Puntogf Antiques.

If you love your waterford crystal vase collection you have to know a few things about how to care for it. I want to share some of my favorite tips with you so you can protect your precious crystal items and keep them shiny.

Alright, let's begin. If you wash your waterford crystal vase you should never use too hot or too cold water. Always use lukewarm water. A sudden change in temperature is also a no-go.

Changing the temperature is a surefire way to damage your precious waterford crystal items. When you cool it off, the crystal shrinks and when you warm it up it expands. But if you do this change too fast the material can't stand it and fractures will appear.

Next, I recommend you to only use circular and slow movements with a very soft sponge. Do not use too much force to rub of dirt. The surface is very fragile and tiny scratches will be visible to the eye. And the reason why a rough sponge is not viable is pretty obvious.

On to the next important issue: Be careful when you think about using a dish washing machine. I know that there are companies who advertise that their new dish washing machines have special programs for chinaware but I've also heard that people lost their precious vases to those machines.

I'm not saying that there aren't any good dish washing machines. I guess if you are lucky you can find a perfectly working chinaware program. All I’m saying is that I don’t want to take the risk just to save one or two minutes of my time.

I’ve also heard horrible stories about collectors who used some kind of chemical stuff to clean their crystal. Chemicals can theoretically dissolve the lead that is a content of every fine waterford crystal vase. Use the internet and browse forums or blogs about the care of waterford crystal to find out if someone already made experiences with the chemical detergent.