How To Care For Your Emma Bridgewater Pottery

1. Wash pottery by hand
Because pottery is porous, it’s best not to leave it to soak in the kitchen sink or washing up bowl.

The ideal way to maintain the colour and vibrancy of our hand-decorated patterns is to gently wash items by hand using soapy warm water and a soft sponge.

(Our Gold collection uses 22-carat gold which sits on top of the glazed piece. This makes these pieces more delicate than other Emma Bridgewater dinnerware and unsuitable for dishwashers as the gold will lose its shine. We recommend only ever hand-washing these pieces.)

2. Dry ceramics thoroughly
Drip-drying on a dishrack is fine, but hand-drying with a soft tea towel (even better if it’s a lovely 100% cotton Emma Bridgewater tea towel) is much kinder to naturally porous pottery plus much more fun.

3.Take care using a dishwasher to clean pottery
Wondering if Emma Bridgewater pottery is dishwasher-safe pottery? Yes, our handmade ceramics can be cleaned in the dishwasher (except for pieces decorated with gold or silver), but it could shorten the life and our recommended approach is to hand wash.

To help, we suggest using a lower temperature setting and liquid detergent (as it’s much gentler than harsh dishwasher tablets).

1. Avoid putting pottery in the microwave
As tempting as it may be to reheat coffee in your Emma Bridgewater mug in the microwave, we do need advise against it. Microwaving pottery ware might agitate the glaze particles that are bonded with the clay body. As your half pint mug cools, this bond weakens and your glaze is more susceptible to craze (see below).

Our Gold collection features real gold, so is especially unsuitable for using in the microwave.

Please be aware too that our pottery also isn’t oven safe unless marked as cookware.

2. Handle with care
Although Emma Bridgewater pottery is durable, earthenware can chip – especially if accidentally knocked against a tap. 

If stacking plates or bowls, try not to pile them up high. You could always put a soft cloth or paper towel between your most treasures pieces to prevent surface wear. Dividers are also a great idea for storing our large platters and serving dishes.

1. What’s the correct way to dry your mug?
Place your half pint mug or small mug “bottom up” to dry. This helps to draw out any moisture, rather than letting it pool at the bottom.

2.What’s the correct way to store your mug?
Storing your mug correctly, though, is best done “bottom down”. This is partly because the other way can put pressure on the handle joint, leading to a possible breakage. It also traps moisture and collects dust. The same approach goes for our jugs and vases.

3. Take care with mug trees
Because mug trees can put stress on the handles, you may prefer to keep your Emma Bridgewater mugs in your kitchen cupboard. Just take care if stacking them inside there as it can lead to chipping.

Whether you’re moving house, having the kitchen decorated or just want to keep your favourite Emma Bridgewater Collectors Club exclusive pieces safe and sound, here are some handy tips for long-term pottery storage care.
 
1. Wrap each ceramics item individually  
Use bubble wrap or acid-free tissue paper. Use masking tape to secure the wrapping as sticky tape can leave a residue.

2. Avoid using newspaper 
Newspaper ink is liable to transfer and stain the pottery glaze or even the porous clay.

3. Pack inside pottery items as well as around them
Stuff the insides of mugs, jugs, vases and teapots with bubble wrap or a soft cloth – and don’t forget to pack around the handles! A few extra layers in-between items will also stop them chipping against one another. 

During firing, the body of the piece and the glaze expand then contract during cooling. If they don’t shrink at the same rate, tiny cracks can appear in the glaze. This is called crazing. Our eagle-eyed quality control people will spot any hairline cracks and remove the piece.

However, sometimes this process can happen naturally on a regular basis at home. For instance, if using your mug a lot. Every cuppa causes the mug body and glaze to slightly expand then cool with each hot drink.

We constantly aim to improve the quality of our creamware and have been busy making a number of specific improvements in the factory, with further investments in the pipeline. [CG4.1]Unfortunately, we can’t always guarantee that our product won’t craze over time – it’s a common characteristic of frequently used earthenware. 

In the unfortunate event that your pottery is crazed, please contact our Customer Services team and they’ll give you specific advice. If your crazed product is less than five years old, we’ll happily aim to replace it for you. 

A well-used mug may show signs of staining, but each mark speaks of hurried mornings, restorative cups of tea and late-night chats. Its history is written into the glaze – and that’s what makes it precisely yours. 

A simple paste of baking soda and water should gently lift away light tea and coffee stains. Try to avoid using steel wool or a scouring pad, though, as this can scratch the glaze.

If pottery crazing has happened at home, the porous biscuit clay underneath will be exposed to liquids. Pigments from tea, coffee, beetroot or curry, for instance, can seep into the hairline cracks under the mug or plate’s glaze, though many of our collectors tell us how much they love this lived-in look.

We manually inspect every single item we make at our Stoke-on-Trent factory. Any faults are rejected, and pieces with very minor issues are sold as “seconds” with the issue clearly marked by pen (which easily washes off). 

We also commission independent lab testing on a regular basis.

We guarantee all our products for two years from the date of purchase, whether it’s a self-purchase or received as a gift. (Kindly note that our guarantee doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, commercial use or product misuse.)

If, for any reason, your pottery ware develops a fault during our two-year warranty period, please get in touch with our Customer Services team and we’ll aim to replace the item free of charge. 

We’ll just need you to provide a few things first: a photo of the faulty items and proof of purchase. Then simply return the item to us (at our expense). If your original item is no longer available, we can offer you a like-for-like replacement. 

If you didn’t buy your Emma Bridgewater item directly from us, please contact the original place of purchase.

We hope these tips on how to care for our Stoke-on-Trent pottery will help you enjoy using it for many, many times to come. And if you'd like to learn about the care we put into creating each piece, discover How Emma  Bridgewater Pottery Is Made