The Common Cleaning Mistake That's Destroying Your Vintage Cookware

Most owners of vintage kitchenware have either searched diligently for them or have been fortunate enough to have kept them in the family for generations. Other than wanting to preserve a vintage piece for nostalgic or aesthetic reasons, some vintage cookware sets can be worth a fortune these days. But even if you don't have a full set or plan to cash in on your cookware later, part of the charm of vintage kitchen items is their lasting durability combined with their often whimsical and colorful designs or features. We spoke with Stacy Verdick Case, owner of Peony Lane Designs, about a common mistake many of us make that could be destroying our favorite vintage kitchen items.

"Vintage cookware, like vintage pieces from Pyrex and Fire King, usually come with a pattern that is painted on the outside of the cookware," explains Case. "Those bright patterns are why people love them so much." To keep these patterns alive and thriving, Case urges us to avoid letting those prized pieces anywhere near a dishwasher. "Dishwashers are a harsh environment for painted images," says Case. "Over time the heat and hard spray can make the images look hazy or chip away at the paint." Instead, she suggests hand-washing these vintage pieces, which will keep them from deteriorating over time.

While many use dishwashers for sharp knives and pots and pans, we generally advise against that. In fact, there are a large amount of kitchen items you should never put in the dishwasher if you want those products to have a long lifespan. Hand washing and hand drying kitchen items is the easiest way to ensure that those products have more longevity. If you're questioning whether something in your kitchen is safe to put in the dishwasher, it's generally best to just wash the item by hand instead of risking damaging it in the dishwasher.

To keep vintage cookware safe and clean while still prolonging its designs and colorful features, there are more precautions you could be taking other than just keeping delicate pieces out of the dishwasher. "Be sure that you're not using a scouring pad or scouring detergents (even mild ones like the Pink Stuff) on the images, or they will be sanded off over time," Case further advises. "It's perfectly safe to use a scouring pad on the inside of the cookware though." Be sure that the insides are cleaned properly and get the most out of your prized dishware by avoiding mistakes that are damaging vintage kitchen items.