Which coffee mugs to choose? Elegant cups or an ordinary mug with a handle will be better? Or maybe it is worth paying attention to practical aspects, such as dishwasher safe? Not all cups can be put in the dishwasher without fear that we will pull out a collection of shells from broken cups…
We might be tempted to remove all of the shells and clean cup tops with a dishwasher but we have to think seriously about what we will leave behind. In most cases we are happy to accept some shell damage, but we don’t want to leave behind a collection of broken cups.
The first thing I did when I found out about the broken cups was check them myself. I took a few cups out of the dishwasher and put some water down inside the cup to dry them off. The cup tops were pretty shiny but not so badly damaged that I had to pull them out. I also took a small number of the old shells out, washed them off and tried to identify which ones had broken. I also found a few shell fragments inside the cups, so I went over these with the repair expert at the store to determine if we could reattach them. Once we figured out the size of the fragments and the angle that they hit, we reattached all of the fragments to the cups using a screwdriver blade. Once the fragments were back as clean as possible, I put them back in the dishwasher and waited for them to dry.
I think it is pretty important to use these techniques because of the risk that the cups will be ruined by the dishwasher. Even with the technique of scraping the cup tops clean, there are plenty of shells still embedded in them. To minimize the chance that one of these shards might break off into the water we used the small size screwdriver blades that we had and reattached the pieces to the cups using the new pieces.
In most cases, using these two techniques will only require an hour or two (the process is much quicker if done with a small piece). But I think the best time to do this is after the cup tops are ready for cleaning. If you wait until they are completely dry, you may not have enough time to scrub away any debris with something you already have in the cup. This will mean that if the cup tops do start soaking up water, you may have to use more time before you can clean them.
What’s the biggest danger?
Some cups may not fit properly or have broken edges. I am not a fan of using a metal cleaning cloth because of the risk of getting your finger or knife caught in the cup material. There is also a risk that the cleaning fluid and the shell fragments may be absorbed when you use the dishwasher. I would not recommend using these methods unless you do a couple of experiments before you begin.
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Portobello Portobello Stafford I Love Coffee Stoneware Mug Coffee Cups 35 cl -
Portobello Sandringham Ami Coffee Cups 35 cl -
Portobello Sandringham Perla Coffee Cups 35 cl -
Kitchencraft Stars Espresso Cup 8 cl -
Ambition Monaco Cup 22 cl 8.5 cm -
Ambition Kubiko Cup 22 cl 8.5 cm -
Price and Kensington Two Tone Cup 42.6 cl 17.3 cm -
Portobello Suzume Coffee Cups, Tea Cups, Espresso Cup 30 cl -
Zuperzozial Zip Coffee Cups, Tea Cups, Espresso Cup 30 cl 8 cm -
Ambition Sweet Cup 9 cm
If you can clean cups using an experienced professional, please let me know! I can only see one way to do this, you do not need a trained professional to do it and it might not even hurt you if you are not careful.
I do hope you will help in any way you can so I may be able to help you get rid of the broken cups you are experiencing! Thanks for stopping by this page and if you like what you see please share it with your friends so I can be as helpful!
-Sarah
I am also available to teach and support anyone interested in learning about cleaning and maintenance.
Contact me to book an appointment for an upcoming workshop.