Drain it and repeat step 2.
5. After boiling for another 5 min, turn off the fire and let the teapot soak overnight.
6. Rinse and then air dry. The teapot is ready for use.