- To clean off dark spots, rinse your mortar and pestle, grind white rice into your mortar, and continue this process until your ground rice stays white.
- For glass, metal, and ceramic, simply rinse your mortar and pestle, give it a good scrub with a scrub brush, and finally, rinse it thoroughly again.
- If your mortar and pestle are wooden or bamboo, use a dry paper towel to remove food, wipe it down with a wet cloth, let it dry, and finally, wipe it down with mineral oil.
Remove Dark Stains from Mortar and Pestles
Rinse the mortar and pestle with water. Hold your mortar and pestle under warm running water. Use your hand to remove food debris from both the mortar and pestle. Once you have thoroughly rinsed them, set them aside on a drying rack or towel to air dry.
Pour two tablespoons (30 ml) of rice into the mortar. Use uncooked, white rice. Using your pestle, roughly grind the rice until it becomes a dark color. Discard the colored rice. Pour in another two tablespoons (30 ml) of rice. Grind the rice until it remains white. You may need to repeat this process one or two more times. Make sure your mortar and pestle are completely dry before grinding it with rice.
Rinse with warm water. Once the rice remains white, thoroughly rinse the mortar and pestle with warm water until all debris is removed. Then set the mortar and pestle on a drying rack to air dry. Make sure your mortar and pestle are dried completely before putting them away.
Cleaning Glass, Metal, and Ceramic
Rinse with warm water. Place your mortar and pestle under warm running water. Rinse them until a majority of the food debris is removed.
Scrub the mortar and pestle. Use a new (unused) scrub brush. Scrub your mortar and pestle to remove food debris that has set into them. Scrub until all food debris is removed. Keep this scrub brush separate from the scrub brushes you use to clean dishes. Only use it to clean your mortar and pestle.
Rinse again. Once the food debris is removed, rinse your mortar and pestle again under warm, running water. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly until all debris is removed. Set your mortar and pestle on a drying rack to air dry.
Cleaning a Wooden or Bamboo Mortar and Pestle
Remove food debris. Use a dry paper towel or brush to wipe food debris off of your mortar and pestle. Wipe until the majority of the debris is removed.
Wipe your mortar and pestle. Dampen a clean cloth with warm water. Using your damp cloth, clean your mortar and pestle until your cloth wipes clean. You may rinse the cloth in between wipes to clean it. Make sure to ring out excess water from the towel before proceeding to wipe your mortar and pestle.
Let it air dry. Do this once all the debris is removed. Set your mortar and pestle aside on a drying rack to air dry. Flip it a couple of times to ensure an even dry on all sides. Make sure it is completely dry before storing it.
Apply mineral oil. Use a food-grade mineral oil. Pour a small amount of oil onto a clean paper towel or cloth. Then wipe the oil onto your mortar and pestle using the cloth. Food-grade mineral oil is odorless, tasteless, and will not spoil.
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