Cleaning ceramic figures?

[reanna-mator]

So, it made my night when I found the "Wishing Well" MLP ceramic statue at Savers tonight! I've been hoping against hope that I'd encounter one in a thrift store but wasn't getting my hopes up.

So, my question is: It's rather dusty and slightly dingy. Do I need to be careful about how I clean it?

[kamakazee82]

YES!

if it still has the decals (symbols and sticker on the under side of the the base) these are sometimes very fragile and can be washed/rubbed off ...

... i used a very quick rinse of luke warm water, a small soft paint brush, a dish of luke warm, gentle soapy water, and a NON-DECORATED PLAIN WHITE paper towel to clean mine ... (it was positively awful with dirt and grime ... and the paint brush and paper towel with a little soapy water (i think i used dawn dish soap) allowed me to gently wipe and ever so carefully scrub the non-stickered places till it was spotless

i don't think you have to be quite so ridiculously careful as i was ... but i wasn't taking any risks with my lovely porcelain lol

[Ivy]

I have cleaned a few in the past with baking soda and water paste and a soft paintbrush. I didn't want to risk soap.  I just mix the baking soda and the water until it's a paste - use it to clean the figure then use a soft cloth to buff it off. - Best part is if I don't get it all the baking soda just dusts off when it's dry.

Had to use it on this one to get this brown stain off of Baby Cotton Candy
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Argh don't have an after picture - but it worked you'd never know she was stained.

[hathorcat]

You really shouldnt use any loose water or any kind of soaps or cleaning agents on ceramics - mainly as you risk damaging the glaze and in addition its very easy for water to seep under the glaze taking dirt with it and discolouring the actual ceramic over time.

Your best bet is a damp and soft cloth [an old bit of a white cotton t shirt is best] and yes it may not shift all the dirt but a little staining is better than what can happen if you use loose water to be honest. For ceramics aerosol air cans are also handy - they are good at gently dislodging dirt so that you can wipe them away with your cloth.

[reanna-mator]

Wow, thank you for your help, everyone! I didn't realize there was so much about cleaning ceramics-- good thing I asked.

[kellyponyfeathers]

I agree with Cat; a damp cloth or white paper towel would be safest.  I also used a damp Q-tip to get into the little crevices on a dusty pony figure once.