Grr!! Are you wondering how to get rid of black marks on dishes?
At first you don’t notice them.
Then you take out a plate and see all these grey lines.
What in the heck are those and when did that happen?!
I totally get it! You feel as if your dishes are ruined. But DON’T STRESS the black marks on your dishes can be removed.
Yeppers!
Your flatware is causing those black marks on your dishes. Just by using your spoon, knife and fork, you are making metal marks on your plates.
Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to get rid of utensil scratches. All it takes is a little elbow grease and one of the items listed below.
Check out which gets rid of the dark lines on your dishes best…
Supplies to Remove Utensil Marks on Dishes
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How to Get Rid of Black Marks on Dishes: 3 Popular Methods Tested
I put three popular methods to remove black marks from white dishes to the test. Two use ingredients found in your pantry and the third is a cleaning product.
Here is what I learned…
1. First Method: Use Cream of Tartar to get rid of black marks on dishes
Many sites tout the benefit of using Cream or Tartar to get rid of utensil marks. That its abrasive quality can get into those fine scratches and clean them.
All you need to do is mix a little water with it to create a paste. Then gently rub it into the scuff marks on your dishes.
So that’s what I did, but the gray scratches on my dishes barely changed. They might have lightened a little. But they were still obvious.
So I tried using a sponge with a mild abrasive side.
Nope, that didn’t work any better.
Result: in my experience, Cream of Tartar couldn’t get rid of the black marks on my dishes. It did lighten them, but they were not removed.
2. Second Method: Use baking soda to remove scratch marks from white dishes
Baking soda ~ the tried and true natural cleaning agent. I think it does just about anything around the house. I swear it’s part of every natural cleaning article. It’s like the superpower of your pantry.
So I had high hopes of using it to get rid of the black marks on my white dishes.
The concept is the same as using Cream of Tartar. Just sprinkle it on your plate, add a little water to create a paste, and then rub it into the utensil scratches.
So that’s what I did ~ and it kinda worked.
The baking soda paste got rid of the light scuffs, but barely lightened the dark scratch marks on my plates.
I tried using the abrasive side of my sponge to rub it in a little more. This worked a little bit, but the black marks were still visible.
Results: Baking soda does a good job of removing light utensil marks on dishes, but it doesn’t completely get rid of them.
3. Third Method: Using Bar Keepers Friend to get scuff marks off of dishes
When I first heard about Bar Keepers Friend, I was thinking of a “bar” that you go to. So I thought it would be used on drinking glasses.
Ha! Was I wrong!!
The first time I used Bar Keepers Friend was to clean the bottom of my pots and pans. Which it did a fantastic job.
So when I saw the suggestion to use it to get black marks off dishes, I was a little hesitant. After all, if it was used to clean metal, why would I want to use it on ceramic dishes? Could it really be used on both materials?
The same method for creating a paste and rubbing it into the scratches applies to Bar Keepers Friend, except you should get your plate wet first, and then sprinkle it on.
Unlike using Cream of Tartar or baking soda, I would recommend using a sponge instead of your finger with Bar Keepers Friend.
It was crazy!
I could immediately see the results of using Bar Keepers Friend. The grey utensil marks on my plates disappeared with barely any pressure. And the black marks on the dishes were completely gone with a little light scrubbing.
Talk about making your scratched dishes look brand new!
Results: Definitely use Bar Keepers Friend to remove any metal marks from your dishes. It totally works!
Conclusion for What to Use for Getting Rid of Black Marks on Plates
I know many of you are looking for a natural way to remove utensil scratches from your plates. Cream of Tartar and baking soda provided mediocre results for me. It might take a lot of time and effort to see any significant results. But if you have light scratches on your dishes, either method will provide some improvement.
For me, Bar Keepers Friend was the stand-out winner and the way to go for totally removing black marks from white dishes.
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