Product Care
Vitrified porcelain is one of the most durable materials in your home — it survives dishwashers, boiling water and decades of daily use. Almost nothing here is fragile. But a few habits keep the matte surface looking the way it did on day one.
The 20-second version: dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe for liquids, no abrasive pads, no oven, no freezer-to-boiling temperature swings. That is genuinely it.
Everyday washing
Dishwasher
Normal cycle, normal detergent. Because the body is vitrified at 1300°C there is no porous layer for water or detergent to penetrate — the piece comes out exactly as it went in. Place vases upside down on the top rack so water drains rather than pooling in the neck.
One caution that applies to any ceramic: do not let pieces knock against each other or against metal cutlery during the cycle. Chips come from impact, never from water.
By hand
Warm water, a drop of dish soap, a soft cloth or sponge. Rinse and air-dry or towel-dry. For tea ware, plain hot water is usually enough — tea leaves no grease.
What to avoid
- Abrasive scouring pads and steel wool. They will slowly polish shine into a matte surface. This is the single most common way people damage matte porcelain.
- Bleach and oven cleaner. Unnecessary, and hard on the unglazed foot ring.
- Conventional ovens and direct flame. This is tableware, not bakeware.
- Extreme thermal swings. Boiling water into a room-temperature cup is fine. Freezer straight to boiling is not — that is true of every ceramic ever made.
Stains and marks
Tea and coffee tannin
On a much-used cup a faint brown ring can build up inside. Make a paste of baking soda and a few drops of water, rub gently with a fingertip or soft cloth, rinse. It lifts in seconds and does not touch the glaze. Repeat rather than scrubbing hard.
Grey pencil-like marks
Those are metal transfer marks — usually from cutlery or a metal rack — not scratches in the porcelain. The same baking-soda paste removes them completely.
Cloudy water marks
Hard-water minerals, not damage. Wipe with a cloth dampened in white vinegar, then rinse with clean water.
Caring for vases specifically
- Rinse between arrangements. Flower stems release organic material; a rinse stops it building a film. The interior will not stain — it is non-porous — but a rinse keeps the next arrangement fresher.
- Use a bottle brush for narrow necks. Bud vases have openings too small for a hand. A cheap bottle brush solves it. So does a spoonful of uncooked rice with warm soapy water, swirled.
- Dry upside down. Water left standing in a narrow neck evaporates slowly and can leave a mineral ring.
- Dried flowers need nothing. No water, no maintenance. A dried arrangement can stay in place for a year or more.
Caring for hand-painted tea ware
The cobalt lotus motif is brushed on before the glaze firing, so it sits beneath a layer of glass. It cannot fade, wash off, or wear away with use — dishwasher cycles and sunlight do not reach it. This is the practical difference between underglaze painting and the decal transfers used on most printed ceramics, which visibly fade within a year of dishwasher use.
One habit worth adopting: warm the cup with a splash of hot water before pouring. It is not about care — it noticeably improves aroma. More in Brewing Better Tea.
Storage and moving
- Do not stack unprotected. If you must stack, put a paper towel or felt pad between pieces. Rim-to-base contact is where chips start.
- Keep the original foam cradles. They are die-cut for these exact shapes and are the best packing you will find if you move house.
- Wrap individually for transport. Paper or bubble wrap around each piece, then pack so nothing shifts. Movement in a box is what breaks ceramics, not the drop itself.
- Store somewhere dry. Not because the porcelain minds — it does not — but a damp cupboard can leave marks on the unglazed foot.
If something chips
A small rim chip on porcelain is stable — it will not spread the way a crack in earthenware does, because there is no porous body to wick water. For a display piece you can leave it; some people prefer it. For anything used with food or drink, retire it to flowers rather than risk a sharp edge.
If a piece arrives chipped or breaks in transit, that is ours to fix: send a photo to support@purekiln.com within 14 days and we replace it free, with nothing to return. Full terms in the FAQs.
Porcelain fired to 1300°C outlasts most furniture. Treat it normally and it will still be on the shelf in thirty years.
Want to know why the material behaves this way? Read how to tell porcelain from stoneware or the straight answer on dishwashers.