Why does tea residue fall off when soaked

Tea stains fall off immediately after soaking, which is usually related to the composition of tea stains, water quality, and the material of tea utensils. Tea scale is mainly composed of tea polyphenol oxides, mineral deposits, etc. It is easy to dissolve and fall off when slightly attached to hot water. The solubility of tea stains is influenced by various factors. The newly formed tea scale structure is loose, and minerals such as calcium carbonate have not fully crystallized. It can quickly soften and peel off when soaked in hot water. The deposition of scale is less in areas where soft water is used, and tea scale is easier to remove. Smooth surfaces such as ceramics and glass are less likely to retain stubborn tea stains than rough materials such as purple clay.

Long term accumulation of tea stains may contain insoluble calcium and magnesium compounds, which are difficult to remove by simply soaking in hot water. The surface of old tea sets fired at high temperatures has fewer micropores, and the penetration depth of tea stains is shallow, making them relatively easy to clean. If tea stains contain a large amount of metal ion complexes, they need to be thoroughly decomposed with acidic cleaning agents.

It is recommended to rinse tea utensils promptly after use to avoid prolonged retention of tea soup. Soak tea utensils in warm water with citric acid or baking soda for 15 minutes every month to prevent the formation of stubborn tea stains. Be careful to avoid scratching with hard objects such as steel wire balls to prevent damage to the enamel surface of the tea set. Purple clay tea sets should be thoroughly dried in the shade after cleaning to prevent secondary adsorption of impurities.