Pet-Sitting Friend Gets Too Comfy, Ruins Woman’s $500 Yixing Teapot, Gets Told To Replace It

Letting someone into your home means that you trust them enough to show a personal side of yourself that you value and hope that they don’t ruin it in any way. 

That’s exactly what the woman from today’s story did when she invited her friend to stay over at her place to look after her cat. Little did she know that while her cat would remain all okay, one of her other prized possessions wouldn’t.

More info: Reddit

When you let someone into your home, you expect them to respect it

Person pouring tea from a brown Yixing teapot into a small cup, highlighting a $500 collectible teapot.

Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Just as this woman did, when she invited her friend to pet-sit when she left for a work trip

Text excerpt about a friend ruining a valuable Yixing teapot and the owner wanting it replaced or compensated.

Text excerpt discussing cleaning methods and a house-sitting friend using kitchen items while watching a cat.

Alt text: Close-up of text describing a missing $500 Yixing teapot not kept in the kitchen for guests.

Person washing a delicate teapot by hand in a kitchen sink with soapy water, highlighting care for Yixing teapot.

Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

She specifically allowed her friend to use everything in the kitchen, to make her as comfortable as possible

Text describing damage to a $500 Yixing teapot found scratched and smelling like soap inside a sink.

Woman explains how house-sitting friend ruined her $500 Yixing teapot by washing it with a rough sponge and soap.

Text describing a failed attempt to fix a $500 Yixing teapot that now tastes like soap and has increasing scratches.

Text excerpt about a house-sitting friend who ruined a woman’s $500 Yixing teapot and was told to replace it.

Woman holding a cup with a worried expression after her $500 Yixing teapot was ruined by a house-sitting friend

Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)

But when she came back, she found her expensive yixing pot in soapy water, where it doesn’t belong, as such water ruined it

Conversation text about a broken $500 Yixing teapot and arranging to replace it from the same store.

Text conversation about a $500 Yixing teapot damaged by a house-sitting friend and the demand to replace it.

Text image with the phrase should I just cut my losses, reflecting on a ruined $500 Yixing teapot incident.

Image credits: TeapotthrwoCity4661

She asked her friend to reimburse her for it, since she wasn’t allowed to use it, but her friend refused, saying the $500 price tag was too much

One day, the OP had to leave for a work trip, so she asked her friend to come over and watch her cat. Before leaving, she told her she could use anything in the kitchen. Kitchen is the keyword here. 

When she came back, she noticed her yixing teapot in the sink, covered in soapy water. The thing about this teapot is that it wasn’t in the kitchen; it was behind glass in a whole different room, so it was off-limits to her. Not to mention, she not only used it without permission, but she also ruined it. 

Apparently, she liked the tea the original poster made with the pot, so she decided to do it herself, too, without even thinking about asking about it beforehand. And then she proceeded to treat it in all ways you’re not supposed to. So, since this decision ruined the teapot, the author asked her friend to repurchase it or give her the money so she could do it herself.

At first, she agreed with this, but then the price topic came up – apparently, repurchasing it costs around $500, a sum she wasn’t willing to splurge. But the OP demanded she do it, which put a big strain on their friendship. 

You might think: why is this teapot being ruined such a big deal? And why does it cost so much to replace it? Is it magic or something? Well, it’s not really magic (as far as we’re aware), but it is pretty special. 

Two women in a modern kitchen having a serious conversation about a ruined $500 Yixing teapot.

Image credits: macniak / Freepik (not the actual photo)

You see, the OP bought it on her trip to China. But that’s not what makes it special. The thing about it is that it is a yixing teapot – a pot made from unglazed clay, which gets “seasoned” the more you make tea in it, similarly to a cast-iron pan. You cannot wash it with soap and rough sponges, just hot water and air drying. 

And the friend did exactly what you cannot do – she washed it with soap and sponges, making the pot smell like soap with no way of removing it or scratching it. So, it’s understandable that the teapot owner wanted it replaced. 

But besides the destruction of the physical item, there was another thing that was destroyed – the trust between friends. And we have already talked numerous times about how broken trust sometimes cannot fully be brought back. 

One could try to do that by apologizing and fixing their mistake that caused the trust to be broken, as it is the most common way to patch things up. But as we see in this story, the friend is refusing to fix her mistake. Granted, the pot is costly, but as netizens pointed out, she shouldn’t have used something that she didn’t know if she was allowed to. 

What do you think? Should the friend give the money for the teapot? Or is the OP overreacting?

Netizens agreed that the woman wasn’t wrong to get angry at a friend – she did cross a boundary by ruining something and refusing to fix her mistake

Comment discussing house-sitting friend ruining a $500 Yixing teapot by using a metal wire brush from a glass display case.

Comment discussing house-sitting friend ruining a $500 Yixing teapot with a rough sponge and being told to replace it.

Comment discussing boundaries with a house-sitting friend who ruined a $500 Yixing teapot and replacement options.

Comment about house-sitting friend ruining expensive Yixing teapot and refusing to replace it in a text post.

Comment discussing the value and care of a $500 Yixing teapot and the frustration when a house-sitting friend damages it.

Comment discussing a house-sitting friend who ruined a $500 Yixing teapot and must replace it.

Commenter discussing house-sitting friend damaging a $500 Yixing teapot by using a steel brush on delicate ceramics.

Comment about house-sitting friend ruining a $500 Yixing teapot and being told to replace it.

Screenshot of a forum post discussing a house-sitting friend who ruined a $500 Yixing teapot and refused to replace it.

Comment detailing how to reset a damaged Yixing teapot by boiling it in water and letting it air cool.

Comment discussing house-sitting friend damaging a $500 Yixing teapot and being responsible for replacing it.

Screenshot of a message discussing a house-sitting friend who ruined a woman’s $500 Yixing teapot and was told to replace it.

Comment discussing house-sitting friend ruining a $500 Yixing teapot and refusing to replace it due to cost concerns.

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