Does crockery eventually get too old and need replacing?

[Gifu]

I am not talking about dated style, just functionality and hygiene.

Many years ago I inherited a Villeroy & Boch dinner service, and I have used it ever since - fairly heavy daily use in a family of 7.

I have recently got it into my head that the plates are starting to smell. Is this possible? They smell a bit cheesy - I'm imagining that perhaps the glaze has been compromised and something has seeped into the porous china underneath?

Washing a smelly plate solves nothing.

The rest of the family are divided.

2 daughters agree that the plates are smelly and unusable, but they love jumping on a bandwagon and are generally squeamish about everything anyway. Just the suggestion of smelly plates is enough to put them off.

Everyone else thinks they just smell "of plate" or possibly do smell but who cares, or they definitely don't smell.

Does crockery get overused and worn out?

I’m not sure you really need an answer, in theory or practice. Your brain is telling you it’s time for new crockery - so do that. You don’t need permission from daughters or posters.

Have they been in the dishwasher? The glaze might have been damaged by that as the water may be too hot for older crockery. Or the dishwasher itself might need a good clean!

You'd see if the glaze had cracked, the colour underneath would be different (I've seen this with the crockery that was my mum's wedding gift, 50 years ago).

Just buy a new set of you want to op. There are a few places you can sell fancy crockery, or try eBay etc to make a few quid if it's a good set.

Yes, tht's true. And I will be getting new plates because I am not enjoying using them any more (in fact I've stopped using them and use a bowl instead.

But I'm still interested to knw if it's a known thing or if I'm being batty.

Our dishwasher is horrid and old and does a mediocre job. But other things don't have the specific plate smell I can smell on the plates. Mugs and glasses are fine.

No discolouration. Just a smell - very obvious on a couple of plates, and then almost definitely there on the other plates. I think.

I would treat yourself to some new plates, and either tip the old ones or keep as spares/to go under plant pots etc.

Buy a new dishwasher anyway, I hadn’t realised how noisy our old one was…this new one you can’t tell it’s on.

It might be your dishwasher and not your plates - mine makes the china stinky when it needs a really good cleaning cycle.

If the glaze was compromised you'd see what look like tiny hairline cracks in it. Bacteria can get into those, so that could be what's happened. Have a good close look at them in very good lighting. Any maybe compare to parts of the dinner set which aren't as well used. But a fully glazed piece of ceramic won't absorb or take on anything that makes it smell cheesy.

Crockery doesn't get 'worn out' in the same way a wooden spatula might. But if it wasn't made to be dishwasher safe, and you're dishwashing it, then I'd see if it is crackling.

Our dishwasher is horrid and old and does a mediocre job.

Ha! I have a relative with the fanciest of new, high end dishwashers who won’t use it because she doesn’t trust it to do a good job. Instead she and her large family wash everything by hand.

🤷‍♀️

Thank you for an interesting thread. I’d never thought about this before. I see what @BuzzieLittleBee means about bacteria getting in when the glaze seal is broken but on the other hand some dishes aren’t fully glazed, terracotta type that is common in Mediterranean countries. They don’t smell… or do they??🤥

Soak the plates in bleach for a while, rinse, dry and sniff.