How to Care for Your Pottery

The best pottery is the kind you use. Not the kind you keep on a shelf. Every piece we make, whether wheel-thrown in our Woodstock studio or crafted by partner artisans, is designed for daily life: the dishwasher, the oven, the morning rush. Here's how to care for it so it lasts.

Made for Everyday Use

All Farmhouse Pottery stoneware is dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe, and oven-safe up to 450°F. It's made from stoneware clay fired at nearly 2,300°F, which fully vitrifies the clay and seals the glaze, making it food-safe, lead-free, and built to handle real life. The only things worth avoiding: the broiler, and sudden swings in temperature.

Washing Your Pottery

The dishwasher is fine for all of our stoneware. For pieces you want to keep looking their best over many years, hand washing with warm soapy water is the gentler option, but it's a preference, not a requirement. Avoid soaking pottery for long periods, and dry thoroughly before stacking.

Glossy Glaze: What to Know

Our glossy glaze is the most forgiving finish for everyday use. It's smooth, non-porous, and easy to clean. Food and residue wipe away without much effort, and the glaze holds up well to the dishwasher without dulling over time. Its depth tends to look better with age, not worse. If you notice any cloudiness after the dishwasher, a quick hand wash usually brings it back.

Matte Glaze: What to Know

Matte-glazed pieces have a softer, more textured surface that absorbs light rather than reflecting it. With everyday use, you may notice faint gray marks where metal flatware meets the surface. These aren't scratches. Matte glaze is actually harder than most cutlery, so what you're seeing is a light trace of metal on the glaze, not damage to it. They lift away easily: scrub gently with a paste of baking soda and water, or a mild scouring powder like Bon Ami, using the rough side of a sponge. Rinse, wash with warm soapy water, and the piece will look good as new.

The Unglazed Base

The bottom of each piece is left unglazed, a deliberate choice that shows the honest clay underneath. It's burnished smooth during the making, so it won't scratch glass tables or stone surfaces. No special care needed here, just a wipe down if needed.

Temperature and Thermal Shock

Stoneware handles heat well, but it doesn't like sudden changes. Moving a cold piece straight from the refrigerator to a hot oven, or running cold water over something that just came off the stove, can cause thermal shock and small cracks that compromise the piece over time. Let your pottery come to room temperature first when you can. If you notice any hairline cracks, retire that piece from oven use.

Built to Last

Treated well, stoneware lasts decades and often gets better with age. If a piece chips or cracks in transit or has a defect from the start, reach out to us at care@farmhousepottery.com. Normal wear and tear is part of the story; manufacturing issues are always something we want to make right.