Care & Quality
If you follow these care instructions, you will enjoy our KAHLA quality products for a very long time.
General care instructions for KAHLA Porcelain
Hygiene
KAHLA porcelain is odourless, neutral in taste and does not attract bacteria. While other ceramic materials are slightly porous, the ability of hard-paste porcelain to absorb water is less than 0.1%. Thus, porcelain is considered impermeable to water thereby meeting the general international standards for hygiene. Thanks to its extremely dense surface, even stubborn residual dirt is always easily removed from porcelain. However, the use of too much washing-up liquid can leave residues, the use of too little can cause lime stains. Lime stains can be removed with a mix of water and vinegar or with lemon juice. Tea or coffee residues will disappear with dental cleaning tablets or with a mix of baking powder and hot water. Abrasion marks from cutlery on the glaze can be removed with a porcelain cleaner (e.g. www.etol.de), gentle scouring agents or steel cleaning agents.
Dishwasher
The inglaze and underglaze décors make KAHLA porcelain inherently dishwasher-safe with the exception of some onglaze colours and decorations. These are listed separately in our price lists and brochures. However, even these décors are considered dishwasher-safe. White porcelain is absolutely dishwasher-proof. The KAHLA innovation touch! – the world's first porcelain with a velvety surface coating – is also 100% dishwasher-safe.
Chemicals
KAHLA porcelain with or without décor is resistant to any kind of discolouration caused by food as well as to chemicals, alkaline solutions and acids. The lead-free feldspar glaze does not release any substances and cannot be damaged.
As a lifestyle accessory, the cupit To Go mug requires special care. Please closely follow the instructions for washing in the dishwasher and you will continue to enjoy this product for a long time:
- Rinse the mugs before using them for the first time. Please do not stack them.
- Exclusively use commercially-available dishwasher powder or tabs which do not contain chlorine.
- Please be aware that contact with strongly-coloured foods that contain carotene or other pigments (for example tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, blueberries, mustard, balsamic vinegar) can stain the mug and lid through pigmented water in your dishwasher.
- This discolouration has absolutely no effect on the quality and functionality of the product and disappears once again over time due to the exposure to light and after having been washed a number of times. In order to avoid discolorations, rinse off the colouring foods with clean water prior to placing crockery in the dishwasher.
- Please place the lid in the dishwasher basket in a way that avoids pressure and tension from other dishes. You will counter possible deformations of the cover as a result.
You can find further tips under “Care Instruction Magic Grip”.
- Use your usual detergent and rinse the porcelain in the dishwasher or by hand. To preserve the bright colours, you should avoid using chemicals that contain chlorine or other bleaching agents.
- If heavily staining materials such as tea or coffee have discoloured the surface, clean it by hand using a soft sponge and dish soap.
- Treat your fine porcelain like a good friend, protecting it from hazards such as extreme heat sources (fire, candles) and sharp objects (knives).
We hope you enjoy your new Magic Grip porcelain for many years to come and would like to give you some care instructions.
- Rinse the items before using them for the first time.
- Clean your coated porcelain in the dishwasher or by hand using hot water, detergent and a soft sponge or cloth.
- To avoid damaging the silicone coating, do not use a cream cleanser, steel wool, a scrubbing sponge or a strong cleaner.
- Avoid contact with solvents, thinners or other chemicals.
- Sharp-edged objects can damage the silicone coating.
- Keep silicone products away from high heats (transparent silicone foot withstands heat of up to 180°C, black silicone withstands heat of up to 250°C).
- Possible consequences of overheating:
- Silicone becomes porous thus reducing the life span of the product.
- Slip resistance and adhesion to the porcelain is affected. - Rinse the porcelain with clean water after coming into contact with chlorinated water or salt water.
- Due to the natural properties of silicone, contact with highly colouring foods, constant cleaning in the dishwasher and strong light sources may lead to alterations in the colour and shine of the silicone. These flaws in the appearance of the silicone do not affect the properties of the items.
- Avoid prolonged contact with food leftovers.
- Signs of wear and tear, such as fine scratches to the surface, do not affect the performance of the coated products.
- The silicone coating reacts adversely to soapy or oily surfaces and slipping is increased.
Transponder will be destroyed by microwaves. Do not use the smart porcelain from KAHLA in the microwave if you wish to protect the usability of the chips.
All transponders, whether they are sealed by our patented Magic Grip or they are printed with the Smartprint technology, are dishwasher safe in private, as well as professional dishwashing machines used in the gastromy.
Please read also the care instructions of Magic Grip. The Magic Grip material that is used to seal the transponder is not oven proof. Long periods of high temperatures – more than 80° Celsius – can harm the performance of the transponder.
Quality KAHLA Porcelain
Quality Control
Certificates from the Ceramics Institute Meissen and other certified laboratories regularly demonstrate that KAHLA/Thüringen Porzellan GmbH products meet the high demands of the European and global market in all areas. Internal quality controls are conducted for each step of the production. Individual manual inspections in accordance with strict quality guidelines ensure the quality of every single product. The raw materials for porcelain production are regularly inspected by external institutions.
Degree of Whiteness
KAHLA produces only hard-paste porcelain. This is the whitest kind of porcelains compared to vitreous china or bone china which are rather ivory-coloured. The degree of whiteness, which defines the visual properties of the glost-fired glazed porcelain body showed above-average values for all tested hotel porcelain from KAHLA. This means that KAHLA products are in line with the industry's peak values.
Colour Determination
The colour determination identifies brightness and colour hue of the glost-fired porcelain body. With brightness values identified in a range between 86 and 88, our products achieve almost ideal values. The measured colour hue largely shows colour neutrality.
Chip Resistance
The balanced structure of the porcelain body intended to meet the needs of the end user results in an exceptionally high chip resistance of the plate rims for our hotel collections. This property ensures an optimal number of reuse cycles for our hotel porcelain
Thermal resistance
In practice, the porcelain flatware products used the most are often exposed to high thermal stress. Here too, the measured thermal parameters attest to the capability to withstand highest thermal stress. The values determined at the Ceramics Institute Meissen almost always show the maximum possible value of 285 Kelvin.
Tolerances
Due to its natural composition, porcelain can react to fluctuations in temperature or humidity during the manufacturing process. This may result in tolerances of a maximum of 5% for the filling capacity, dimensions or weight of individual items. KAHLA ensures that each shipment contains identical pieces.
Abrasion and Glaze Hardness
In addition to the high density of the material compared to other ceramic materials, hard-paste porcelain also has the hardest, most abrasion-resistant glaze. KAHLA has improved the glaze to such an extent that the products can be characterised as high performance tableware. The hardness of the crack- and scratch-resistant surface is measured in MOHs: Diamond = 10, Hard-paste porcelain = 8. Abrasion marks from cutlery on the glaze are caused by soft metals. They do not damage the hard glaze and can be removed with a porcelain cleaner (e.g. www.etol.de).
Impact Resistance
At firing temperatures at around 950°C for bisque firing and 1400° C for glost firing in KAHLA's high-performance kilns, kaolin, quartz and feldspar result in the densest and hardest porcelain, which despite its low thickness is extremely durable. The hardness, fineness and density of the material favourably impacts flexible designs. Porcelain programmes for banquets additionally have impact-resistant rims.
Heat Resistance
Hard-paste porcelain from KAHLA is microwave-safe, oven-safe and suitable for use in a salamander grill. Even decorated porcelain items such as baking dishes are certified oven-proof up to 280°C. However: Platinum, silver and gold décors are not suitable for microwave use. Hard-paste porcelain products can withstand extreme shifts in temperatures of up to 200°C.
Décors
With few exceptions, KAHLA porcelain is decorated with inglaze colours and décors. During the décor firing at 1200°C, the colours sink into and become part of the glaze. Therefore, decorated hard-paste porcelain from KAHLA/Thuringia is just as durable as whiteware: the colours remain vibrant permanently. The KAHLA innovation touch! – the world's first porcelain with a velvety surface coating – is 100% dishwasher-safe, food-safe and microwave-safe. The colours of the textile material remain vibrant permanently.