Nothing is more quintessential vintage than Melmac. Melmac dishes are a must-have for glampers and vintage trailers. I’ve got a starter set of beautiful turquoise Maplex (made in Canada!). So far I just have bowls, mugs and salad plates, but I would love to build a pastel rainbow set like this Etsy listing of Windsor/Lifetime melmac that I was too slow to grab.
And I would love to start collecting the Holiday line from Kenro. This loverly ice bucket and bowl set is sitting in my favorites on Etsy right now! Melmac is so affordable to collect, unless you are buying online where the shipping will kill you!
Something about vintage melmac just says “canadian cottage” plus they are so durable! You can find affordable melmac very often at your local thrift store, vintage store or garage sales. So many housewives of the 50s and 60s had this kicking around, it is not that hard to find really. Raid you grandma’s attic and your mom’s basement!
Caring for Melmac:
Wash with warm soapy water (I like Dawn, it really cuts the grease) with a cloth. Some brands advertised back in the day that you could put it in the dishwasher, however many collector sites advise against this since today’s detergent could wash off the prints if you have a printed set. But since we are camping, we don’t have a dishwasher.
You can’t heat it on the stove or put it in the microwave. Melmac absorbs microwave radiation so it will just shatter or scorch in the microwave, and not heat food. It will be fine to put super hot food on. Should it get stained, or you buy it with some fading and staining (ususally coffee stains in the mugs), you can buy special Melmac cleaner to get stains off it.
It’s not toxic. So if it has a few scratches or chips in it, it’s fine. However make sure you scrub it well with a plastic scrubbie or dish brush. Gunk can get stuck in the deep scratches which is gross. Don’t use steel wool or coarse Esso type pads, these will just scratch up the melmac and make it look dull.
Other than that, enjoy your nearly bullet-proof Melmac dinnerware!
