Dear Helen,

I love my plants but I hate the look of commercial plastic pots, so I have plants all over the house set into objects that were often intended for other purposes. Friends see my potted plants in old sugar bowls, redware pots, cachepots, aluminum tea kettles, cookie jars, and all manner of things. Here is my problem. Some of these retain water in the bottom which develops this crusty stuff on the surface of the ceramic or glass or metal. Can it be removed?

Anonymous in Scarsdale (by e-mail)

Dear Anonymous,

Your problem is caused by metals and elements in the water which encrust the surface of your pots, sugar bowls and cookie jars. The chamber pot photo clearly shows that it's more than dirt. This encrustation is very similar to sickness you find inside decanters that have held liquor for too long. I have been told repeatedly that the best product to use is denture cleaner or toilet bowl cleaner. Give it a try, but I've not had the best of luck with these products. Instead, I adhere to the school of thinking that elbow grease and one of those green scouring pads are what is necessary to get these items clean. This assumes that your object isn't a museum quality piece that should get the gentle touch it deserves. Let me know how your cleaning sessions go.