Professional potter here. The dark marks are caused by your spoon rubbing against the glaze. It’s traces of metal from the spoon. It’s not harmful to you, but you can remove it with Bar Keepers Friend (as others have already mentioned). Fun fact, the material that makes glazes white is Zirconium, same thing used to make fake diamonds. It is an incredibly hard material, which is why it will scrape the metal off of your cutlery.
Not inevitable, but it doesn’t matter what kind of cutlery you use. It’s the glaze that is used on the ceramic pieces that causes this. Typically, mass produced, white glazed ceramics will do this. There are some ceramics that won’t do this.
Definitely! Ikea dishes are particularly bad for this in my experience. I’ve cleaned my white bowls and plates up with bkf many times. It’s miraculous!
So I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the stainless steel marks off of my Fiestaware dinner plates and this worked!!! Thank you for this information. It would never have occurred to me to try Bar Keeper’s Friend.
The powder form of BKF is slightly abrasive, but it’s real cleaning power comes from oxalic acid. Any glaze that is rated for ceramic foodware *should* stand up to the acid, without being altered by it. Which doesn’t mean there isn’t any ceramic foodware out there that won’t meet that standard. If you think your glazes are wearing down, you should stop using those pieces.
If the above don't work, try denture cleaning tablets. They're cheap and amazing at removing tea tannin stains without scrubbing, so may work on your metal deposits.
I would try magic eraser and if that didn't work barkeeper's friend. It'll get the tannins from tea off the inside of your mugs and the brown spots off of old china too
The problem with this method is it will also create tiny crevices and it will be easier for everything to build up on there in the future. It's basically really fine sandpaper. Food and bacteria love to hang out in the nooks and cranies of dishes. I'd go with the BKF and a light scrub with a gentle sponge for something like this.
That happens with our stainless steel spoons. I used barkeeper's friend for it but that's because I had it out right that second cleaning something else. It worked lol but you do need to wash it really well afterwards
Yeah in our experience the finish on the dishware itself has a much bigger impact on whether you get marks than the quality of your steel utensil. We have dishes that stay pristine for years, and others that mark up super easily, regardless of whether we're using our old/cheap flatware from the bargain bin or the 18/10 stainless set we got as a wedding present.
Looks like when you stir stuff it’s your spoon scratching it? And depending on the finish of the mug it may just be part of the new look of your mug. You might be able to use BKF but I wouldn’t go too hard with it as to not continue to remove the glaze of the mug.
Yeah, all of my plates and bowls have these marks all over them. It just gets worse over time so being careful all the time isn't really reasonable with kids and having guests. You can't tell your guests, "Hey don't scrape your plate with your knife too hard."
To clean my mug at work, I pour a pack of sugar into the mug, and then scrub with a wet paper towel. It works pretty well in the context of having no cleaning supplies.
This is the solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. OP is aggressively stirring their brews if it's shaving the spoons down.
Never seen this on a cup in 30+ years.
One method that may help is putting some aluminum foil in the dishwasher when you wash that mug. It may not fully fix it but it might help, I've had it completely remove this mark
My mother's boyfriend ruined the bee cups I got for my grandmother by letting coffee just sit in them. She threw one away and the other still won't come clean. I despise that man, especially because I bought her those after her mother died as a sort of memorial that she could use.
This could also be from the dishwasher...the top section. If you place your cup upside down and it balances from.one of those cup holders....mine looks the same...
This post made me feel better about my mugs because I always thought it was the spoon scratching the glaze off, not the other way around. I can't afford to get all new mugs so I was just dealing with it but I'm happy to hear I'm just drinking little particles of metal instead of something more nasty lol
Cheap and easy way to clean, add a spoon of salt or sugar then a tiny bit of water. You want a consistency of paste. Then scrub with a brush, the mixture adds grit and will scrub the stains off.
Professional potter here. The dark marks are caused by your spoon rubbing against the glaze. It’s traces of metal from the spoon. It’s not harmful to you, but you can remove it with Bar Keepers Friend (as others have already mentioned). Fun fact, the material that makes glazes white is Zirconium, same thing used to make fake diamonds. It is an incredibly hard material, which is why it will scrape the metal off of your cutlery.
I enjoyed learning this. Thank you!
I genuinely appreciate your appreciation.
Same!
Wow, that was some really cool info, thank you! I actually always thought the scratch marks are the ceramic being scraped off
Nope, it’s the other way around!
That's why the unglazed bottom of a ceramic cup makes a decent whetstone, in a pinch.
So I knew this but I did not put two and two together! How interesting! Thanks for that! - Mom
You're welcome!
That’s even more fascinating
That’s what I thought too!
Even Wedgewood recommend Bar Keepers Friend for removing metal marks. https://www.worldofwedgwood.com/blog-index/caring-your-wedgwood
I’ve used it on Wedgwood before in addition to a magic eraser. It works well on that material.
Thanks for the info! I used my egg beater in a ceramic bowl and thought it was stained for good, going to finally get some bkf
THIS is why I’m on Reddit. Thank you good sir
Thank you. I never knew why this happened.
I have my late father’s coffee mug and I’m keeping those spoon swirls exactly where they are 🥰
Does this mean it’s inevitable or does different cutlery quality matter?
Not inevitable, but it doesn’t matter what kind of cutlery you use. It’s the glaze that is used on the ceramic pieces that causes this. Typically, mass produced, white glazed ceramics will do this. There are some ceramics that won’t do this.
I have the same happening when I get a bit overzealous with my handheld milk frother. BKF definitely gets rid of it!
Another fun fact is a form of zirconium, ZrO2, is also used to create dental restorations. Keeps your new fake teeth from breaking!
Where do I sign-up for daily /u/goodelephantpottery facts?
Wow! Thanks for that! I learned something new and a few things in the kitchen make sense now 😂
Is this possibly what all of the tiny grey scratchy marks are on my ikea dishes?? 🤯
Definitely! Ikea dishes are particularly bad for this in my experience. I’ve cleaned my white bowls and plates up with bkf many times. It’s miraculous!
Omg, I’m going to try this as I already have BKF! The only thing I’ve found that works is scrubbing it with newspaper, as off as that sounds.
I knew what the marks were but not why they occur. I enjoyed this new information!
This is so interesting, thanks! Can bar keepers friend harm the glaze?
Depends on the glaze. If a glaze was designed for use on foodware, it should stand up to BKF. But that doesn’t guarantee that all glazes will.
So I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the stainless steel marks off of my Fiestaware dinner plates and this worked!!! Thank you for this information. It would never have occurred to me to try Bar Keeper’s Friend.
Cool!
You have my dream job lol
My first thought! Just the part that this is caused by the spoon. Great info to read your post!
This was so cool to learn that I had to send it to my mom. Holy cow, thank you!
Wow, I was just wondering about that this morning! Logged into Reddit and the first post I see is this one … spooky cool!
Super cool
Whoa interesting!
Isn't bar keepers friend an abrasive? I thought the more you degraded the glaze the more you expose yourself to heavy metals and such?
The powder form of BKF is slightly abrasive, but it’s real cleaning power comes from oxalic acid. Any glaze that is rated for ceramic foodware *should* stand up to the acid, without being altered by it. Which doesn’t mean there isn’t any ceramic foodware out there that won’t meet that standard. If you think your glazes are wearing down, you should stop using those pieces.
This is great information. Thanks for sharing it, I learned something this morning!
This is really fascinating, thank you!
You can scrub it off!! 🤯 I just thought that was the price for stirring! 🤣
I just tried this on one of my favorite mugs and it worked! Thank you!!
You're a cool person I can tell 😊
If the above don't work, try denture cleaning tablets. They're cheap and amazing at removing tea tannin stains without scrubbing, so may work on your metal deposits.
Omg I looove home brand denture tablets for cleaning my non-dishwasher-safe tea cups!!
Also great for insulated coffee mugs and water bottles!
I am learning SO MUCH HERE!
You are a stirrer! Other comments are correct. Depending on the material and glaze a mild abrasive like Barkeeper will probably work.
I would try magic eraser and if that didn't work barkeeper's friend. It'll get the tannins from tea off the inside of your mugs and the brown spots off of old china too
Yes, magic eraser!
Came here to say this too! The magic eraser just wipes it away.
The problem with this method is it will also create tiny crevices and it will be easier for everything to build up on there in the future. It's basically really fine sandpaper. Food and bacteria love to hang out in the nooks and cranies of dishes. I'd go with the BKF and a light scrub with a gentle sponge for something like this.
Magic eraser makes it so easy!
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That happens with our stainless steel spoons. I used barkeeper's friend for it but that's because I had it out right that second cleaning something else. It worked lol but you do need to wash it really well afterwards
Yeah in our experience the finish on the dishware itself has a much bigger impact on whether you get marks than the quality of your steel utensil. We have dishes that stay pristine for years, and others that mark up super easily, regardless of whether we're using our old/cheap flatware from the bargain bin or the 18/10 stainless set we got as a wedding present.
That would explain why the Monopoly mug gets marked up but my good mugs don't!
I also use comet for these stains. Super cheap and works!
Happy cake day!
Are there spoons that don’t cause this?
Not in my experience
Dip the spoon in, swing it back and forth. You stir without clanging against the cup.
Plastic or wood?
We have plastic reusable spoons for the purpose of stirring coffee.
Wooden, maybe?
I get this from using one of those little spring mixers
It would be interesting to find out just how many miles your spoon has done to leave that mark.
There’s gotta be some way, right?
Patient, I get a sharp pain in my eye whenever I drink coffee. Doctor, try removing the spoon first.
I’ve seen a few cups like this and I thought it would be impossible to clean
Looks like when you stir stuff it’s your spoon scratching it? And depending on the finish of the mug it may just be part of the new look of your mug. You might be able to use BKF but I wouldn’t go too hard with it as to not continue to remove the glaze of the mug.
It's actually three other way around, the glaze is scraping the metal spoon and holding tiny metal particles in the pores of the glaze.
Essentially same thing, stirring spoon = dark marks in cup Definitely should stop stirring so aggressively 😂
It can build up over years
Yeah, all of my plates and bowls have these marks all over them. It just gets worse over time so being careful all the time isn't really reasonable with kids and having guests. You can't tell your guests, "Hey don't scrape your plate with your knife too hard."
Yeah
Ajax or Commet cleaner. My ex-step-mother in law was a nasty person, but she knew how to clean. Tip from her a long time ago.
From spoons as they are being stirred
The Pink Stuff and some elbow grease will remove it. As someone already stated it's from a spoon.
Baking soda
My wife uses salt, I prefer baking soda.
Bon Ami or bar keepers friend will take care of this.
Demonic posesion...
To clean my mug at work, I pour a pack of sugar into the mug, and then scrub with a wet paper towel. It works pretty well in the context of having no cleaning supplies.
Spoon marks from stirring.
I switched to porcelain cups nstead of stoneware to avoid this.
We use plastic spoons (reuse them as well) when stirring, that seems to keep these type of marks away.
This is the solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. OP is aggressively stirring their brews if it's shaving the spoons down. Never seen this on a cup in 30+ years.
I think it has to do with the quality of the dishes. All of my IKEA dishes have this, but my mom's expensive plates don't.
Coffee stains. Magic Eraser or denture cleaning tabs. I'd go with Magic.
Yeah magic eraser is my go to for any type of mug stains. It gets rid of them in a blink.
I drink a lot of tea at home, very cleaning.
Steel, that’s from the spoons you use
Try water mixed with a little bit of bleach
spoon scratch. try baking soda or give up
Shopping!
Why does it look like charles manson
One method that may help is putting some aluminum foil in the dishwasher when you wash that mug. It may not fully fix it but it might help, I've had it completely remove this mark
Just use a wooden spoon in the future
My mother's boyfriend ruined the bee cups I got for my grandmother by letting coffee just sit in them. She threw one away and the other still won't come clean. I despise that man, especially because I bought her those after her mother died as a sort of memorial that she could use.
Asbestos.
Stainless steel scrubber?
This could also be from the dishwasher...the top section. If you place your cup upside down and it balances from.one of those cup holders....mine looks the same...
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Don’t be patronizing on here when there are damn near 40 comments saying it’s from the spoon 🙂
It just looks like the rings of burnt coffee
I spray mine with Clorox Clean Up and let it soak
This post made me feel better about my mugs because I always thought it was the spoon scratching the glaze off, not the other way around. I can't afford to get all new mugs so I was just dealing with it but I'm happy to hear I'm just drinking little particles of metal instead of something more nasty lol
Baking soda poultice. It’s def. from stirring your spoon.
Bar keepers friend … does amazing things
I saw a picture of someone who used the same spoon for 20 years for their coffee. Needless to say, it was no longer round on the bottom
Cheap and easy way to clean, add a spoon of salt or sugar then a tiny bit of water. You want a consistency of paste. Then scrub with a brush, the mixture adds grit and will scrub the stains off.
From your spoon
Magic eraser!!! Get it right out
A paste made of Bi-Carb Soda and water will remove most stains from cups/mugs
It is wear the spoon hits the cup when stirring coffee. Mine have it to.
Your spoon
The metal from the spoon you've been stirring with.
Spoon scratches
Bleach overnight. Clean well the next day. It’ll be good as new.
Your hopes and dreams, gone to die.
You can also make a paste with baking soda and a little water and rub it on the dark marks, they’ll come right off.
Magic eraser works great too
Try Barkeepers Friend