Friday, July 12, 2013

Getting the scratches off china...


You know my obsession with love of china.  :)

Well, my Everyday Lenox plates have been used since the mid-1990s and showed a lot of wear.  They should, they were used for evening dinners as well as special occasions (except when my wedding china was pulled out) every day until just a few years ago.

They are also my most expensive china.  Yes, I have china that was originally more but I purchased the sets at thrift stores for a fraction of the cost.  These babies were purchased at what is now Macy's long ago when Hubby and I shopped together for the "new china" and fell in love with this pattern... a compromise of my preference for floral and his for geometric.

All that to say... I wasn't ready to send them to a thrift store if I could save them.

One day I came across an article about removing scratches from china and thought I'd try it... the purchase of the Bar Keepers Friend was very inexpensive.  I had it for a few weeks before taking the time to try it on these plates and found it worked great!  They almost look new.

I love frugal ways of saving expensive items!


By the way, look what it did to my stainless steel sink.

I live in an area that has water very high in minerals and even with a filter coming in from the well and a Culligan water softener... the sink still had areas of rusty stains.

No more!  Next I plan to use it on a skillet and the inside of a couple pots.

Added Note:  After reading Vee's comment below, I checked and found Bar Keeper's Friend does have two formulas... one in a silver container and the other in gold.  They have very similar uses and I'll research the differences.  Does any reader know what is the difference?

10 comments:

Vee said...

I love that stuff. My container is gold and I'm wondering if the silver is a slightly different product or just new packaging. Oh and my gold container was just purchased so it's not as if it's been hanging around for years. Oh, and my old container was also gold. What a ridiculous comment, but I'm leaving it.

I used the Pinterest formula on an old iron skillet. It worked great. Now I'll have to Barkeeper's Friend on it instead.

Cheryl (Copperswife) said...

The silver is formulated especially for cookware. I believe there's even a liquid formula for ceramic cooktops. I use the old gold can stuff on everything, but judiciously. I love it, but it can be a harsh cleanser. Reading the directions is always a good idea!

And thank you for the idea to use it to remove the dark marks from dishes! I use it on my sink, once a week or so for that purpose, but never thought about using it to get the same sorts of marks off the dishes. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I have this same problem, well both problems. Love of dishes and scratches on them. :) I will be trying this. Thanks for sharing.

Lori

Kimberly said...

Very nice!
Kimberly

Lori in Texas said...

I happen to be the lucky recipient of a whole set of blue/gray Phaltzgraff dishes that someone had given to a church thrift shop. I bought the set for a mere $25 knowing I could rush home and use my >gold can< Bar Keepers Friend on the knife "penciling" that was all over the plates. Boy did I ever feel smart......... happy........ and BLESSED! It is wonderful advice that you have passed along -- thank you!

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm, I didn't know there was a gold And a silver can. Or that it would get the dish scratches off! Thanks!!! I only see gold cans here. I get mine at the grocery store or Target that seems to have the cheapest price on it here. Now I will be looking!! :) Ya what is the difference? :-) Sarah

Linda said...

Wow, what a wonderful outcome! First I have ever heard of this product. Thank you so much for sharing. Greetings from Montreal, Canada.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I just bought some in the gold can. I was remembering Cheryl's tutorial about cleaning her dishes with it and am in need of cleaning my white dishes too.

I'm glad to see that my sink will look better with using it too.

Deanna

Echoes From the Hill said...

I use Barkeeper's Friend on my Fiesta Ware, and it does a great job. It works on marks from flatware, but nothing will help surface cuts, from sharp knives, on bone china. I don't serve any meat that isn't fork tender, on my good china!
nancyr

Anonymous said...

Hey, Brenda, just saw the Barkeeper's tip on "Like Merchant Ships" blog. You may have a bigger reader list than you thought. Keep up the good work!
Blessings, Sharon D.