Clean looking clay pots?

[chidfix]

Some of my orchid pots are starting to look shabby, but the plants are not ready for repotting. Is there any way to make to pots look new again without damaging the plants?

[whalloper]

Are you talking about the white mold that grows on the terra cotta? If so, I wet a paper towel with rubbing alcohol and wipe it off. Hopefully that helps

[Leafmite]

Or you could hide the pot behind the others and pretend that you don't have a problem. : ) If it isn't mold but fertilizer salts, scrubbing the pot in warm water will help. If the unsightliness is from hard water, vinegar will take that off (just don't let it get on the orchid and keep it on the pot's surface).
Leafmite

[orchids4me]

I just use a wet paper towel to scrub it off. Its just mineral salts build up leaching through. Its worse after fertilising lol lots of flushing a scrubbing off with water over here

[lmartiny]

I get those salts and I hardly fertilize. I read somewhere it can also occur if you fertilize too little. How is that? I'm not a good cleaner/tender but have been cleaning up for winter and just wiped several down with a wet rag towel. For empty pots I used to scrub and spray with bleach cleaner, etc. Now I scrub out debris with a soapy scrub sponge and then stick them in the dishwasher. Much easier.