Contents
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Three types of pollution appear on samovars at once. On the inside – scale in the form of lime and mineral deposits; on heat pipes – soot and soot; and on the outer walls – various fat and carbohydrate traces of exploitation. Therefore, cleaning consists of several stages.
How to clean the samovar from scale
It’s worth starting with descaling. Moreover, this is the easiest step.
Scale is a mineral-lime scale that forms due to heating and condensation of hard untreated water. To remove it, various acidic agents are used – citric acid, lemons, vinegar. The first option is most preferable, because it does not leave a pungent odor and is quickly washed out. But if the scale layer is very large, then it is better to still use vinegar.
To get started, prepare one of three solutions:
Citric acid – 1-2 tablespoons per 0,5 liters of water;
Lemon – 1 quarter of the fruit per 0,5 liters of water;
White vinegar 9% – 200 ml per 0,5 liter of water.
Pour the prepared solution into the samovar and boil as usual. Then – drain through the spout, since scale deposits can also form in it. After that, boil 1-2 times with clean water to get rid of traces of the product.
You can replace all this with Coca-Cola soda. Just pour it into the samovar, let it stand for 1-2 hours to get rid of excess gas, and boil it. But be careful! Soviet tin samovars can be stained due to the color of Coca-Cola itself. Instead, in this case, you can use another carbonated drink – Sprite. It is recommended to use the original ones, and not the “Bell” or some kind of “Bel-Cola”, because the latter do not contain the phosphoric acid necessary for descaling.
Hot “Cola” must also be drained through the spout. After that, it is also required to boil the samovar 1-2 times with clean water.
How to clean the internal and external parts of the samovar from soot
If you use a wood-burning or coal-fired samovar, carbon deposits may form on its internal cast-iron pipes. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to clean up. This will require chlorine bleach or vinegar.
Prepare one of two solutions:
Mix chlorine bleach (“Whiteness”) and water in a 1:1 ratio;
Mix table vinegar 9% and water in a ratio of 1:1.
All work should be done with rubber gloves. This will help protect your hands from injury. The cleaning procedure is quite simple:
Dampen a rag, sponge, brush of a suitable size or ramrod in the solution;
Clean all carbon-contaminated places and pipes;
Rinse thoroughly under running water several times.
If soot remains, you can wipe it with effort.
If the inner tubes are made of cast iron, then it is worth additionally protecting this material. If possible, heat them, and then rub them with oil and let them cool naturally.
The same method is suitable for cleaning external parts from soot.
How to clean the outer parts of a samovar
On the outer walls of the samovar, not only scale and soot accumulate, but also various fat and carbohydrate contaminants. You can clean them with baking soda or vinegar. In extreme cases – if there are stubborn dirt – you can use ammonia.
The first way:
Carry out work with gloves;
Stir table vinegar 9% and water in a ratio of 1: 1;
Soak a sponge in the mixture and thoroughly wipe the entire front surface. Try not to make an effort – old stains are better to “pass twice” than to try to scrape off;
Leave for 10-15 minutes, and then wash again with a vinegar-water mixture;
Rinse off the remnants of the product with running water and wipe the samovar dry.
The second way:
Cut the lemon into slices;
Wipe stains with them;
Leave for 5-7 minutes;
Wash off with running water.
Lemon can be replaced with citric acid. Dissolve it in a proportion of 50 grams per glass of water. Wash the samovar with this mixture in the same way as in the first method.
The third way:
Prepare a solution of soda at the rate of 1-2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water;
Wash the samovar with it several times;
Place the removable parts of the samovar in a soda solution for 20-30 minutes;
Rinse thoroughly with running water and dry with a dry cloth.
Stainless steel, aluminum and painted enameled samovars are recommended to be cleaned in a less abrasive way:
Prepare a solution at the rate of 50 ml of ammonia per 1 liter of water;
Wash the samovar with this solution several times;
Rinse thoroughly under running water;
Wipe with a dry cloth.
Carry out work only with gloves. Preferably also in a well-ventilated room – to avoid the unpleasant smell of ammonia, which is poorly excreted.
How to polish a samovar to a shine
Attention! Painted samovars covered with enamel cannot be polished! But the rest – you can. And it’s pretty easy to do this:
Mix 3 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of ammonia;
Add tooth powder to the solution until a mushy mass is obtained;
After adding a little of the resulting mass to a rag from a lint-free fiber (for example, microfiber), wipe the samovar;
Polishing can be carried out both in small circular motions and in wide sweeping ones. But the main thing is that they should be the same over the entire surface of the samovar;
After polishing, rinse the samovar under running water and wipe dry with a microfiber cloth or similar material.
You can also use a special paste for polishing metals. It is sold in most household chemical stores or automotive cosmetics. Ordinary toothpaste is also suitable – thanks to its mild abrasive action, it is able to polish the samovar. But the sides will shine most brightly after using a mixture of ammonia and tooth powder.
The use of coarse abrasives such as sand, brick or stone chips is not recommended. They can damage the surface of the metal, which will cause deep scratches to appear on it, it will become more vulnerable to rust, and also fade (and I would like it to shine on the contrary). It is also not recommended to use sponges – it is better to use a soft microfiber cloth or ordinary rags.
Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.