I'm a little (sticky) teapot.

May 9, 2009 7:07 AM

What is this sticky residue on my tea kettle?

With the past two tea kettles I've owned, I noticed that they tend to get a sticky residue all over the outside (the inside stays perfectly clean). It's hard to get rid of, too. I tend to keep my kettle on the stove at all times just because I don't have much cabinet space- could it be casued by vapors from other food I'm cooking? Both kettles were metal, and it has happened with both electric and gas stovetops. Has this happened to anyone else's teapots? What causes it? What's the best way to clean it?

posted by emd3737 to home & garden (13 comments total)

Grease spatters from cooking? Clean with a steel wool pad.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:13 AM on May 9

This happens to me, too. Same circumstances, but I've never had any trouble cleaning it off with dish soap and water.
posted by mollymayhem at 7:13 AM on May 9

our kettle gets this too. i think it is from when grease splatters onto it and then polymerizes later from the heat.
posted by fancyoats at 7:14 AM on May 9

Yes, I get the same thing - I too keep mine on the stove all the time, and have no ventilation in my kitchen, other than windows. No hood or filter or fan. It's grease and food residue settling on it from vapors, just as you suspected. I use a scouring cleanser on mine and it works great, brillo does too! Anything I leave on the stove gets this coating - my spoon rest, for example.
posted by iconomy at 7:16 AM on May 9

Me too. Scouring cleanser is good, Krud Kutter is even better and doesn't scratch (although I'm pretty sure that's toxic, so don't let it get in the kettle).
posted by chihiro at 7:30 AM on May 9

Yes, it's splatterings from other cooking. Tiny ones that are hard to see. Any pot I leave lazily on the back of the stove gets this way.
posted by rokusan at 7:32 AM on May 9

I used to get this, too, when I used a stovetop kettle, but if you're a frequent tea-drinker, may I suggest an electric kettle? (I hope this isn't offensively off-topic.) I even got my 86-year-old grandmother to make the switch, after a lifetime of the stovetop kind. Counter space is at a premium for me, but the kettle tucks nicely into a little nook of space next to the stove that I wouldn't be otherwise using. My guess is that it's more energy-efficient, too. Anyway, something to think about.
posted by palliser at 9:08 AM on May 9

Me too. I switched to an electric kettle, too, after getting one as a gift. If your kettle is metal, try Bon Ami or a similar powder cleaner.
posted by ishotjr at 9:53 AM on May 9

409 can help with sticky grease residue too.
posted by Good Brain at 11:21 AM on May 9

krud kutter works great, and is non-toxic.
posted by vaguelyweird at 11:56 AM on May 9

Thanks everybody- I'll try the recommended cleaners and may end up getting an eletric kettle.
posted by emd3737 at 12:09 PM on May 9

The easiest way is to obtain and use the stuff that you use to clean a fancy electric range where there are just pictures of burners and you aren't allowed to use anything abrasive? Put in on, wait, wipe it off.
posted by moxiedoll at 12:58 PM on May 9

I used a magic eraser on mine and it came out very nice and shiny
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:13 AM on May 10