Dinnerware Durability: Quality has always been a Wedgwood keynote and stringent laboratory tests are regularly carried out on raw materials and on products at each stage of manufacture. Wedgwood aims to ensure that its dinnerware can withstand the abrasion caused by regular use and that the different forms of decoration are as resistant as possible to the attack of acids, alkalis and other substances present in foods. Wedgwood dinnerware is made to be used, not to be stored away!

Storing Your Dinnerware: Materials of equal hardness will scratch one another - a diamond will scratch another diamond. When plates or cups are stacked together, the back of one item may scratch the front of another. Ideally, they should be stacked with paper separators between them, and plates should not be slid out from the bottom of a stack - always lift them out.

Washing by Hand: Normal dish washing products used in hand hot water will not harm your ware. Teapot and coffeepot stains can be removed with borax, and toothpaste will remove "pencil marks" caused by minute deposits of metal from cutlery. Abrasives and harsh scourers should not be used on your bone china dinnerware.

Washing Your Dinnerware in a Dishwasher: It is perfectly safe to wash your Wedgwood dinnerware in an automatic dishwasher -so long as these guidelines are adhered to. Load the washer so that pieces do not touch each other, to avoid the risk of scratching. Do not overload. Wash at 149°F maximum - the "short wash" or "china and crystal" cycle is sufficient for normal cleaning. As soon as the wash water has drained away, there should be an immediate rinse cycle to flush away deposits of detergent which will form a film if allowed to dry on the ware.

Recommended Liquid Dish Detergents: Ordinary Palmolive and Palmolive Lemon Scented

Recommended Standard Powders: Cascade and Dishwasher All

Hard Water: In hard water areas, deposits may form on your dinnerware over a period if the water is allowed to dry on the ware. These soluble deposits can easily be removed with a dilute acid such as vinegar.

Freezers: Wedgwood dinnerware can safely be used in a freezer. Care should, however, be taken when re-heating frozen foods as no matter how strong the ware, sudden changes of temperature (e.g. taking from the freezer and placing directly into a hot oven) are likely to cause thermal-shock which will damage the ware.

Warming Your Dinnerware: It is perfectly safe to warm your dinnerware in the warming compartment of your oven up to 150°F. However, it should never be exposed to direct heat from a naked flame or to rapid changes of temperature.

Microwave Cooking: Wedgwood dinnerware of all types, except those decorated with gold or platinum can be safely used in microwave ovens. Precious metal decorations are damaged by the action of microwave ovens and will also harm the microwave.

Enjoy Wedgwood Every Day: All Wedgwood dinnerware is made for everyday use. All new patterns are put through an exhaustive series of tests to ensure that colors are as hard wearing as possible. Quality checks are constantly carried out to monitor the ability of the ware to resist the rigors of day-to-day use.

Vera Wang Naturals Dinnerware: It is safe to wash your Vera Wang Naturals dinnerware in a dishwasher with mild detergent. Allow all pieces to cool before removing from dishwasher, as they are prone to chip when hot. Use a soft cloth for drying, and separators for stacking and storage of plates and bowls. For scratches caused by cutlery, apply a small amount of a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser, such as Bon Ami, using a soft, wet cloth or sponge. This will safely and effectively remove markings from the surface of your dinnerware.

Crystal Stemware, Barware and Giftware: Hand-wash your fine crystal one piece at a time in moderately hot water with a mild lemon detergent. Rinse in clean water. Air dry on a rack of dry with a soft lint-free cloth. It is safe to wash your fine crystal in an automatic dishwasher as long as you load it with the glassware fully secured and placed so that they do not touch each other. Lower the top rack, if possible, to accommodate the height of tall pieces. Use the "Fine Glassware and China" setting or "air-dry only" cycle, together with a mild detergent specially made for fine crystal or fine china. To prevent cracking or breaking caused by extreme temperature do not pour cold liquids into crystal that has just been washed in hot water...allow chilled crystal to reach room temperature before washing. Do not use scouring pads to abrasive cleansers. Store stemware upright to help prevent chipping.

Silver Flatware & Giftware: For detailed instructions on how to care for your Wedgwood Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel, Silver-plated, Nickel-plated and Alternative Metal Flatware and Giftware.