To bleach or not to bleach….

….that is the question.  All pottery collectors have encountered a beautiful piece of pottery, perfect in appearance except for an ugly, greasy stain.  Should you attempt to remove the stain, or should you leave it alone and enjoy the piece as is?  Is cleaning pottery with bleach safe?  Are there better alternatives?  Those are the questions to be addressed here.

This article will reflect my experiences with deep cleaning dinnerware and my opinions on the subject.  Please understand I am not an expert in this area, I am simply sharing my experiences and opinions with my fellow collectors.  Also, my experiences do not include deep cleaning stoneware.  In a few months I plan to write a follow-up article after doing research on the scientific and chemical principles involved.  In that future article I’d like to include opinions and experiences from other collectors.  Please see my contact information below.