I am late. So late. I had not realize there was a contest going on for Bar Keepers Friend.
What I can do... is show off why I love this magical can of goodness. Along with my Mr. Clean sponge. These two items are my go to cleaning products for practically everything in my kitchen. Especially when cleaning vintage glassware.
See that cooked on... grime covered Butterprint dish. The one that the glass lid had decades worth of burnt nasty in all the grooves.
The one that I purchased for 3.99 at the thrift store. And had been there looking all ugly, with no takers. Well it got a forever home with me. I knew I could make it pretty again.
With a little time... a sink of warm water and that can of Bar Keepers Friend. A little miracle can happen. I pour some power out on the counter and dip my damp sponge in it. And get to rubbing.
Look how pretty she turned out! The only time I have run into issues with baked on grime... is in those tiny thin areas on the inner handle. It requires a tooth pick or a small tooth brush... a wet paste made from Bar Keepers... and patience. Sometimes I need a little help with the patience.
I have always used Bar Keepers Friend for cleaning my vintage glass. It has never dulled anything I have worked on. Or scratch up the design.
(Every thought shared here, is from my own bias opinion. These pictures are from my original post from Farm Girl Pink @ 2013 which I decided to share here. Strictly so you can see how well the product has worked for me in the past. And I buy my Bar Keepers Friend from my local Kroger...)
There is never a time when I don't have a supply of BKF and Mr. Clean Sponges. I also have a new weapon....Lemi-Shine. It works awesome to bring back dull graphics on vintage glassware. What you may think is dishwasher damage, can actually be hard water dullness. I just soak the item in a mixture of hot water and Lemi-Shine then take my Mr. Clean Sponge to it. Works every time..
ReplyDeleteErica
I like soaking my grimy pyrex in some warm water with a bunch of denture cleaning tabs. Sometimes I soak a piece repeatedly in fresh water and more denture tabs. If you buy the generic ones they are fairly cheap so I use a lot in each go-round. It usually takes off most of the grime. Very little hand scrubbing needed.
ReplyDeleteThe Bar Keepers Friend worked absolute miracles for my fledgling collection until I got to a particularly sad Verde casserole. I was horrified (despite being well aware of the warnings) to see some green on my cloth. I don't know if I had gotten overly enthusiastic or just hadn't noticed finish coming away from the other pieces. I'm wondering if the Lemi-Shine would be a better bet?
ReplyDeleteyeah you have to be VERY VERY and light and careful with the scrubbing. D:
DeleteIs the Mr. Clean sponge like a Magic Eraser-or just a regular sponge? I am always a bit nervous to use a Magic Eraser on my patterned Pyrex, but am always looking for a good sponge :)
ReplyDeleteThere's another wonderful product for cleaning grime off cookware, whether it's glass or aluminum. It's "Dawn Power Dissolver" made in USA, in a blue pump spray bottle. It does an amazing job of melting away that black burnt on crust. I keep an old toothbrush at the sink along with a little paring knife just for scraping gunk out of crevices. I've used soap-filled steel wool pads for years, which doesn't scratch glass or harm the designs, but I'd recommend that only as a last resort. They're useful while soap remains in them, but they rust so you'd have to get used to how and when to use them. You'd never want to use one to clean a utensil with other things in the sink, unless you wash everything immediately. Letting them sit causes the miniscule bits of steel wool to leave rust marks. That never happens if you wash all the dishes right away! Just so you know! I'm a very old lady and have probably cleaned thousands of pieces of old kitchenware, including Pyrex.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab idea! I collect and sell vintage at www.etsy.com/VintageLindyLou/ and often I am trying to figure out how to get things cleaned up. Never tried Bar Keepers Friend and others had great ideas too. Loved finding your blogs!
ReplyDelete