Stop Chipping Vintage Dishware With This Cleaning Mistake

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Whether your vintage dishes are nostalgic heirlooms or you've spent ages looking for a classic dishware brand like Pyrex at thrift stores, caring for older dishes properly is likely one of your top concerns. But knowing how to clean vintage dishes without wrecking them is only one part of the equation. It's also important to know how to handle them afterward. 

Since most classic dishware needs to be hand-washed, many of us are guilty of stacking these pieces — in the sink while they await washing, perhaps while they're drying, and again on the shelf after they're dry. But stacking heirloom dishes is one of the easiest ways to ding them, ruining the aesthetic and often chipping the elegant design.

That's because direct contact is the fastest way to chip, crack, or even split vintage dishes, whether that's due to impact, uneven stacking (which causes uneven pressure), or bits of grit between the pieces. It can even damage more durable dishes if you accidentally set them down with a clank. Imagine what that would do to fine china? Because of that, you need to take a few extra steps when washing and storing these sets to keep them intact for generations to come.

While a dishwashing triangle makes for the easiest cleanup, you still need to prep the area before you start washing vintage dishes. The best way to do that is to clear plenty of counter space first. Since stacking these dishes as you wash them is verboten, line your counter with extra towels or drying mats for extra protection and drying power and set the dishes on them in a single layer as you wash. Be sure to dry them carefully too, as any moisture left on them before storage could encourage mold growth.

If at all possible, it's best to store them in a china cabinet, which is made to display dishes while protecting them from dust and breakage with sturdy glass-front doors. You can use tiered display stands to showcase your dishes and store them efficiently without needing to stack them at all. The Wenqik eight-piece tiered acrylic plate organizer allows you to store plates three deep, and if you organize them with the smaller plates in front, guests can glimpse the full glory of your collection without your china being at risk. There are also risers and teacup-saucer display stands. If you don't have enough dishes for a plate organizer, line the back of each cabinet with plates and show off cups and bowls in the foreground.

If you must stack your dishes to save space, opt for something like the YearningHome Store hardshell china storage containers, which are reinforced to protect your heirlooms. Boxes for glassware have compartments sized to hold individual pieces and keep them safe. But for bowls and plates, felt or quilted padding fits neatly between plates and bowls, protecting them from clanking against each other. Just search "plate pads for stacking" on Amazon.