How to take care of glazed earthenware?
I anticipate someone being able to answer this better than me, but my guess is that the glaze totally protects the ceramic of the pot, as long as there are no cracks or chips in it. You should be able to soak and scrub (but I would avoid scouring) the pot with impunity. A rough edged sponge is almost always a better choice than a metal scouring pad when cleaning ceramic / most dishes.