Though the clay is more resilient than other ceramics, you have to take care when using a stone to make pizza. For example, you must preheat the stone inside the oven. Placing a cold stone in a hot oven can cause it to crack. For the same reason, the stone needs to cool completely before you wash it, to avoid thermal shock. When washing the stone, you should not use any soap, because it will absorb some of the flavoring and could make all of your pizzas taste like detergent. Warm water and a mild abrasive pad should do the trick.