Cleaning & caring for SylvaC
If you have just brought a dirty piece home, this is the page — not the factory history. Finish and age decide what you may safely do.
Victorian and Edwardian pieces
Earlier wares can be more fragile in the glaze and in any applied decoration. Dust dry first. Avoid soaking, dishwashers, and anything abrasive. If dirt sits in crevices, a barely damp cotton bud is safer than a scrub.
Cellulose
Some novelty figures — including gnomes — were finished in cellulose rather than a fired glaze. Water, solvents and polish can strip or cloud it. Dry dust only unless you are sure of the finish. If in doubt, treat it as cellulose until a specialist says otherwise.
Matt finishes
Matt glazes scuff. Do not use cream cleaners, magic sponges or anything that needs a shine. A soft brush and patience beat a wet cloth dragged across the surface.
Gloss finishes
Stable gloss can usually take a wipe with a soft cloth, barely damp, and a thorough dry. Still no dishwasher, no soaking of restored pieces, and no sudden temperature shocks.
Restoration, glue, light and damp
- Restoration is a job for someone who already knows the piece. Amateur fills and overpaint are hard to undo and easy to see in raking light.
- Glue — old animal glues and yellowing adhesives should be left unless a restorer is taking them off. Super glue on an ear is not a kindness.
- Sunlight fades some colours and can stress cellulose. Display out of strong sun.
- Damp encourages staining and mould in boxes. Store dry, with air.
- Washing — if you wash at all, lukewarm water, a drop of mild washing-up liquid at most, no soaking of unmarked bases that might still hide a label, and dry immediately with a soft cloth. Never leave pieces to drain on their rims.