How To: Clean antique porcelain and pottery

Show your antique porcelain and pottery a little TLC. Spruce up your favorite antiques with these safe cleaning techniques. Remove the dirt and let the beauty of porcelain and history shine through. Just because your pottery is old, doesn't mean in needs to look like it came out of a tomb.

Using these methods, you no longer need to fear ruining the beautiful glaze on that fancy vase you inherited years ago.

You Will Need

* A soft dusting cloth
* Adhesive remover
* Two plastic bins
* Towels
* Mild dishwashing soap
* Paper towels

Step 1: Wipe off dust

Dust the item with a soft dusting cloth.

Step 2: Remove adhesive

Use adhesive remover to remove glue or tape residue from the piece.

Step 3: Line bins with towels

Line each bin with towels.

Covering the sides and bottoms of the bins helps keep your precious antiques from getting damaged while being cleaned.

Step 4: Fill bins or sink with water

Fill the plastic bins with warm water.

Step 5: Add soap

Add a quarter-sized amount of mild dishwashing soap to one of the bins.

Step 6: Hand wash

Hand wash the pottery or porcelain in the soapy water, being careful on raised areas.

If any part of the porcelain or pottery appears damaged, do not attempt to clean it until it has been repaired by a professional.

Step 7: Rinse

Rinse off the piece in the bin with clean water.

Step 8: Pat dry

Pat the item dry with paper towels. Let it sit on paper towels to ensure it is completely dry before putting it away.

During the Ming dynasty, Chinese potters perfected the use of cobalt for painting scenes in blue underneath a glaze, a technique that quickly spread throughout the world.