6 Tips on keeping your ceramic plates & bowls in good condition
So you have finally purchased the ceramic dinner set you want in your kitchen. Everything looks nice, shiny, and new. You can’t wait for your next dinner party so that you can show it off. You have everything you want in your dinner set, but how do you store, wash, and maintain your ceramic dinner sets and ensure that it is in pristine condition?
Here’s 6 ways to do so!
Wash your ceramic dinnerware by hand.
Yes, it is more tedious. Definitely. If your ceramic plates are hand painted, hot water may result in fading of the handiwork over time. If you have splurged on your ceramic dinnerware, you wouldn’t want something as simple as hot water to ruin your precious plates, right?
Say no to dishwashers
It is not common for us Singaporeans to have a dishwasher, but if you do, we would still recommend washing your plates by hand. Why? Simply because your plates are too precious!
However, if you still prefer making washing up an easy task, you can still try to dishwash your ceramic plates and bowls. If you’d like to be cautious though, you can try washing one piece of your ceramic dinnerware for a few weeks in the dishwater. If nothing fades and you don’t see any difference in your bowl, then it should be fine to dishwash your ceramic set.
Handle with love!
If your ceramic plate is stained with your delicious home cooked food, don’t fret! You don’t have to painstakingly scrub at your ceramic plates. All you have to do is put a little bit of dishwashing detergent, add some warm water, and soak it for about 30 minutes. When you rinse your plates, it will be way easier to clean it!
Maintaining your ceramic dinnerware
Hot water hurts!
Just like how boiling water hurts your hand, it will hurt your ceramic dinnerware too! Boiling water will cause your beautiful paintings on your plates and bowls to fade over time. You may not notice it straightaway, but the difference will definitely be noticeable over time.
Storing your ceramic plates and bowls.
Organize, organize, organize!
The best way to keep your ceramic plates and bowls in pristine condition is definitely to place them nicely on top of each other in a pile. What would be even better is if you have a plate pile and bowl pile separately. This is simply so that your bowls are able to sit nicely on top of each other without any awkward shapes. This way, your plates and bowls would also look more organised. Of course, if you have more than 2 different types of ceramic dinnerware then you should have a pile for each type.
No scratches, please!
Of course, with how much you’ve spent on your dinnerware, you wouldn’t want any scratches! The first way to avoid scratches would be tip number 4. However, storing is not the only thing that is important.
When you want to use your bowl or plate, don’t just pull out the piece that you want to use. You should lift any plates or bowls above that piece you are taking, then remove the plate you want to use from the pile. Simply dragging the plate you want out of your pile of plates will DEFINITELY give you some scratches, and we don’t want that! Yes, this way may be slightly more troublesome, but we don’t think you want to be serving scratched plates, do you?
So there you go. That’s 6 handy tips for you to maintain your ceramic plates and bowls!
How long should a set of dinnerware be used before replacing them?
If you take care of your dinnerware, they can be in it with you for the long haul! As long as it doesn’t break, discolor, or you have a change of taste, you can keep your dinnerware set for as long as you wish to!
Can my dinnerware be microwaved?
Well, it really depends on what material your dinnerware is made of. Usually, dishes that are made from materials such as stoneware and porcelain like glass and ceramic are safe to be microwaved! You should also take note if your dinnerware has metallic paint or inlays. If it does, it is better to avoid microwaving it. Find out more here.
Nadiah Rafhanah is a young aspiring writer and avid reader who dreams of one day opening up her own book cafe catered specially for other writers and readers like her.