Care Guide · April 2026
How to Care for Your Glazed Pieces
Handmade ceramics are made to be used — but a little care goes a long way. How to wash, store, and look after your glazed pieces so they last.
A handmade piece is not fragile. It has survived the wheel, the trimming, the bisque firing, the glaze, and the kiln. It is made to be on your table, in your hands, part of your daily life.
Glazed ceramics are sealed by the glass-like surface that forms during firing. That surface is durable — but it is not indestructible.
01
Washing
“Handwashing is always the safest choice.”
Most glazed pieces are dishwasher safe, but repeated dishwasher cycles can dull the surface over time — particularly on pieces with matte glazes. Handwashing with warm water and mild detergent is always the better option.
Avoid abrasive scouring pads. A soft cloth or sponge is all you need. For anything that needs soaking, a short soak in warm soapy water will do the job.
Dry your pieces with a soft towel rather than leaving them to air-dry in a stack. Stacking wet ceramics can cause surface scratching from grit caught between pieces.
Glazed pieces without metallic accents are generally microwave safe. If your piece has any gold or metallic lustre detail, keep it out of the microwave.
02
Storing
“Stack with care. Or better — display them.”
If you are stacking bowls or plates, place a soft cloth or felt pad between each piece. The unglazed foot ring of one piece sitting on the glazed surface of another causes fine scratches over time.
Mugs hung on hooks fare better than mugs stacked. If you have the bench space, leaving your ceramics out is actually the best storage.
Keep ceramics away from the edges of shelves. The most common cause of a broken piece is simply getting knocked off a bench.
If packing pieces away, wrap each one individually in tissue or bubble wrap. Never pack ceramics loosely together — even gentle movement will cause chips.
03
What to Expect
“Signs of use are signs of a life well lived.”
Over time, handmade ceramics develop a patina. Your favourite mug will show the faintest marks of daily life. This is not damage — it is character. Glaze crazing (fine hairline cracks within the glaze layer) is a natural phenomenon and does not affect the safety or function of the piece.
If crazing is visible, the piece is still safe to use. The cracks are within the glaze layer only — the clay body beneath remains sealed.
What to actually watch for: chips around the rim or foot ring. A chipped rim on a drinking vessel can be sanded smooth with fine wet-and-dry sandpaper (400 grit or higher).
All Shape Haus glazes are food safe and lead free. Pieces are fired to cone 6 (approximately 1240°C), which fully matures the clay body and glaze.
The short version: wash gently, stack carefully, and use them every day. Ceramics that sit unused are the ones most likely to get broken.
These pieces were made to be part of your daily life. Put them to work.
See the work that comes from these techniques.
Every piece in the collection is hand built in Fremantle.