How To Remove Scratches From Dishes: Bar Keepers Friend

Unless it's your grandmother's china plates that you cherish and save for special holidays and occasions, everyday dishes inevitably end up with those veiny scratch marks after extended use. And if you're not looking to replace your plates with new ones, an easy way to remove these scratches from your dishes and bring back that polished ceramic look is to use the all-purpose cleaner Bar Keepers Friend. After all, it says so on the label. But a word of caution: Go easy with it on the dishes.

According to this article from Lifehacker.com, Bar Keepers Friend can serve as a polish for everything from stainless-steel cookware to bathroom tiles -- but it's actually a slightly abrasive cleaner when it comes to dishes. In exchange for removing scratches, Bar Keepers Friend, which costs about $4, ends up "essentially eating away at your dinnerware's coating just a bit to make it look nicer," the same article reports. It's a small price to pay for a lot of look and longevity for your dishes, but it's probably best to do so sparingly. Who knew?

Has Bar Keepers Friend done any wonders for you? Let us know in comments below.