Cleaning terracotta pots is quick and easy, and it doesn’t take much time. A few years ago, I got a bunch of old clay pots from a nice lady down the street. There were about 25 various sizes in total – awesome score, right?!
Weeellll…. they were very old and looked nasty (there’s always a catch, right?). But I could see the beauty that was beneath all of that crusted on, chalky grime. So I went right to work to clean them up.
Below I’m going to talk about what that white residue is, and why you should get rid of it. Then I will show you the 3 easy steps for how to clean terracotta pots. Plus I’ll give you tips for cleaning large containers, or ones with plants in them.
Table of Contents
Why Do Terracotta Pots Turn White?
That white stuff is caused by salts, minerals, and chemicals in tap water and synthetic fertilizers. Terracotta pots absorb moisture from the soil. When it evaporates, the salts and minerals are left behind on the outside of the clay.
Over time, they build up and create a crusty or chalky white residue or spots. It’s a common problem, and makes the clay look gross over time. But don’t worry, it’s very easy to clean off the white gunk, and return your pots to their former glory.
You can also prevent it from happening in the future by using rainwater or filtered water on your plants rather than tap, and switching to natural, organic fertilizers in your containers instead of using synthetic brands.
Why You Should Clean Your Clay Pots
Some people really like the patina look on the clay, and don’t want to clean it off. Unfortunately, using dirty containers over and over again can be very unhealthy for your plants.
They can harbor pests and diseases, which is definitely not something you want. Washing and disinfecting them between uses is a habit you should get into – no matter what they are made out of.
If you like the look of the crusty old, then you can paint your terracotta pots to look that way, and still have clean ones.
3 Steps For Cleaning Terracotta Pots
You don’t need any fancy tools or harsh chemicals to clean your clay pots, which is very nice. And you probably already have everything on hand already. Here’s what you’ll need:
Supplies Needed:
- Pot brush
- White vinegar (5% acidity)
- Utility tub (for large planters), or a bucket or sink (for smaller ones)
- Dishwasher (optional)
Step 1: Remove any loose dirt – Use your scrub brush to clean as much of the thick dirt as you can off of the terracotta pot. In my case, I also needed to brush off thick cobwebs and other yucky debris (cringe!).
You don’t need to be super fussy here, and you don’t have to get all of the dirt off. Just remove the loose stuff, and any large chunks that might be stuck inside the pot. The rest will come off in the next steps.
Step 2: Soak your terracotta pots – Ideally, you should use 1 cup of white vinegar for every 3-4 cups of water. The less vinegar you use, the longer you’ll need to soak the pots.
Completely submerge your terracotta pots in the solution. You may hear sizzling sounds or see bubbles. Don’t worry, that’s a combination of the vinegar doing its job at dissolving the crusty buildup, and the clay absorbing the water.
Let them soak for 20-30 minutes. If the buildup wipes or easily scrubs off after that, they’re done. Otherwise, leave them soaking longer. Keep checking every 10 minutes, or so, until all of the residue comes off.
For really tough buildup, you can soak the pot in pure vinegar (in the photo below, I’m just soaking the rim where the crusty buildup is the worst).
If you soak the entire terracotta pot in vinegar, you should then soak it in pure water afterward to dilute the vinegar that the clay has absorbed.
Step 3: Run pots through the dishwasher. As a last step, I run my terracotta pots through the quick-wash cycle on my dishwasher. This will further clean and disinfect them.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can use a little extra elbow grease and scrub the pots in soapy water. That’s it, you’re done! See, I told you it was easy.
As for those dirty, crusty old clay pots that I got for free… Well, here’s what they looked like after I finished cleaning them…
WOW! Can you believe these are the same terracotta pots? Seriously, it took about 30 minutes of my time to clean them.
I’m pretty sure it’s been decades since these have been cleaned (if ever). And now I have a nice collection of what look like brand new clay pots (for free!). Totally worth it!
How To Clean Large Terracotta Pots
If you have large clay garden pots that are too big to submerge in a utility tub, bucket or sink, you can still use this method. Simply soak 1/2 or 1/3 of the planter at a time.
Once you’ve cleaned off all the crusty residue on one side (steps 1-2 above), then flip it over and do the same thing to the other half.
Obviously you won’t be able to run the large ones through the dishwasher. But that’s ok, you can just wash them with soapy water instead.
How To Clean Clay Pots With Plants In Them
It’s much easier to do this with empty clay pots, but you can certainly try cleaning one that has a plant in it. In this case, I recommend mixing equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and dousing the outside of the pot.
Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then use a heavy duty brush to scrub it, and give it a good rinse with water. Repeat these steps until your pot is clean. Be very careful, and take great care not to spray your plant, or the vinegar could damage the leaves – and never soak your potted plant in this solution.
But honestly, if it’s been in the same container for so long that your terracotta pot has buildup on it, then it’s probably time to repot your plant and give it fresh soil anyway. You can pull it out, clean the pot, then put the plant back into the same container with fresh soil.
It doesn’t take much time to clean terracotta pots, or give crusty old ones new life. Now you can shop yard sales and thrift stores to find cheap clay flower pots (or maybe you’ll find a bunch for free like I did!), and make them look brand new.
If you want to learn all there is to know about maintaining healthy indoor plants, then you need myHouseplant Care eBook. It will show you everything you need to know about how to keep every plant in your home thriving.Download your copy now!
More Container Gardening Posts
- Choosing The Best Potting Soil Mix For Container Gardening
- How To Design Stunning Container Gardens
Share your tips for cleaning terracotta pots in the comments section below!
