Question:
I recently picked up a dinner set inthe Brittany pattern. Some of the pieces are brown. I’ve read that to clean pottery one should soak the pieces in 40% hydo peroxide. Is this safe? Will it bleach the paint? Is there a better way to clean these pieces. Some are really, dark, others or not so bad. I dont have the pieces here to take a pic but if it would be helpful, let me know.

Answer:
There are varying opinions about the best way to clean stained pottery. Several years ago I wrote an article for the Red Wing Collectors Society newsletter about using 40% hydrogen peroxide to clean dinnerware. I believe peroxide is safe to use on dinnerware. (However, it will damage clothing, carpeting, furniture, etc so must be handled carefully.) I will not use bleach to clean pottery because I’ve seen the damage it can cause if used improperly. On the other hand others prefer bleach to peroxide and use it with no problems. The key to using either product is to soak the piece in clean water after the cleaning treatment to remove all peroxide or bleach residue.

As for color fade, I’ve soaked badly stained pieces in 40% peroxide for several weeks and the colors did not fade. Good luck! Larry