How to Clean Collectibles Made of Porcelain and Ceramics
The lovely décorative ceramic item can be a perfect choice to furnish your home. Although ceramic seems to be very fragile, you still can maintain the item very easily. Moreover, if you take care of it properly, you can prolong the color, paintings, other small details with the look of timeless beauty as if it has just arrived!
1.Start Cleaning: wipe off the dust and dirt of your beloved ceramic collectibles. Find a soft cloth and place it at the bottom of the item as cushion protection from scratches and breaking. Clean the item with lukewarm water and mix with a mild detergent. Gently apply the clean sponge or cloth to rub all areas of the ceramic until it gets clean and shiny. Rinse the water to wash out and leave the ceramic to dry. You can alternatively use a soft cloth to wipe off the water from ceramic, please do it gently and carefully until it dries completely.
Tips: Don’t forget to take off your jewelry in order to prevent your lovely ceramic from the scratch. Carefully select soft sponge without hard/rough surface, microfiber cloth, or lint-free non-scratching cloth.
2. Ceramic Crazing: If the ceramic has some crazing issues, you will need to soak it in warm milk overnight. On the next day, wash your ceramic in warm water with a mild detergent, it will effectively help to reduce ceramic crazing.
3. Ceramic Scratch: If your ceramic has some scratches which are not too deep on the surface, use a soft sponge with baking soda to wipe away the scratch. You can either use baking soda or white toothpaste as the alternative scratch remover as well.
4. Stubborn Stain: For the ceramic with a stubborn stain, it may need extra care and attention. Try using the mixture of salt and vinegar together, then soak the ceramic in the mixed water for a few minutes. If it doesn’t work, the ceramic needs to be soaked a bit longer or up to an hour. Alternatively, you can use baking soda and water to apply to the problem area and scrub it gently.
5. Storage: For ceramic storage, the item needs to keep and wrap in the newspaper as the first line of defense for this fragile item. Place it in order and avoid stacking ceramic directly on the floor, hard object, or top of each other, because it may get broken or scratch easily.
6. Ceramic for dinner wear and food/drink container: When using ceramic items for food or drink containers, don’t just leave and let them dry. Those items should be cleaned immediately with a mild detergent. Remove residues and wipe the ceramic with a soft sponge gently, add some mild detergent, and clean it inside and outside. If you forget to clean your ceramics and let the food stains dry until sticking to the plates, you’ll have the extra work for sure. When the residue and stain stick on the object like a ceramic, it’s very difficult to clean and remove. Moreover, the oily grease from food can build-up and causes discoloration, scratches, and stains.
Tips: Remove the food stain after every use. Cleaning is the key to maintain your ceramic items and it can help to enhance the beautiful appearance and long-term protective effect.
