Care & Maintenance
A resin tray that carries the morning chai, a set of coasters that lives on the coffee table, a pair of resin-stemmed glasses that comes out when guests arrive — functional pieces work harder than anything else in a resin collection. They meet water, oil, turmeric, condensation rings and the occasional clumsy guest. With the right habits, none of that shortens their life. This guide covers washing, food-adjacent hygiene, the heat rules that matter most in an Indian kitchen, and how to store functional pieces between uses.
Well-cured resin from a quality formulation is stable and non-reactive once fully hardened. Still, resin pieces are best treated as food-adjacent serveware, not cookware or crockery. In practice:
Serving dry snacks, wrapped sweets, fruit, or vessels on a resin tray or platter — perfectly at home.
Placing cups, glasses and bowls on resin surfaces — exactly what coasters and trays are for.
Direct, prolonged contact with hot, oily or strongly pigmented food pressed straight onto the resin — better avoided. Use a liner, doily, plate or bowl in between.
Resin drinkware is typically resin on the outside — stems, bases, handles, sleeves — with glass or steel meeting the drink itself. That construction is deliberate; respect it.
This is not because resin is fragile. It is because turmeric, saffron and strong tea are dye-grade pigments, and any surface — marble, quartz, or resin — can pick up a stain if they sit long enough.
The single most important rule for functional resin is this: no dishwasher, ever. Dishwashers combine three things resin dislikes — sustained heat, harsh detergent, and abrasive water jets — into one cycle. Hand washing takes ninety seconds and keeps the finish flawless.
The routine:
Rinse under lukewarm or cool water — never steaming hot from the geyser tap.
Wash with a drop of mild dish soap on a soft sponge or cloth. Only the soft side of the sponge; the green scouring side scratches resin permanently.
Rinse thoroughly so no soap film dries on the surface.
Dry immediately with a soft cotton or microfibre cloth. Air-drying leaves mineral water spots that dull the gloss over time, especially with hard water common across much of India.
For drinkware and barware, wash the resin portions the same way, and never soak the piece in a full sink. A long soak will not destroy resin, but repeated soaking is unkind to the crisp joint lines where resin meets glass or metal.
Tea, coffee and cola rings — wipe within a few minutes and they leave nothing. If a ring has dried, a soft cloth with diluted dish soap and gentle circular passes lifts it.
Turmeric or masala oil marks — act quickly. Blot the oil first, then wash with soap and lukewarm water. A stubborn yellow tint often fades on its own over a few days once the oil is removed.
Sticky residue (wax, sweets, adhesive labels) — soften with warm soapy water and lift with a fingernail or a plastic card edge. Never scrape with metal.
Functional pieces meet heat more often than décor does, so these rules earn their own section:
Chai and coffee cups are fine on coasters — that is precisely their job. A hot beverage cup sits around 60–70°C at the base and cools quickly; coasters are designed for exactly this.
Vessels straight off the flame are not. A tapeli, kadhai or pressure cooker base can exceed 100°C and will leave a permanent impression in any resin surface. Trivet first, always.
Do not serve flaming or sizzler-style dishes on resin platters.
Keep trays away from the direct blast of an OTG or microwave exhaust, and never warm anything in a microwave on a resin tray.
A coaster's whole purpose is to take the heat a table shouldn't — but even a coaster deserves to be spared the vessel that just left the stove.
How pieces rest between uses matters nearly as much as how they are washed:
Store coasters flat, ideally stacked with the felt or cork bases (if fitted) between them. If your coasters are resin-on-resin, slip a tissue or thin cloth between each to prevent surface-to-surface rubbing.
Stand trays upright or store them flat — never with heavy items piled on top. Sustained point pressure over months can mark a glossy surface.
Keep functional pieces out of direct sunlight in storage as well as in use. A tray left permanently on a sunny dining table will amber faster than one that lives in a sideboard between meals.
For a complete tablescape set, store the pieces together in a cloth-lined drawer or box so nothing hard rests against a resin face.
Lift, don't drag. Sliding a tray across granite or a rough table micro-scratches the base.
Keep one soft cloth in the kitchen reserved for resin — sponges used with scouring powders carry grit even when they look clean.
Wipe condensation pooled on coasters after a party rather than leaving it overnight.
Once a month, give functional pieces the same inspection as décor: check for scratches, dulling, or loose felt pads, and deal with small things while they are small.
Honesty matters here: a functional piece used daily for years will eventually show fine surface wear, the way a beloved wooden chopping board does. That is not failure — it is patina. Light haze and micro-scratches on functional pieces can usually be revived, and a studio recoat can bring a well-used tray back to near-original gloss when the time comes. If a piece you use and love has gone dull, ask before retiring it; the answer is usually a happy one.
Functional resin was made to be used — a tray that never leaves the shelf is only half itself. Wash it gently, keep it off the direct flame's leavings, dry it well, and it will serve tea to a generation.
For care advice on your piece or to commission trays, coasters and drinkware made for daily Indian life, message us on WhatsApp at +91 70960 36250.
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18 March 2026 · 5 min read