I specifically bought this 101 oz. (3 liter) tea kettle for us to take on our camping trips. The large capacity allowed us to make coffee and have hot water left over for washing dishes after our meals. It worked beautifully! Because of its cast iron material, it also kept the water hot until we needed it, even if the fire had burned down and the kettle was off to the side. Since we just had water in it, I would just let it air dry before storing it. But the inside is nice and slick, so wiping it out shouldn't be a problem if needed. I also kept the box and bubble wrap to protect it 1) in transporting it (especially the lid from bouncing around and 2) to protect the other things around it from getting soot on them. We'll most likely only use this over a fire pit, so I'm not concerned about trying to clean the outside. The black color helps hide the soot too, so unless you touch it, it doesn't look dirty! ?I would highly recommend this tea kettle for anyone who loves camping and cooking over a fire!