How to look after stoneware ceramics at home
Stoneware is a durable material. It's fired at high temperatures and vitrified, which means the clay body is dense and largely non-porous. But 'durable' doesn't mean 'indestructible', and a few habits make a real difference to how a piece looks after five or ten years of regular use.
Dishwasher versus hand-washing
Most stoneware is technically dishwasher safe, and most ceramicists will tell you so. The caveat is that repeated dishwasher cycles. Particularly with harsh detergents and high-temperature drying. Can dull a glaze over time, especially on pieces with a matte or ash finish. The effect is gradual and cumulative rather than dramatic.
Hand-washing with warm water and a small amount of washing-up liquid is the gentler option. It takes about thirty seconds more per piece and keeps the glaze looking as it did when you bought it for considerably longer. Whether that trade-off is worth it is a personal decision.
Staining and how to deal with it
Unglazed areas of stoneware. The foot ring at the base of a bowl, for instance. Are slightly porous and can absorb oils and tannins over time. Tea and coffee staining on the inside of a mug is common and usually harmless. A paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, left for an hour and then scrubbed gently, removes most surface staining without damaging the glaze.
Avoid bleach-based cleaners on glazed stoneware. They can affect the colour of certain glazes, particularly those with iron or copper content.
Chips, cracks, and crazing
A chip on the rim of a bowl is usually the result of contact with another hard object. Stacking ceramics without a cloth or felt pad between them is the most common cause. Small chips on the rim of a piece that's used for food are worth monitoring: if the chip exposes the clay body and the piece is used for acidic foods, it's worth retiring it from food use.
Crazing. A network of fine lines in the glaze. Is different from cracking. It's a cosmetic effect caused by the glaze and clay body contracting at slightly different rates during cooling. It doesn't affect the structural integrity of the piece and is considered normal in many glaze types, including ash glazes. If a piece develops crazing after purchase, it's not a defect.
Stoneware that's used regularly and washed carefully tends to look better at ten years than it did at one. The glaze settles, the surface develops a little history.