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.
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.
Tip: 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 my Houseplant 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!
Share your tips for cleaning terracotta pots in the comments section below!
Pat says
Thank you for this information. Regarding putting the terra cotta pots in the dishwasher, should I use the heat cycle or will that ruin the pot?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome. Yes, you can use the heat setting to clean terracotta pots, it won’t hurt them (as long as the pots aren’t cold before you put them into the dishwasher).
Linda Hulse says
Can you use a clorox wipe to wipe the white build up off a terracotta pot with the plant still in it ?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I’ve never tried it before, but you could give it a try. I would rinse the pots well afterward, so none of the bleach soaks through.
Alina Kiebxak says
Thank you for your information I did not know any of this.. I have some planters that needs to be clean and have flowers planted, can I clean the outside of the planters without removing the flowers?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome. Yes, you can clean the outsides of your terracotta pots without removing the plants. I just scrub them with a cleaning brush and soapy water. That won’t remove the caked on buildup, but will clean off the dirt and other gunk. Don’t use vinegar though, because that could kill the plants.
Eugenia Pappas says
I have 3 HUGE unglazed terra-cotta fruits that I put out in my flower bed on top of mulch. I love them, but they have gotten black all over them. At first I thought it might be mud. I’ve tried hosing them down and scrubbing with a brush but nothing comes off. The stains do not appear to have a texture (fuzzy).
They are so heavy my very strong neighbor gets them out for me every year so I can’t soak them. Any suggestions?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Your terracotta fruits sound really cool! I would try spraying them with 100% vinegar, saturating them with it, and allow it to sit for a little bit. Then I’d scrub them with a thick brush and soapy water. Rinse and repeat until clean. Hope that works!
Melissa says
Hi-Thanks for this post! I left one of my pots in the vinegar solution overnight. I’ll soak in water this am but I’m wondering if I should be concerned that the pot absorbed too much vinegar and could cause problems with whatever I plant in it?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I would soak the pot in water, just as you plan to do. That should be enough to flush out any vinegar that was absorbed into the terracotta overnight.
Sharon Smith says
Thank you for the information about using vinegar for cleaning flower pots.
Will cider vinegar work? I’m gluten intolerant & can’t use white vinegar or bleach.
I have several droopy house plants in dire need of clean pots, fresh potting soil and a lot of TLC.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! I don’t think that apple cider vinegar will dissolve the hard deposits that build up on terracotta pots like white vinegar does. You could certainly give it a try though, I have never tried it myself. It will still clean some of the stuff off the pots, but it may not dissolve all the crusty stuff.
Alex says
Hi Sharon – did that method work? Right now I just have apple cider vinegar at home and no white vinegar, but I’m keen to clean my pots 🙂
Kellie H says
Just FYI, white vinegar IS gluten free. And keeping it on hand just for cleaning purposes should not cause any issues. Especially if you rinse well. I don’t want you missing out on the benefits of vinegar when it’s not necessary.
Adrienne says
So when you put them I. The dishwasher do you use detergent?
Thanks
Adrienne
Amy Andrychowicz says
Nope, I just use the quick-rinse cycle.
Maggie Merrey says
How can I re-paint the terracotta pots? If possible to do it? How?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, you can paint your terracotta pots! Here’s a post with step-by-step instructions… How To Paint Terracotta Pots
Erin says
I am seeing alot of pots being painted. Is that safe for the plant? Seems it may defeat the purpose of a clay pot? Great article! Thanks!
Amy Andrychowicz says
As long as the paint doesn’t contain lead, then I don’t see any harm in it. It can defeat the purpose of clay pots if a sealant is added, but terracotta pots are readily available, and are wonderful for crafts and painting. 🙂 Here’s a post I wrote with tons of info and step-by-step instructions for painting terracotta pots.
Patrick Ryan says
Amy: great article, as always. So glad you mentioned the chemical buildup in clay pots. Just another reason go organic for the benefit of those awesome microorganisms in healthy soil!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Thanks Patrick. Yes, another great reason to go organic, for sure!
Alex says
Would putting them in the dishwasher with vinegar in place of detergent work as well? Just wondering if anyone has mentioned this process?
Amy Andrychowicz says
It won’t work to remove the crusty buildup on clay pots. You need to soak the pots in the vinegar solution long enough to dissolve the buildup. Simply running them through the dishwasher with vinegar won’t be enough to remove the crusty buildup – but it will clean off the dirt and other residue, and disinfect your pots.
Mark says
If the pots are too big for the dishwasher load them in your truck and go to the diy car wash and use the wand to finish cleaning. That is if you don’t have a small pressure washer at home. Use the mild soap setting first followed by rinse. Make sure you spray from a distance as too much pressure can chip or crack your pots
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great idea for cleaning large terracotta pots! However, this probably won’t remove all of the crusty buildup either, so you may still want/need to soak them in vinegar if you want to get rid of that crusty stuff.
stacey says
Thank you for sharing this! We have our pots outside since we moved to New England in August- they need a big cleaning!
Julie says
I remember my granddad always cleaned his pots each year before he used them, he used to talk about pests or diseases or something. I never bother but I am no where near as good a gardener as he was. I don’t know what method he used either but this looks easy and effective, thanks.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, leaving them dirty can spread both pests and disease. It is easy to clean terracotta pots this way, and they look beautiful after they’re clean. 🙂
Anonymous says
My dog has urinated on my terra cotta pots. Will the vinegar and water remove the stain also?
Amy Andrychowicz says
LOL, that's not good! I can't say for sure because I've never tried it… but I would expect the stain would be removed if you cleaned your terracotta pots using this method. You could try scrubbing your pots with a pot brush and soapy water first if your there are plants in them you don't want to remove. Otherwise, I would try soaking the clay pots in the vinegar/water solution (remove the plants first). You could also add a small amount of bleach to disinfect them, which would also help to remove the stain.
Candy "Sweetstuff" says
This is an awesome post and I am going to share! I have always wanted to know how to get rid of this stuff and reuse my pots! Thank you so much!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Thank you!!
El Gaucho says
Very cool, thanks. I've often seen terra cotta pots for cheap, or free, at garage sales or estate sales, but have always been put off by the icky buildup on them since I didn't know how to clean them correctly. Now I know, bring on the pots!
Amy Andrychowicz says
You're welcome! LOL, now that you know how to clean terracotta pots, you won't find any. Well, that's usually the way it goes for me at least. 🙂 Good luck!
Monica the Garden Faerie says
I've used a similar combo of equal parts water, white vinegar + rubbing alcohol) and sometimes a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water, which means I can skip the dishwasher step (which is a good thing because my dishwasher is tiny).
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great, thanks for sharing your formulas! It's always good to hear how other people clean terracotta pots. I've used the same bleach solution for disinfecting plant pots that aren't dishwasher safe, and my seedling trays.
Kellie H says
After the bleach/water combo, do you soak in just water to make sure the bleach is gone?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You certainly could soak them in plain water after.