To Clean or not to Clean?

...that is the question ? So I used to polish everything to a high shine n the belief that no dust or age was the way to go. Not so sure now. Met a few dealers who I thought could get more if they at least ran a damp cloth over the odd vase.... many don't bother. Where do you stand? Do you clean?

I will start with this GS piece which I have not touched and I still believe that it looks better with the authentic grime / years of accumulated gunk...

I'm a little (very Lazy) these days and have taken pic's which show that the piece is grubby/fluffy as bought

If someone really wants a particular piece it probably doesn't matter but if they are in two minds, then a clean would be best.

So best to clean IMO, for a better chance of sale if you really want to move it : )

I don't wash things I like : )

Sorry AW piece ... buy very dirty!

Zip but the dirt does equal 'original' condition..... some people like the untouched ...just out of the loft look more than the polished.

I agree it doesn't really matter if a buyer loves it : )

Shudder, how many spiders live there : ) Lovely piece

I bought a new pack of microcloths the other day - all fresh and green-lean. One went in my man-bag to keep my smartphone clean and then I thought of this piece....

Your man bag ?? : )  

I use Zoflora for cleaning pots If I can be bothered, its excellent, cleans sticky labels greace and grime but gentle.

Mostly I clean. Even very delicate pots. Often they look so much better. Some can stand a good soak in soapy hot water. Others need a wet wipe.

Not sure how you would go about it with your Wallwork, 22. Or if you'd want to.

Take it down to the Jet-Wash!

Noooooo, sticky is good sometimes!

I am often amazed at the results of a good clean even with quite old pots. They come up like new! That's the great thing about ceramics

The Wallwork needs a good clean so you can have a look through those holes at the interior glaze

That's not the question Dan - Do you scrub clean everything?

Absolutely everything, silver,copper,brass,pewter,(even Georgian), glass,ceramics,
furniture, the lot!

I wash things initially, but then only dust occasionally. Picking up and cleaning is when accidents happen. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).

The downside is, particularly with ceramics, and some metal, that sometimes cleaning
exposes damage or restoration that wasn't evident beforehand, causing depression,
anxiety, thoughts of suicide, and the endless questioning of one's skill.

Yes - I find the same with hoovering

I clean something when I get it (if it looks like it needs it), then put behind glass usually...

For selling, I would clean, I hate it when pots arrive really grubby.

For me it depends on what it is but 90% of the time it stays the way it arrived. If it is an old piece then I think people want to see some sign it has been around a while. I certainly want to see signs of age on the base, ground in dirt from being moved and place on surfaces for a 100+ years.

One thing I found really benefited with a wash was cloisonné. I had a couple of vases I picked up at a fair for £1, both damaged. As an experiment I put them in the dishwasher. They came out brand new, stunning colours that jumped at you. Seems that cloisonné is one of those things that attracts and picks up grime over time. What people see now on show is far from what it should look like.

22 Crawford St. wrote:That's not the question Dan - Do you scrub clean everything?

yes I sometimes find the true beauty of a glaze can be hidden behind years of dirt and often clean a pot prior to selling only to be reminded of it's quality so I then keep it

People see a dirty brown pot and think it's junk. You then buy it (cheap) wash it and suddenly all the subtle colours and shine of the glaze comes out.

That's very satisfying

Yes some early Langley wares, and Doulton Slater's patent items are favourites
for getting decades of dirt in the rough textured finish.
Into the washing up, with a really fierce scrubbing brush!

one of our members will spit wash every spot of dirt off a pot before he buys,my wife calls him spitty as she can never remember his real name

Potty wrote:I clean something when I get it (if it looks like it needs it), then put behind glass usually...

For selling, I would clean, I hate it when pots arrive really grubby.

Me too. Really hate when pots off eBay turn up with sticky deposits from sitting on kitchen shelves for decades. Yuk.