As a potter, I have learned that there is no way you can’t do without straining yourself. It is obvious we are working with mud and there is no amount of planning you can do without getting your hands dirty, Literally! It is essential to know that you can do all the preparation in the world – hand out aprons, lay down newspaper, cover the house in plastic sheets – and you will still probably find a way to get clay on your clothes during a craft session. If you have kids, it is inevitable for them to not get their clothes stained. It is part of the fun and creative process of being pottery.
Most pottery clay stains can be washed off but darker clays like black clay and terracotta can be difficult to wash off. This is why you should be careful and selective about what to wear when doing pottery.
WHAT TO WEAR WHEN HANDLING CLAY
- Comfortable Shirts and Pants: Your shirt and pants should not be too tight so that you can freely move your hands and legs when handling clay. If your shirts are not comfortable, your arms could feel restricted when reaching over to play with your clay. It is advisable to wear a T-shirt or roll up your sleeves when doing pottery.
- Older shoes: Your shoes should be ones you don’t care about if they get dirty. You will need shoes to protect your feet from tools and equipment in the studio but you won’t want to ruin your favorite Nikes, that is why it’s advisable to wear older shoes when working with pottery clay.
- Apron: It is advisable wearing a pottery apron because the apron provides an extra layer of protection if you don’t want your clothes to get too wet or dirty. Aprons also have pockets to keep some of your tools for easy access. You can always order your pottery apron from Amazon by clicking here.
| WHAT YOU SHOULD WEAR | WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T WEAR |
| Comfortable Shirts | Rings |
| Older Shoes | Long Nails |
| Face Mask | Long hair (to avoid it getting in your face) |
| Apron | Expensive/New Shoes |
TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID EXCESSIVELY STAINING YOUR CLOTHES WITH POTTERY CLAY
- Avoid the habit of wiping clay off your hands by rubbing them on your clothes/apron.
- Remove excess clay from your hands by scraping your hands on your throwing bucket and wiping down with a sponge.
- Always wear an apron when working in the studio. You don’t want to have silica on your clothes more than you have to.
- Wash your clay laundry often.
- Have a separate pair of studio shoes (preferably older shoes)
- Do not brush, or hit off pottery clay from your clothes. The stain spreads when you brush it off.
HOW TO REMOVE POTTERY CLAY STAINS FROM YOUR CLOTHES
- Staining your clothes is inevitable when you are working on pottery pieces. Don’t worry, you can remove the stains through these steps:
- Carefully scrape any remaining clay off the fabric with a spoon (be sure to run the spoon down the weave of the fabric – not across).
- Rub detergent on the clay stain until it is completely covered then add water.
- Add one cup of white vinegar with three tablespoons of salt in a bucket.
- Leave it to soak overnight
- Gently wash your clothes as normal
- If the stain is stubborn, make a paste with detergent and ammonia
- Soak for 20 minutes then wash as normal
It is essential to know that it’s difficult to work with pottery clay without staining your clothes. Make use of the above tips to avoid excessive clay stains on your clothes and follow the above steps to remove pottery clay stains from your clothes.
