How To Remove Black Marks And Stains From Corelle Dishes

Corelle dishes are not your everyday boring dinnerware. They carry an elegance of their own and immediately bring the dinner table to life with their aesthetic appeal. Hence, seeing these beloved dishes stain with marks or rust is not a great experience. We'll have to look for ways to preserve their beauty and remove all unwanted stains. If that's what you're trying to do, let's find out how to do so!

You can remove black marks and stains from your Corelle dishes using an effective cleaning agent, a soapy sponge, and some water. That is all it takes. Baking soda, cream of tartar, and vinegar are some quality ingredients used for this purpose. You may also opt for a well-reputed off-the-shelf stain cleaner for effective results.

But which market cleaners do the job well? Moreover, how do you differentiate between different kinds of stains and their respective cleaning techniques? There's still more to cover. So, if you'd like to learn this and more, keep reading ahead.

What Causes Black Marks on Dishes?

The scratch-like black marks appearing on your dishes are produced by metal, mostly silverware. Constant scraping between metal utensils and the dish results in the formation of these marks.

All Corelle dishes are chip and scratch-resistant. So, bear in mind that these marks do not indicate any physical damage to your Corelle dishes. They are, in fact, formed on the protective coating atop of them that gives them their shine and appeal. Depending upon the quality and age of the dishes, these marks can be anywhere from thin narrow scraps to heavy-duty stains.

Another factor to consider is the quality of the water used to wash the dishes. Often, water contains high deposits of heavy metals such as iron, lead, or manganese. Scuffing against these residues may also result in marks.

How to Remove Black Marks? 

Getting new Corelle dishes is not the way to deal with scuffed ones. However, you don’t have to live with their unaesthetic appeal either. In fact, you only have to befriend a few trustworthy cleaning agents to get the job done for you. 

Packaged Cleaners 

In cases when the marks are too deep or simply when you’re being lazy, it is better to switch to a market cleaner for the process. These are heavy-duty cleaners full of chemical agents and acids that help act against the marks to remove them. 

A good option is the Bar Keeper’s Friend Powder. Since the product claims to be bleach-free, it should be safe to use with your Corelle dishes for effective results. 

Click here to see this cleanser on Amazon.

Pantry Ingredients 

If you’d like greater transparency of the ingredients you are putting on your dishes and want to make it an eco-friendly choice, get ready. Here’s an easy cleaning method using pantry products only. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Baking soda (can be substituted with cream of tartar or white vinegar)
• Dish soap
• Non-abrasive sponge
• Rubber gloves

Once you have the items ready, follow these steps to get rid of the marks.

• Combine baking soda and water in a small container. Use as many teaspoons as sufficient for your dishes in the ratio 2:1. 
• Put a few drops of dish soap onto the sponge.
• Take the baking soda mixture and apply it to the areas of damage. 
• Use the soapy sponge to scrub the paste all over the surface. Make sure you wear rubber gloves as the mixture may dry out your fingertips and nails.
• Depending upon the intensity of the marks, this may take one or many attempts. Thus, rinse with water every 1 minute and repeat the process as needed. 
• When you find the dishes clean and clear, rinse for the last time and leave it out to dry. 
• Clean with a microfiber towel before putting them back at their place. 

Why Are My Corelle Dishes Turning Brown?

If you’re wondering which dinner meal was it that left brown spots on your Corelle dishes, give up that thought. Corelle dishes are liable to discoloration due to some stains, such as rust. 

Take a note if the spots are dominant on the edges or rim of the dish. If they're present on the outer edges, the likely cause of the brown spots is the emergence of rust on surrounding metal structures. 

How Can Corelle Dishes Rust?

The biggest culprit for rusty dishes is your dishwasher. Dishwasher racks are metal structures covered in vinyl coating for physical appeal. However, due to constant moisture, this layer chips off over time. Thus, the metal structure is exposed directly to the surroundings, creating sites for rust. 

If you continue using the dishwasher in this state, the rust transfers to your dishes. As a result, patches of discoloration begin to form. 

If you do not use a dishwasher, then the same problem may be with your drying rack itself. 

How To Avoid the Situation?

Naturally, the first thing you should do after noticing signs of rust is clean your dishes. We'll cover that aspect further ahead. However, knowing how to prevent this situation in the future is important too. 

Whether it is an external rack or the dishwasher rack itself, you need to get it replaced. Additionally, look into the arrangement of dishes on the rack. Do you tend to mix them with metal cutlery often? If so, make a conscious effort to stop that. 

How To Clean Edges of Corelle Plates?

There are two approaches you can take to get rust spots off the edges of your Corelle dishes. First is the same cleaning method that you used for getting rid of black marks. Take a cleaner of your choice, mix with a soapy sponge and scrub it off. 

Some older spots might not disappear with this method. You’d need a more intense cleaning process for that, such as the following:

• Perform the first round of cleaning simply with any non-abrasive cleaner. 
• Prepare a vinegar bath by diluting white vinegar with water in a tub that is large enough to hold your dishes. 
• Dip them into the vinegar bath and leave it overnight. 
• Remove the dishes, scrub again with soapy water and rinse.

How To Get Food Stains Out of Corelle Dishes?

You can use any of the suggested cleaning agents to deal with food stains on the dishes. However, another material is a pro at this job - bleach. Here’s how you can use bleach to get food stains removed:

• Pour a cup or a half of bleach into a sink or tub full of water. 
• Soak the dishes in it for an hour. 
• Rinse with water and scrub with some dishwashing soap.
• Rinse again and dry the dishes before use.  

Another Secret Cleaning Agent 

While most cleaning agents will help you achieve your desired results, how about we suggest an easy-to-find everyday product that can do the same? Here’s a secret cleaner that surpasses all the rest - toothpaste!

Here’s how you can achieve the feat:

• Apply about a tablespoon or two of toothpaste on the damaged area. You may add some more later if need be.
• Using a damp microfiber cloth, gently spread it all across.
• Use the same cloth to scrub the entire dish vigorously. Wash the cloth in between if it gets too dirty.
• Rinse the plate and let it dry before use.

What Causes Brown Spots on Dishes in the Dishwasher?

The brown spots you notice on your dishes in the dishwasher are iron water stains. Regularly washing dishes in a hard water supply leaves behind a residue that builds up over time. Signs of hard water are visible in the watercolor itself and should readily be recognized. Yellow or brown films in the water are a common indication. 

How To Remove the Stains? 

You'll need to give your dishwasher a thorough cleaning checkup to get rid of the residue inside. Do not use detergent for this purpose. You may add in 3-4 teaspoons of citric acid crystals or a dishwasher cleaner in the detergent compartment of the machine. Run a normal wash cycle and let the water drain. Then, run another one for rinsing purposes.

Click here to see this Affresh dishwasher cleaner on Amazon.

To prevent this, repeat this process once a month regularly. You may substitute the citric acid with a cup of diluted white vinegar if you please. However, if the spots continue emerging, you should look into installing an iron removal filter.

Final Takeaway

It'd be a shame to invest in those beautiful Corelle dishes if they end up heavily stained in the bottom of a trash can. That even sounds painful. Use all the information and get them as spotless as new. We hope you found the information above helpful.

Before you go, do you have other Corelle dish concerns? You must've heard of the unbreakable reputation they have! If you want to learn more about it, check out our post here.

Are you a heavy microwave user? You might also want to know if your Corelle dishes are microwave-safe! Check out our post here to learn more. Until next time!