Caring for your Ceramic Art

When you decide to purchase a hand made piece of pottery or ceramic, you commit to a special care for it . You need to remember that your item is not mass produced with industrial materials and so it may need some extra attentions. you need to take a lot of factors in considerations. I made a small guideline on how to care for my ceramic pieces, but you can use those tips for most of the handmade ceramics you find out there. Lets look this up together :

Consider the type of clay

The type of ceramic used will impact the porosity of your items. So more pores means more water absorption.

Earthware > Stoneware > Porcelain

This is the order from the most to the least porous. This is also the same order of water absorption capacity. Why do we need to consider that in the care? If our ware absorbs a lot of water its going to make it not suitable for microwave (also ovens). This is because the moisture trapped in the pores will become steam very quickly in the microwave and make your mug blow up or crack. So No microwave for earthware . Stoneware and porcelain will be most likely to do great in the microwave because their water absorption is low. Obviously depends from the specific type of clay.

Consider the finish

When we hold our item is it shiny and smooth? This is the easier way to understand if its glazed or not. If its something meant to hold food its most likely glazed so its waterproof in those glazed areas. We can use cleaning products like glass cleaner or dish soap on a glazed finish. I don’t suggest to use vinegar to descale or clean glazed surfaces because it may corrodes the glaze or make it not as shiny .

If your item is not glazed or it has a cold finish like acrylic paint, wood wax and so on, don’t use any wet cleaner. Just wipe with a dry cloth. You may spot clean with a dump cloth those areas that are stained, don’t over-scrub.

An exception is made for certain items like a fruit bowl that is left with bare glaze, in that case you can clean it with water and scrub a toothbrush and water only if some stains are present. Consider that it will be tough to remove stains from a non glazed surface. You can attempt to scrub with a fine grit sand paper where some more persistent stain show up.

Consider the purpose

When you take care of your ceramic item please. Please. Use it for what is intended. If its a vase that is not glazed (not waterproof), use it as a shelf decoration, or place some dry flowers in it, don’t use it as a water jug. If you get a acrylic painted figurine don’t put it in the garden by the gnomes. That’s the best way to ensure your ceramic item to have a long life.

Every item I make come with a care instruction paper. If you follow it you wont encounter risk to ruin your ceramic.