CARE GUIDE
looking after handmade ceramics
Handmade pieces are more forgiving than people expect and less forgiving than a factory mug in exactly one way — sudden temperature change. Everything below is general guidance; where a specific piece needs different handling, its product page says so.
Everyday washing
Most of our tableware is dishwasher friendly; anything that is not says so on its product page. If you do use a dishwasher, load pieces so they cannot knock against each other — chipping in a dishwasher is almost always two pieces colliding, not the heat. For pieces with gold, lustre or metallic detailing, wash by hand: metallic finishes dull and eventually lift in a dishwasher, and they must never go in a microwave.
Microwave and oven
Plain glazed stoneware and porcelain are generally microwave safe. Terracotta, unglazed bases, and anything with metallic detail are not. Unless a product page explicitly says oven safe, assume it is not — most studio glazes are formulated for tableware temperatures, not baking.
Thermal shock
The single most common way a ceramic piece breaks at home is a sudden temperature change: boiling water into a cold cup, a hot dish onto a wet counter, a fridge-cold bowl into a hot oven. Let pieces come toward room temperature first, and warm thick-walled pieces with hot tap water before pouring boiling liquid.
Crazing and glaze variation
Fine hairline lines in the glaze — crazing — appear on some glazes over time as the glaze and clay body expand at slightly different rates. It is a characteristic of the material and, on a food-safe glaze, is not a defect or a hygiene problem. Similarly, glaze tone, speckling, small pinholes and slight differences in weight and dimension vary between pieces of the same design.
Terracotta and unglazed pieces
Terracotta handis, kulhads and unglazed bases are porous. Season a new handi by soaking it in water for a few hours before first use, and let it dry completely between uses rather than storing it damp. Wash with hot water and a brush; avoid detergent, which the clay absorbs and then releases into food.
Storing and stacking
Stack plates and bowls with a cloth, felt pad or paper towel between them — an unglazed foot ring is abrasive enough to scratch the glaze of the piece below. Hang mugs by the handle only if the hook is padded; a bare metal hook wears the glaze at the contact point.
Marks from cutlery
Grey pencil-like marks from steel cutlery are metal deposited on the glaze, not a scratch in it. They come off with a little bicarbonate of soda on a damp cloth, or a non-abrasive cream cleaner.
First use
Rinse everything in warm water before the first use. Pieces arrive wrapped individually and double-boxed, and packing material occasionally leaves dust.
Something arrived damaged, or a piece is not behaving as this guide describes? See the returns & refunds policy or write to support@malnad.shop.