Most of the pottery dishes and cups and bake ware we sell are generally dishwasher safe.  Care should be taken to avoid sudden changes in temperature as the pottery could crack.  A good example is using a pottery baking dish and taking it straight from the oven and placing it on a cold surface.  This sudden change could cause the pottery to split.  Baking with pottery is fun, but you should warm the pottery with the oven.  Prepare your recipe as normal only do not preheat the oven. Pottery should be placed in a cold oven.  When using plates, the best way to keep them from chipping is to place a paper or styrofoam plate between it other as they are stacked.

Ornamental pottery should be hand washed with a mild detergent.

Great care should be taken when storing and cleaning a handmade quilt versus a machine made quilt.  The key difference being the stitching in a handmade quilt is not of consistent tension.  A machine made quilts thread tension will be fairly uniform throughout the piece; therefore, it can withstand a more rigorous washing.  When washing a handmade quilt, you should place a sturdy form of netting in the bath tub.  Netting of sufficient size to be able to dunk the quilt in and out of the water easily.  Next, use a very mild detergent.  We have been told that their is a product on the market used to clean horse coats which works well for cleaning quilts.  When completed cleaning the quilt should be laid out flat on the netting to dry, do not wring it out as you can break the threads.

Storage of a handmade quilt should be done in old pillow cases in a well ventilated room without major temperature extremes.  They should be removed periodically and refolded against the previous folds to prevent the fabric from holding that shape.  Another alternative is to lay them out on a bed not in use and stack them flat on each other rotating the order from time to time.

Braided Rugs used to be cleaned in the north by taking them out into the snow and then beating the snow off with a broom.  In a number of parts of the country this is obviously not feasible.  Instead gently hand washing with cold water and allowing to air dry on a clothesline can be done.  For regular maintenance a simple shaking of dirt out of the rug will do.  When storing a braided rug it is not advisable to place them in a plastic bag as this can cause moisture to build in the bag and rot your rug.  If not in use they should be stored folded or flat in a well ventilated area without large temperature extremes.

The beauty of rag rugs is what their name implies.  A large number of rag rugs are made from scraps of material left over from other products.  Cleaning a rag rug is quite simple.  Most can go into the wash using a normal cycle with cold water.  I would not recommend drying them as different materials shrink at different rates causing the rug to change shape.  Hanging to air dry is preferred.

Hooked rugs used to be cleaned similar to braided rugs.  They should be taken to a dry cleaner if they become soiled or stained.  Shaking them outside will get most of the debris that can accumulate on the surface.  Vacuuming is not recommended as it could pull some of the fibers.   When storing a hooked rug it is not advisable to place them in a plastic bag as this can cause moisture to build in the bag and rot your rug.  If not in use they should be stored folded or flat in a well ventilated area without large temperature extremes.

To protect your stained glass, it should be cleaned with a gentle, non abrasive cleanser and patted dry with a towel.