In the world of kitchen appliances, nothing stands out more than sparkling Stainless Steel Thermal Carafe. While stainless steel may look perfect from the moment you get it home, it doesn’t take long for hard marks to start showing up on the shiny surface. Even trying to remove these marks can sometimes make things worse. 

The following are the 6 most common stains on stainless steel thermal carafe which everyone usually faces and the easy ways to get rid of them.

 1. Water Stains

Water stains are those white stains which cannot even scrub away. These are caused by boiling water into the carafes. Tap water contains a small amount of calcium carbonate. While boiling this water, it breaks down the bicarbonate into calcium carbonate and creates the white stuff that gets stuck to the bottom of them. Calcium carbonate doesn’t dissolve easily in water, which is why it remains stuck even after washing with water and dish soap.

Solution: Add ⅓ cup water and ⅓ cup white vinegar to the pan. Warm the mixture for a few minutes. After discarding the liquid, wash and wipe the carafe.

2. Pitting

Pitting is the erosion of the surface of the metal. Because of containing chromium, the stainless steel thermal carafes are resistant to corrosion. Chromium reacts with oxygen in the air to form a thin layer of chromium oxide on the surface.  It is this layer of chromium oxide that makes stainless steel passive and protects the steel from reacting with oxygen and rusting. But when undissolved salt is added to a stainless steel pot, the chloride in the salt can attack the passive layer of chromium oxide, leaving some marks where it removes the oxide. These marks are signs of pitting. Well, a pitted carafe is even safe for use and pitting does not affect the performance of stainless steel thermal carafe. 

Solution: Apply baking soda to cover the stainless steel. Buff the surface using a dry cloth or paper towel. This will lightly polish and deep-clean without damaging the finish. Rinse well and dry.

3. Rust

Rust is oxidized iron and can be harmful to the human body. When we see a bit of rust inside the stainless steel thermal carafes, we usually rub it with any steel wool which makes the steel more likely to be influenced by corrosion again. 

Solution: Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 2 cups of water. Rub the baking soda solution on the rust stain using a toothbrush. Baking soda is non-abrasive and will gently lift the rust stain from the stainless steel. It also will not damage the grain of the stainless steel. Rinse and wipe the spot with a wet paper towel. You will see the rust on the paper towel.

 4. Heat Tint

Heat Tint is nothing but the ugly discoloration on stainless steel thermal carafes. It is caused by heating the carafe too quickly. What happens - Stainless steel is a mixture of several metals including iron, carbon, chromium and nickel. The chromium in the steel while combining with the oxygen in the air, makes a thin and invisible layer of chromium oxide. It makes the material passive and prevents the air from reacting with the metals any further. So, when the stainless steel carafe is heated, oxidation increases and the layer becomes thicker. As the layer becomes thicker, the wavelength of light that it reflects changes and as a result, we see a rainbow-like discoloration. Although this does not affect the food nor the performance of the carafe, everyone wants to remove them.

Solution: We have an effective remedy for this. Fill the stained carafe with water and add some baking soda in it. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes. For very bad stains, you can leave it for longer. Then scrub it gently by using a plastic rubber.

5. Black/Grey Residue

While making the stainless steel carafes, mechanical polishing is used with very fine abrasives to make them look shiny. But it happens sometimes that this polishing leaves some residues which cannot be removed by hand or even dishwashing. 

Solution: Just spread a small amount of Olive oil on the stains of the carafe. Let it sit for some time and then wipe out. After that, wash it with dish soap and hot water. The other remedy is to scrub the carafe gently with the mixture of lemon juice and salt and then wash it. You can even scrub the pan with a 1:1 mix of baking soda and warm water before using the pans.

6. Burnt Food

Well, this is the most common one. The stubby stains of burnt food can prevent you from making use of thermal carafe for next time. Also, it can spoil your food or add bad odor to it. Sometimes, the bad stains can push you to throw your carafe away as well. 

Solution: We have an effective remedy for this. Fill the stained pan with water and add some baking soda in it. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes. For very bad stains, you can leave it for longer. Then scrub it gently by using a plastic rubber.

Some Cautions while using cleaning products for your stainless steel thermal carafes

Although the aforementioned remedies can help get rid of strains in the carafes, some will be inevitable too. So, in such cases, most people prefer to use even some harsh cleaning products. 

The following are some tips to keep in mind before using such products on your Stainless Steel Thermal Carafe. 

• Never intended to use oven cleaner on your cookware as it can be abrasive.  
• Don’t use chlorine-based cleaners in your stainless steel carafes as chlorine is corrosive on stainless steel. It would be far better to use plain white vinegar.
• Don’t bleach your cookware with chlorine bleach.  

The kitchen is the most important part of every house, and stainless steel thermal carafes are important parts of the kitchen. The shiny and clean carafes can add colours to the beauty of your kitchen. Well, the above-mentioned tips may help you remove common and hard stains on stainless steel thermal carafes and enjoy the meal more joyfully.