"New" Dishes: In Which I Share A Cheap Fix

I have had my white Pfaltzgraff Heritage pattern dishes for years.   I love them for their classic design, and for the fact that they go with everything.  I can layer them with brown transferware on my Thanksgiving table, or mix them up with pastel serving platters for a Mother's Day meal.  They blend in with any birthday decorations.  And they're simple enough for everyday meals. 

But lately, I have been looking to replace my dishes.  Not because I am tired of them or want something new (in fact, I did an online search for the same dishes!), but because they were looking tired and old and...gray.  Really.  The center of every plate had taken on a gray tone, and there were gray lines all over each one. 

How can one set a pretty table with these dishes? 

My online search was a bit discouraging.  I did not need complete sets of Heritage dishes.  We had originally purchased two sets at a Pfaltzgraff outlet store, and I still had the other pieces that I needed (soup bowls, salad plates, dessert plates).  I looked into purchasing the plates individually, but they were $7.99 for each plate.  That is certainly not an unreasonable price.  But we had added to our original sets by purchasing individual plates a few at a time at the outlet store...to the tune of $1.99 per plate, or occasionally $0.99 per plate!  We now had sixteen (gray) dinner plates.  To replace all sixteen would be $64, plus tax and shipping, considerably more than the original "bargain" price. 

So I put my plan for new plates on hold, and gave myself time to consider. 

And then—lo and behold!—I was browsing on Pinterest this week, and there was a Pin about removing scratches from white dishes! 

What?  Those gray marks are scratches?  All this time I thought the grayness must be a chemical change, perhaps resulting from age, or from being run through the dishwasher a gazillion times!  (If you already knew that these were scratches, feel free to call me a ditz in the comment section.  ~smile~)

So what is the secret to making my gray dishes white again? 

It is my new BFF, Bar Keepers Friend. 

A friend had introduced me to this product a few years ago, and I was amazed at how it removed iron stains from my old farmhouse bathtub and bathroom sink.  But it never would have occured to me to use it on my gray dishes. 

Since I keep Bar Keepers Friend on hand, I gave it a try...and the results are astounding!  Even with all that gray, a little bit of BKF, a little bit of elbow grease, and there you have it!  Beautiful WHITE dishes!

Is this not amazing? 

I think I'll go set a pretty table!  

Don't you just love a cheap fix?

I am linking to Finished Friday over at Allyson's A Heart For Home.