The holidays are almost upon us, and it’s almost time to bring out the “good” china once again! Whether you’ve invested a fortune to buy a set for yourself or you inherited a set from your family, these priceless pieces of utensils can make any day feel like a special occasion.
Once the holidays are over are when the problems start to pour out. Once fine china has gone out of their boxes, stacking them back up and placing them back in the cabinet can damage them. Fear not, here are some storage tips that you can follow to maintain the quality of your fine china.
Choosing The Storage Area Properly
This one is a no-brainer, but loads of people still fall victim to damaging their fine china because they decide to put them where the rest of their tableware is—placing your fine china in a spot that you are forced to access every day will only increase the risk of accidentally damaging the pieces during your daily routine.
Instead of placing your premium quality china in a high-traffic storage spot, try looking for a separate closet or bin that you don’t access often. Pay attention to the temperature of your storage space because extreme heat or cold can warp or crack the glazes on vintage china. Isolated storage bins that don’t get hit by direct sunlight are ideal for storing premium china.
Choose The Right Container
Instead of using cardboard containers and storage boxes, transfer your fine china into hard and sturdy boxes that can’t be easily crushed or broken. Plastic boxes can work, but heavy-duty bankers boxes and wooden containers are ideal if you want to ensure that your vintage china doesn’t shatter in the container.
The size of the container matters as well—make sure each piece of fine china has ample space in between each other, so they don’t scratch each other in storage.
Be Extra Careful When Displaying China
If you grew up with Asian parents, you know that there’s always a cabinet full of unused china that’s placed on display in your living room or kitchen. If you choose to display your fine china in your household, avoid placing them in open shelves where they will collect dust and can get easily toppled over.
Glass-front cabinets and hutches are ideal if you want to protect your china while still being able to display them and show them off to visitors. Be careful not to overcrowd the shelves to avoid having difficulty opening the cabinet and retrieving the fine china for usage in the future.
Safely Stack & Separate Your China
Regardless of what container you choose to store your fine china, make sure that you stack each one of them safely. Use newspapers, foam, or coffee filters in between each piece of vintage china to avoid developing scratches on the surface of your tableware.
If possible, avoid stacking more than 10 of them because the weight of each plate can damage the pieces on the bottom.
Take Extra Care of the Teacups
Teacups are a lot more fragile than you think. Although teacups look aesthetically pleasing when hung up on hooks from their handles, it puts a lot of pressure on it and can cause them to shatter. Many people store them upside down to avoid dust buildup, but this is also harmful since it can result in scratches and knicks around the teacup’s rim!
The safest way to store and display your teacups is right-side up inside of a glass cabinet or packed away with loads of cushioning. Using felt, coffee filters, newspaper, foam, or a lot of bubble wrap when packing teacups away can reduce the likelihood of shattering in storage.