Earthenware pottery is made up of baked clay and calls for extra care in terms of maintenance. Most of the people buy earthenware pottery out of liking for the earthenware things than its usability. Earthenware pottery does add that extra zing to your rest of cutlery and cookware etc in your kitchen. Unlike other types of utensils like the stainless steel or copperware etc, earthenware pottery needs careful handling. The material that it is made up of can crack easily with a hard blow. The cleaning and washing of the earthenware pottery would be little different from the rest of the utensils.
Earthenware pottery is mainly of two kinds - the handmade pottery and the machine created earthenware pottery. Handmade pottery again requires more careful handling than the machine made earthenware pottery. Always remember to check with the manufacturer or the maker of the handmade pottery to find out if it can be washed directly in the dishwasher or not. Whether you wash the earthenware pottery with your hands or in the dishwasher, do set them out separate from other utensils for the cleaning up process. You can't put the earthenware pottery in the dishwasher along with other steel, copper or the china utensils as this will cause them to break or the other utensils that have harder surfaces can cause scratches on the earthenware potteries.
Avoid using the harsh detergents and scouring washing powders to clean earthenware pottery. The scouring powders can damage the glaze and so use milder detergent or just ordinary mild soap water to clean the pottery. If the food is stuck on to the earthenware pottery do not try to scrub it or scrape it with scrubber or other harsh material. The best thing to do while trying to clean the stuck food from the earthenware pottery would be to soak it in the water beforehand. Soak them only in plain water and not in detergents. Though some of the earthenware pottery that is not handmade can be soaked in the soapy water, avoid doing so for the handmade potteries. If you soak the handmade earthenware utensils in the detergent mixed water or in soapy water, it's quite possible that it will absorb it and it's not hygienic anymore to serve food in it. To be on safer side just use plain water to soak the earthenware utensils to clean the stuck food from it and once you have taken out the food particles etc from it gently wash away the residues with a plastic pad and some soap.
While you go shopping for earthenware pottery make sure that the manufacturer knows for what purpose you are buying them. Some earthenware potteries are meant to be only showpieces and can't be cleaned with water and soap. You can just clean them dry using a dry cloth or if it's a larger piece you can try using a smaller attachment that comes with your vacuum. However whether the earthenware you buy is for decoration purpose or for active use in the kitchen, do ensure you buy it from a good reliable shop to avoid high maintenance in the future.