Learn how to easily remove black scratch marks from dinner plates.
My beautiful dinner plates were covered in those pesky black marks caused by forks and spoons and knives scraping on them during dinner. I was this close to buying a whole new set of plates because they looked so ugly.
Here’s a photo of my sad, scratched-up dinner plate:
I thought those black marks were permanent until I saw a pin on Pinterest claiming that you could actually get rid of them.
So I went to Walmart and bought some Barkeeper’s Friend. I was willing to give it a try since it was less expensive than buying a new set of dinner plates.
I sprinkled some of the powder on my plate, then used a wet sponge to scrub. What the what?!?! Check it out:
Those “permanent” black marks disappeared like a bunny in a magician’s hat! I was shocked. Seriously. And I didn’t even have to scrub super hard or anything!
My dishes look new again! I can’t wait for my husband to get home to see if he’ll notice. How could he not, I mean, come on! Look at that sweeeeeeet before-and-after!
I have passed up a lot of dishes at thrift stores because they had these scratches all over them. No longer! I’m sure this stuff would work great for cleaning white porcelain sinks too. And I bet it would really help get hard water build up off of drinking glasses. This stuff is magic!
Bar Keeper’s Friend also comes in a soft scrub liquid formula that I think is meant for delicate surfaces. The instructions written on the bottle say to test the product in a hidden area the first time you use it on something, especially if it’s valuable or made of a special material.
The instructions also say that you can also use this stuff on your glass cooktop, bathtub, stainless steel, and tile. I think I’ll be trying it out all over the house!
I’m going to use it to clean my crockpot. It has the same black scratch marks all over it too.
I have also heard from readers who have tried this hack that it can dull the shine of dishware over time. I thought these plates were a lost cause, so even if it does dull the finish eventually, it extended the life of my dishes by a lot, so I still count it as a win. But maybe don’t scrub your porcelain sink with it every day?
This is definitely a winning life hack. Boo yah!
Comments & Reviews
It's great for mixing bowls, too.
Thanks, Nancy!
I love that cleaner! And it does work great on sinks! Just wear gloves when you use it. It tends to make my hands rough.
Good to know! I guess this is one of those "it was secret only to me" products. Glad I finally am on board! 🙂
It works wonders on porcelain sinks. I'm not sure how else people get them clean! Never thought to use it on my dishes though. Guess I'll be cleaning those up now!
What! That's crazy. The set of dishes we have now scratch so badly, maybe this will help me love them again!
This stuff also gets rust off of anything-it even got rust out of clothes after an ill-fated dryer incident. Just make a paste with a little water and scrub it with a toothbrush. Make sure you rinse it really well after and wash it right away. It was a miracle!
Wow, Lisa! Super good to know. I'm filing this one away for the next time I have a rust stain!
I wonder if it would work on grout.
I haven't tried it on grout, but I have used it to clean my tub and it works great for that!
It works great on our stovetop too!
Borax works great too for tub cleaner! Gets stage make up iff the bottom your kids leave behing and it's a bigger box for around $2 bucks. Don't know if it will work the same as bar keepers friend. Although I will try that too.
What dishes are these?
They are Better Homes and Gardens from WalMart a few years back.
Wonder what the equivalent product would be in the UK. Anybody any idea?
A lot of times I use the cream-type glass cooktop cleaner to remove black marks, too. On all the stuff mentioned above.
Fabulous for cleaning hard water marks from the toilet. Bail out the water and scour it well. This is what works for me in a hard water area.
I have found BarKeepers Friend very good at removing utensil marks. Be aware, however, that it will eventually damage the glaze and leave you with no black marks – and no shine, either.
Yes, I agree with Melinda. It made my dishes dull. And you do have to scrub pretty hard to get the marks off.
Oh my GOSH! This was amazing on my 80’s plates. Thanks so much for the info!
I’ve used bar keepers friend for years. Love it. When my glass stove top is cooked on when already dirty it’s so hard to get off. My husband does not clean it and makes big messes. To get that off I combine powdered bar keepers friens with liquid bar keepers friend and it cleans and polishes my stove.
Thinking Magic Eraser could do this also, with a little hot water and elbow grease.
I always keep Bartenders Helper on hand, however I never thought to try it for removing marks on dishes! Thank you!
I love BK’s Friend! I scrub my white porcelain sink, stainless steel pots, and even (gently) stains on Formica counter tops.
My white dishes have a lot of gray. It is also on the BACK of the plates, so how can it be scratches from flatware? I’ve used bicarbonate, vinegar, BKF, brillo pads and a LOT of elbow grease. Some improvement on some, not on others. Is there somethi g else that could cause this?
Thank you! My white porcelain dinner set is shocking! Black streaks all over but tried your method and hey presto, all looks like new. A thousand thanks! Catharina xxx
Thanks for the barkeep tip. I had some liquid barkeep in my cabinet and tried it on some very old dishes and you’re right, it works! These dishes are 30 years old and have been used almost daily. I know I’ll get another several years use out of them. Amazing!
It does an thorough job on stained coffee pots, mugs, thermal bottles and the interior and exterior of cookware. Amazing product!
Barkeepers Friend is also good for removing tarnish from copper cookwear.
Barkeepers Friend is the BEST on hard water stains in Toilets!!! Drain toilet (pour a bucket of water quickly in toilet, you’ll be left with a small amount of water) sprinkle bar keeper’s friend in bowl, use the finest mesh drywall screening you can find, scrub away!
I cut the screening into thirds, use 1 for my sinks, 1 for toilets, 1 for tub. Store in a ziploc, label the outside of bag with a sharpie.