Tips on Preserving Ceramic Dinnerware

Ceramic dinnerware is very fragile. It must be properly handled to avoid breaking.

Dinnerware is a type of formal china setting that comprises of a salad plate, dinner plate, tea cup and saucer. Some sets have bread and butter plate. These pieces of china are very fragile items that tend to break easily. Know how to take care of these items properly.

Decide and finalize on the type of dinnerware you need. For formal occasion, porcelain or bone china is the best option. Stoneware is the type you can use every day.

You can only handwash your antique china. Don't put it in a dishwasher. Take note that antique china is very fragile because of its age and usage. When you handwash, scrape off the plates, and then, wash it in sudsy, warm water dishwasher. Make sure you rinse well and allow air drying.

Put a clean sink mat or dish towel along the bottom part of the sink. This will not only pad it, it will also prevent breaking fine crystals and dinnerware.

This is the proper order of cleaning your set: glassware, dinnerware, then flatware and the pans.

You can wash modern china, earthenware and stoneware inside the dishwasher.
Make sure that flatware as well as other types of metallic objects is segregated from your dinnerware. The rubbing effect of dinnerware and metals can leave gray marks.

You can remove gray marks by scrubbing it with a very mild cleanser like Bon Ami or Bar Keeper's Friend. Steer clear of lemon-scented detergents. This can damage dinnerware.

Use the shortest cycle when washing dinnerware. Line your storage areas with cloth, paper towels or other dish protectors.

You can hang your tea cups onto hooks or you can stack them up. Make sure you place a protector in-between the cups.

Stoneware is basically sturdier. They are fired at higher temperatures just like Porcelain China. However, porcelain is noted as translucent. Kaolin, a type of white clay, is the key ingredient of porcelain china.

Similar to porcelain china and Stoneware, bone china is also fired at higher temperatures. It is extremely durable, lightweight and thin. Corelleware, on the other hand, is a durable glass-based American dinnerware. It is popular because of its low weight, durability and microwaveable features.

When heating food inside the microwave, on no account should you use metallic trimmed type of dinnerware. Furthermore, fine china settings include a salad plate, dinner plate, tea cup and saucer set as well as a bread and butter plate. For casual dinner settings, use a salad plate, dinner plate, a mug and a bowl.

Ceramic Italian Dinnerware needs proper maintenance to last a long time.
Never use your Italian ceramics for reheating or cooking purposes. On no account should you place these inside a microwave, oven or a burner. Although they were fired 2x at a temperature of no less than 1600oF, they are still prone to chipping or cracking.

Avoid any sudden change of temperature. When serving very hot liquids or foods, temper your ceramic plates with warm tap water first. It avoids cracking or thermal shock.

Although this is dishwasher safe, keep it on low heat and use only good quality detergents. Take note on where you place it inside your dishwasher. Each piece should never touch each other during the cycle.

When removing dry food and stains, place the Italian ceramic dinnerware in warm, soapy water and allow soaking for several minutes. For worst cases, you can use plastic scrubbers. Never use scouring powders or any rough materials for scrubbing.

For tea stains on hand-painted ceramics, mix 2 tablespoons of chlorine bleach with a quart of water. Soak your ceramic cups for about 1 to 2 minutes. After soaking, rinse them thoroughly but gently.

For black marks from cutlery, you can remove them by using non-abrasive and good quality metal cleaner.