Bar Keeper's Friend Should Be Your Friend, Too

Today's post is written by my Mom.

Isn't she lovely?  Ok, not so much.  

I found this Pyrex Spring Blossom patterned 1 1/2 qt oval casserole at the Goodwill Outlet a couple of years ago.  I often see glass baking pans at the Outlet covered in baked on grease, like this.  Most people think they're ruined, but I know better.  I have a secret weapon.

Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF)

Bar Keeper's Friend is a powdered cleansing product.  Unlike Comet or Ajax, BKF uses oxalic acid as it's main ingredient, making it especially effective at removing rust stains and polishing up copper bottom pans.  It is less abrasive, as well.  We use it around the house on the glass cooktop, stainless steel and aluminum pans, and of course, all our glass cookware.

Unfortunately,  I can't find a picture of that casserole after I cleaned it up, but let me assure you, a little bit of BKF and it cleaned up so well it looked brand new.  I found a lid for it and gave it to a friend as a housewarming gift.

I do have some other before and after pictures, though.

This is a glass cake plate I bought at an estate sale for 50c.  

It was covered in what appeared to be mineral deposits.

This is what it looked like partway through cleaning it.

I bought this sorry looking refrigerator dish for 25c because I wanted it's lid, but then decided to experiment with the BKF just to see how much it could be cleaned up.  It's still not a pretty Pyrex, but you can see the difference a little BKF can make.

Here are the two of them together, all cleaned up. 

Another Pyrex piece before

and after.

I bought this Blue Butterprint casserole even thought it was a bit faded from the dishwasher and had lots of little grey marks, because Blue Butterprint doesn't come along every day. 

I wasn't able to restore the shine, but I did get rid of the dark marks and the baked on food.

You do have to be a little bit careful with BKF.  Even though it is not as abrasive as some other cleansers, it is still an abrasive product.  I found out the hard way that it will scratch mirror-finish aluminum.  Duh.  I should have known.  It can also scratch plastic. And as with anything on Pyrex, tread lightly.

I have one other suggestion for cleaning Pyrex.  When it comes to getting crud out of the edges, try a toothpick.  Often you can rub crud off with the point of the toothpick.

So the next time you're at a garage sale and see a baking dish that looks like it's been cooked to death, don't be afraid to take it home and try some BKF resurrection of your own.

By the way, I have no affiliation with the people who make BKF.  I just like their product. 

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