Illustrated guide with a care schedule
The care of fine things
How to wash, polish, press and store silver, crystal, porcelain, linen and fine fabrics without slowly ruining them.
Illustrated guide, PDF, A4, 35 pages · editable care schedule in Word
Checkout on Payhip. The download link appears straight away and comes by e-mail too.
Damage done slowly, with good intentions
Most damage to fine things in a house is not done by accident. It is done slowly, by care that is slightly wrong and repeated every week: the wrong polish on plate, a stem glass twisted dry, linen starched and stored on bare wood.
This guide shows the right way for each material, with line drawings you can follow at the sink and at the linen press.
What is inside
Every file you download, with its format and length.
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The Care of Fine Things
PDF, A4, 35 pages
Five parts: silver; crystal and glass; porcelain and china; linen and fine fabrics; wood, marble, leather and the schedules. Common mistakes, a glossary and the sources at the back.
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Care schedule
Word .docx, A4
Daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal tasks with Who, When and Done columns, blank rows for your own tasks and a table of specialists.
Inside the guide
- Silver: sterling and plate, tarnish, hollow-handled knives, polishing from gentle to strong, when to call a silversmith
- Crystal and glass: washing by hand, polishing a stem glass without snapping it, decanters
- Porcelain and china: gilt rims, crazing, chips and repairs, stacking with separators
- Linen and fabrics: washing by fibre, a stain chart, pressing damask, the linen press, cashmere, silk and moths
- Wood, marble and leather, and a one-page summary for the team
Sample pages
How buying works
One download, one price: €49.
Pay on Payhip
Our checkout is run by Payhip. It takes the payment and works out the VAT for your country.
Download at once
The download link appears as soon as the payment goes through, and Payhip sends it to you by e-mail as well.
Put it to work
Print it, fill it in, adapt it for your house and hand it to your own team.
Who it is for
It is for you if
- You look after silver, crystal, porcelain or fine linen in a private house.
- You train housekeepers or butlers and want one method for each material.
- You want a care routine written down for the whole team.
It is not for you if
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You need folding, pressing and packing, step by step.
Wardrobe, Linen & Valeting
Questions before you buy
What language are the materials in?
English.
What if a maker's instructions are different?
Follow the maker, or the owner. Wherever it matters, the guide says that a maker's care card or the family's wishes come first.
Can I share the files with my team?
Yes, within your own household or households: print them, adapt them and hand them to the people who work for you. Please do not resell them, publish them or pass them on to other houses. A family office or an agency that would like to use them across several client houses can write to us about a wider licence.
What if something changes, or needs correcting?
Every guide carries its edition date, and figures that change from year to year, such as minimum pay or public holidays, carry their year and source. If we correct an edition, the people who bought it get the corrected file at no cost: write to us with your receipt if your link has expired.
Who issues the receipt, and what about VAT?
Payhip, our checkout, takes the payment, works out the VAT for your country and e-mails your receipt with the download link. If you need an invoice made out to a company, write to us after you buy.
Can I get a refund?
Files cannot be sent back once they are downloaded, so under EU consumer rules the usual 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to digital content once the download has started with your consent. If a file does not open, is incomplete or is not what this page describes, write to us and we will put it right or refund you.
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The care of fine things
Have it on the shelf before you need it.
One download, one price, and the files are yours to print, fill in and adapt for your own house.