How to Clean Your Pottery Studio, Tools and Equipment

While it’s so much fun, pottery is one of the dirtiest hobbies or jobs that you can participate in. Clay, dust and debris stick to clothes, tools and work tables and linger in the air you breathe. 

Staying safe and healthy in your pottery studio should be a top priority as you create stunning ceramic art. 

Our DiamondCore® Tools team has compiled some tips and tricks for keeping your pottery tools, equipment and studio clean as you throw, trim and carve each piece. 

Keeping your pottery tools clean can increase the longevity of your tools while keeping you safe and healthy as you create. 

Remove Excess Clay

Remove excess pieces of clay from your tools immediately after use. Don’t let your tools sit overnight with clay buildup on them. It’ll be harder to remove dried clay. 

Cleaning your pottery tools immediately after you use them can also prevent silica dust from forming, which can cause health problems such as silicosis. Silicosis can cause inflammation and scarring in your lungs, making it difficult for you to take in oxygen. 

Wipe Down Your Pottery Tools

Once you remove the clay buildup from your pottery tools, be sure  to wipe down each tool. 

If you’re using DiamondCore® Tools, take a damp cloth and gently remove clay debris from the metal blades and dust from the handles. You can even add a little bit of wood oil to the handles to keep them fresh.

Repeat this process until your tools look like new. Be sure to dry each tool before using them on your next pottery project. 

Read Instructions and Use Water When Necessary

Different pottery equipment will have its own cleaning instructions. 

For many of our Diamond Grinding and Sanding Tools, we recommend using water to increase the longevity of the tools while keeping dust to a minimum. For example, we recommend rinsing our Diamond Grinding Discs with water and using a soft-bristle toothbrush to remove excess clay if necessary. 

Many of our DiamondCore® Pottery Tools are designed with durable diamonds. Instead of experiencing fatigue after countless hours of pottery making, let the diamonds do the work. This means using gentle pressure to trim, carve, sand or grind your ceramic projects. 

Clean all Pottery Equipment Thoroughly 

Similar to the process of keeping your pottery tools clean, your equipment, such as the pottery wheel and kiln, also needs to be wiped down regularly. Even your countertops should be wiped down after each session. 

Thoroughly clean all the equipment in your pottery studio after every work session to maintain a healthy environment and keep everything in like-new condition. 

Why Keeping Your Pottery Studio Clean is Important

Not keeping your pottery equipment clean can decrease the longevity of your tools and equipment while creating health concerns for you. 

A dirty, dusty studio can cause long-term health issues while drastically decreasing your tools' lifespan. Kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, silicosis and cancer can become problems for pottery artists who don’t properly maintain their studios.