Question
How do I clean my pots,  I have the self watering kind where one sits in another?  They were my mom's and have been used for years so I want to remove the scale and build up on them; however I do not want to harm the violets that I want to put in them by using something toxic accidentally.

Answer
Hello:

I recently cleaned one of my self-watering pots, the kind with the ceramic insert.

It was stained with soil so I cleaned it with soap and water first, rinced it then put in a bit of bleach and let it stand overnight.  

Next morning it was perfectly clean.

Then I rinced it thoroughly and washed it again with soap.  There wasn't even a smell afterwards.  

It should be completely safe for violets if you rince the bleach out several times.  Let it dry to make sure then give it a smell test.

Nancy