Dinnerware Quality & Care

Yes, our dinnerware may be used in the microwave or oven, with special care. As a rule of thumb, our ceramics are best suited for serving—not cooking—but we know a little adaptability in the kitchen is important. If using in an oven or microwave, avoid shocking the temperature of your ceramics from hot to cold, or vice versa.

For oven use, place your ceramic piece in a room-temperature oven and bring it up to temperature with the oven, no higher than 350°F. Never place a ceramic piece directly into a hot, pre-heated oven or it may crack from temperature shock.

No. Heath dinnerware, including teapots, is not for stovetop use, use with an open flame or other uneven heat sources. No Salamander ovens, which heat unevenly and can reach unsustainably high temperatures.

Yes, with some consideration. For dishwasher use, we recommend gentle, environmentally-friendly detergents such as 7th Generation, Mrs. Meyers, Field Day, Method or Planet Dishwashing Detergent. Avoid more acidic and abrasive detergents, which can cause unnecessary wear on some of our glazes.

Additionally, we caution against using any rinse aids or finishing aids with your ceramics. There are a few gentler rinse aids such as 7th Generation and Ecover, but ultimately rinse aids may damage our glazes. If you absolutely must use a rinse aid for your glassware and flatware, we suggest splitting your ceramics into a separate dishwasher load that can be run without a rinse aid. Use powdered Bar Keeper’s Friend or, depending on the glaze, a vinegar solution may be used to remove residue.

To remove marks left by flatware, we suggest hand-washing periodically with Bar Keepers Friend, which is available in our showrooms, online, and in most major hardware stores.

We recommend using 18/10 stainless steel flatware with our ceramics. Silver plated and sterling silver flatware is not recommended and can cause irreversible marking.

Please note that most flatware marks actually sit on top of the glaze rather than cut into it. That’s right: the ceramics are stronger than the soft metal in the flatware, which causes forks and knives to occasionally leave a superficial residue — not the other way around.

Staining sometimes occurs if food, especially something acidic, is stored too long in Heath products. It’s best to remember that Heath pieces are for serving—not storage—but if you do find yourself in this situation, we recommend thoroughly hand-washing with Bar Keeper’s Friend.

Some of our dinnerware—like pieces in our Rim Line—boast a gorgeous edge of exposed clay, which can show oil stains when you start using your dinnerware. With normal, continued use, the patina will evolve evenly, and, as it deepens, the surface smooths out. To hasten the natural patina, you can “season” your rim by rubbing a small amount of olive oil into the exposed clay with your fingertip. Any oil staining does not affect the functionality or safety of the products.

When cleaning pieces with large areas of unglazed clay we recommend hand washing only. Avoid fully submerging these pieces and use gentle, environmentally-friendly detergents. Do not use any abrasive powder cleaners on unglazed clay. Doing so could leave a white residue that will be difficult to remove.

We think the patina that develops over years of use is one of the best parts of Heathware; read more about our philosophy on aging well here.

While ceramic dinnerware is highly durable, it may chip or break if not handled properly. Communicate the premium nature of Heath Dinnerware to staff. The following tips will help prevent damaged dinnerware:

Your best bet is to bus Heath dinnerware by hand. Bus tubs often cause chips and breaks.

If possible, clean handled items (mugs, coffee cups, etc.) at the bar rather than the dish station and line the dish station with rubber mats to keep plate stacks steady.

Do not strike dishes against trash bins to remove debris. Instead, use a rubber spatula.

We warranty our ceramic products for up to one year from purchase for proven defects in manufacture. If you encounter issues with your Heathware, please email or call Customer Service with details and we will help resolve the issue.

We do not use lead as a glaze ingredient. Since every piece of dinnerware — from clay to kiln — is made in our factory right here in Sausalito, we know our materials and where they come from.

We use rigorous third-party testing to ensure the safety of our ceramic products. In fact, we not only meet, but exceed both US and California safety standards for food use.

To learn more about Product Safety for our ceramic products and view individual product certificates, you can read more here.

We proudly handcraft our ceramics in a way that’s uniquely Heath. Our materials and process result in natural variation from piece to piece, including irregularities in glaze color, texture, and finish — and that’s something we celebrate.

We feel that these characteristics are in no way considered flaws and only add to the one-of-a-kind beauty of our products. Each piece is carefully inspected to ensure that it lives up to our high standards of quality as well as those our customers have come to expect from Heath Ceramics.