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Washing crockery: tips and tricks

Washing your crockery and cutlery is an important - and unavoidable! - task. Find out how to wash your crockery thoroughly yet gently. 

Effective methods for washing crockery

Warm water, a cloth and washing-up liquid are usually all you need to wash your crockery after use. To easily remove stubborn residue or stains on your crockery, you can use a
regular ceramic hob cleaner, found in most homes, or a non-scratch cleaning product/porcelain cleaner, such as “Etolit” or “Astonish”. You may need to wash your dishes several times or leave the cleaning product to work for a while. In some cases, soaking your crockery in water helps to remove caked-on food residue or stains. You can then wipe them off with a cloth.

You can also clean cutlery, glasses and porcelain in the dishwasher, provided the items are dishwasher-safe. Depending on the level of residue, you may need to rinse the dishes first to ensure the machine completely removes baked-on food residue.

The dishwasher is a staple in many kitchens today. Manufacturers claim that their machines leave dishes spotless, which is often true. However, dishwashers are not the right choice for every type of crockery. Good old-fashioned hand-washing is often more appropriate, especially for delicate items. Read on to find out how to wash crockery properly!

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Can you wash knives in the dishwasher?

The dishwasher is a quick and convenient way to wash dishes. However, it can accelerate of blunting sharp knives. It could also damage your knives. Wooden handles can swell and crack in hot water. Generally, cleaning knives in the dishwasher is therefore not recommended. Read on to find out more about this.

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Polishing cutlery

How to bring back the shine

Stainless steel or silver cutlery does not always come out of the dishwasher completely clean. If you notice any stains, wash your cutlery again using a soft sponge and washing-up liquid and then dry it thoroughly. For stubborn stains, there are various household products you can use to make knives, forks, and other utensils shine again. Find out more here.

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Proper cleaning and care for glasses

Not all glasses can be washed in the dishwasher. This particularly applies to hand-painted glasses and those with gold or silver decoration. It’s best to wash these items carefully and dry them by hand. Find out the best way to clean and care for your glasses in this article.

Dishwasher or hand-washing?

Not all dishes can be washed in the dishwasher. This is particularly true of delicate glassware, wood, sharp knives and hand-painted crockery. Villeroy & Boch tableware is made from different materials: hard porcelain, Premium Porcelain, Premium Bone Porcelain and earthenware. These materials are dishwasher-safe, with the exception of decorative items in hard porcelain and porcelain crockery with gold or silver detailing. For these items, we recommend hand washing using a mild washing-up liquid. What about Villeroy & Boch glasses? Glass and crystal are sensitive to temperature variations and should not be washed using water that is either too hot or too cold, both of which can cause the material to shatter.

As you can see, in some cases it really does make sense to wash dishes by hand. It is very annoying if crockery – and in particular high-quality items – becomes damaged or broken due to incorrect care.

Helpful cleaning tips for any crockery

To make sure both you and your dishes dazzle at your next dinner party, we have put together some helpful tips and explain the best way to wash your cutlery, glasses and ceramic crockery.

Washing glasses properly

When washing glasses by hand, use a soft cloth or sponge, warm water and a mild washing-up liquid. Always hold glasses by the stem when washing them. Leave them to drain on a tea towel and then dry them with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Cleaning knives properly

To stop knives losing their sharpness too quickly, we recommend cleaning them by hand using lukewarm water, a non-abrasive sponge or dishcloth, and a mild washing-up liquid. Handwashing is gentle on the material and is sufficient for most normal dirt.This article explains the points to bear in mind when cleaning knives.

Porcelain crockery

Villeroy & Boch porcelain crockery is easy to clean. However, coffee, tea, and other foods can leave stains. Household products such as baking powder, lemon juice or vinegar can be used to clean stained crockery. Lemon juice or highly diluted vinegar are also effective in removing limescale deposits on crockery. Limescale is visible as a white coating on crockery. 

Polishing cutlery and restoring its shine

Cutlery washed in the dishwasher often shows signs of detergent residue, water stains or flash rust. Sometimes crockery and cutlery are not cleaned properly in the dishwasher because the machine is low on salt or the rinse aid needs topping up. Polishing your cutlery will help to restore its shine. You can find more information here.

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Close-up of an Afina dinner plate with a subtle textured relief on a laid table.
Cutlery with a handle decorated with fine gold - Ella partially gold-plated from Villeroy & Boch.



Explore our kitchen collections

There's always something to do in the kitchen, which is often the heart of our home. Explore the Villeroy & Boch kitchen collections, where you’ll find high-quality built-in and undercounter sinks, taps and fittings, and much more besides. Use the product search to browse through the different collections and product categories.

FAQs

Do you have any other questions about caring for and washing dishes? You’ll find the answers here!

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