On 2007-10-09 15:32:16 +0100, (Andrew
Gabriel) said:

In article ,
Stuart Noble writes:
John Stumbles wrote:
On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:33:08 +0000, djc wrote:

Not general purpose but very good for removing tannin from teapots and
cups. Mix to a paste with a little water.

I wonder if bicarb is an ingredient of dishwasher detergent which is also
very good for degunking teapots and vacuum flasks?

So is Ribena oddly enough, it being acidic

Dishwasher detergent is normally a strong alkali,
based on caustic soda and other ingredients.

This is an area where there is a lot of marketing.

A recently purchased pack of dishwasher cleaner claimed to have X% of
non ionic surfactant which all sounds very innocent and like the
instruction book for a 1960s girl's chemistry set.

Reading in more detail and looking at the MSDS revealed that it was our
old friend, NaOH. No other ingredients were mentioned.