Removal of a Pottery Stain
- To successfully remove stains, you must gather a few supplies, including a 40 percent strength bottle of peroxide, which is not available in general stores. Purchase it from a beauty supply store as it is used for coloring hair. You'll also need safety gloves, as the 40 percent peroxide solution is corrosive to your skin. Also gather a container large enough to hold your pottery and distilled water.
- Put the pottery in the container, and pour the peroxide over the pottery. Let the pottery soak for several minutes. The stain should start dissolving after a few minutes. Do not soak the pottery for more than 20 minutes. Lift the pottery out of the peroxide solution, and place it onto a hard surface. Dry the pottery with a soft cloth. If you still see some areas that are stained, use a toothbrush to loosen the stains further, but scrub softly so you don't accidentally scratch the pottery.
- Once you've finished scrubbing the pottery and the stain is gone, dump out the peroxide, and replace it with distilled water. Soak the pottery for a few minutes in the distilled water to rinse off all the excess peroxide. It is important to use distilled water because regular tap water contains fluoride, which can harm your pottery's finish. After soaking your pottery for a few minutes, pull it out of the water and allow it to air dry.
