Caring for your Pottery
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It's important that you understand how to keep your precious pottery safe so that it lasts forever, after you have taken time to create it.
Do not put pottery in the diswasher!
Simply put, the extreme temperatures in the dishwasher could cause the glaze to crack which in turn will let water into the ceramic body, weakening the whole piece. Over the life of the piece regular dishwashing will cause the glaze to go dull and the dishwasher tablets will have an abrasive effect. People have used dishwashers, and they have been fine, but if you've paid good money to come and create something, or if you have precious baby toes printed on them, you'll find that a handwash will be enough to keep them lovely!
Microwave?
Nope. I don't recommend anyone puts their handpainted items in the microwave. The clay body of the pottery is porous. Those pores behave like a sponge soaking up moisture and this gets hotter than the contents of your mug, and can cause a nasty burn.
Baubles & Christmas Ornaments
Be careful where they are stored! The glaze over the top of the ceramic is thin and can be prone to thermal shock. In most cases this will not damage the pottery but will 'crack' or 'craze' the glass. You'll see very fine lines across the surface. If you store your Christmas ornaments in the shed or in the attic, be aware that across the course of a year getting hot and cold with all the temperatures as the seasons change may cause this. My advice: stick your plastic/manmade decs in the loft but keep your ceramic ones wrapped safely somewhere where there is less risk of thermal shock.
Please note, particularly on rounded items such as baubles, the slighest knock can also cause the over glaze to crack so treat them carefully and pack them with lots of padding.
Crazing, or cracking of the outside glaze can happen to a piece worth a fiver just as much as a piece worth £500. It can happen 3 days after firing or 30 years... or never. But with this advice you're much more likely to get 'forever' out of them!
Outside Items
The same applies as above - if you're putting items in the garden or on a graveside be aware that in a severe temperature drop or hard frost you might find that the glaze crazes and cracks. It'll be unlikely the pottery will crack but if the glaze cracks then eventually the item will absorb the moisture and weaken the piece. If you can, bring them in during the depths of winter.
Tealight Holders
We recommend using battery operated tealights. If using real flames, the whole piece may become hot, so be careful when touching or moving it, and protect any surfaces you place it on. You don’t want to burn yourself, or your best dining table! Burn candles out of reach of children and pets, never leave a burning candle unattended, leave at least 10cm between burning candles, and never burn it near anything that may catch fire.
It's worth noting that some pottery appears indestrucible and some doesn't, you'll hear stories of people using dishwashers and microwaves all the time with no adverse effects. Yay for them! What I'm saying is that YOU need to decide for you how your pottery is looked after because it's precious to you, not them.