I have 8 place settings of the Sarah Conran dishes. I have had them for about 2 years and I am noticing that they have black marks at the bottom of the cereal bowls and on some of the dinner plates.
I took them in to the Bay where I purchased them and they said it was caused by my stainless cutlery. They recommended I buy Pfaltzgraff stoneware and porcelain cleaner. I can't find it anywhere.
Has anyone else had a similar problem? I have never had this happen to any of my dishes before.
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
Thanks Lynnster for replying. I got the same kind of reply from the manufacturer as well. I was planning to add to my set when I purchased them. Now that I know it has happened to someone else, I have changed my mind. I have 4 place settings of white and 4 of the light blue. I can't believe that such a top notch manufacturer would have dishes like this. Of course the store where I bought them never heard of such a complaint. I wish I could do something about it.
I bought the dishes and noticed the marks too. The retail store offered me a bottle of cleaning solution. I scrubbed every dish and the marks came back. I contacted the manufacturer and got an answer back in minutes which led me to believe that many people have complained. I am sorry that I bought the dishes.
Here is their response:
Black (Grey) marks developed on the ceramic ware is very common especially
for Sophie Conran Collection because point of contact is small for the
unique ripple surface. The glaze used on the ware is extremely hard - harder
than most of the metals that are used to make cutlery.
The hard glaze abrades the metal of the cutlery leaving a deposit of the
metal on the surface of the glaze, which appears as a characteristic
'pencil-mark'. These marks can normally be 'polished out' by Bicarbonate of
Soda with a damp cloth or the use of a mild abrasive polish such as 'Bar
Keeper Friend' and a soft cloth. Bar Keepers Friend is a premium
all-purpose cleanser that Portmeirion Technical Department in UK recommend.
You can find it at local Reliable Parts stores, Bed Bath and Beyond or
hardware stores and it costs about $4.
Occasionally, the use of cutlery can produce small surface scratches in the
glaze. This is caused when excess pressure is exerted onto the glaze through
a small point of contact such as when a sharp knife blade is pressed down
onto a plate, (rather like stiletto heels on floors). The excess pressure
produces small cracks in the glaze and when the knife blade is drawn across
the plate metal from the knife is abraded and deposited in the crack beneath
the surface of the glaze. Unfortunately no amount of cleaning will remove
these marks as the metal is embedded in the cracks.
Looks like Pfaltzgraff ships the cleaner to Canada.... http://www.pfaltzgraff.com/Stoneware-Cleaner/stoneware_cleaner,default,s... Hope that helps! Lis.