Letter 5625

Gold plated flatware is pitting immediately

. Hello: I purchased a set of flatware that was stated "gold plated." I really did not believe it was gold plated but the pieces were entirely a gold color and I loved the look. However, after just one washing in the dishwasher they appear to be pitted in some cases and just marred in others. I can not seem to get the spots off the flatware that was put in the dishwasher. I like the flatware and want to know did I do something wrong. Will the flatware never look right again? I don't know if putting them in a dishwasher was a mistake. I also wonder what they are really plated with to give that gold color. Thanks for any suggestion. Diane. Diane M [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Tustin, CA, USA . I have been looking for gold plated flatware....as I survey the various brands...the one precaution stands out...DO NOT wash in a dishwasher with a "lemon" dish soap. Perhaps that is what the problem is......I believe the lemon ingredient must mar the flatware.... Jean A [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Chico, CA USA + I believe the gold flatware should not be washed in the dishwasher at all. It will definitely pit if it comes in contact with stainless while washing in the dishwasher. I have cared for my flatware under this assumption and it has held up well. Joan H [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Kirtland, Ohio + I have just bought a set of "gold" flatware at an auction and it needs polishing. It looks tarnished just like regular silverware. I have tried cleaning it with silverware polish but it does not clean it up - is there anything on the market for this type of flatware - or perhaps a brass polish? I don't want to ruin it by trying too many products. I would appreciate an answer from anyone who has polished with good results. Thank you. Victoria S [last name deleted for privacy due to age of posting] - Calgary,AB Canada

I bought a beautiful 120 pieces set of Gold plated flatware too, from QVC. But after using it once, last Thanksgiving, and washing is gently by hand, it got blackish tarnish marks on every piece. Needless to say, I called QVC but they didn't know why this happened so graciously took it back. Since then, I have talked to five other people that had the same experience. I won't purchase another set even though my dishes have a gold accent around them. Oh well.

Laura Etten
- North Tonawanda, NY

Cleaning the gold flatware with water and a little vinegar will damage the flatware???

Erika Fernandez
- Houston, Texas, USA

I have a set of bronzeware that was purchased in Thailand during the Viet Nam War. I gets very water spotted in the dishwasher so I wash it by hand. I use a bronze cleaner to polish it but I have also used a silver cleaner as silver is soft so the cleaner is not abrasive. Good Luck

Janet Young
- Tallahassee, FL

I noticed that there wasn't any answers to the questions for cleaning goldplated silverware. Please let me know the best cleaner to use. I have Wenol [link is to product info at Amazon] metal cleaner. I cleaned a fork and I guess I rubbed a little too much and the back started wearing away the gold. Thank you,

Joy Chandler
hobbyist - Staten Island, New York

As a daughter of a owner of a large set of gold plated flatware: it is to be washed by hand with mild dish soap. We use Ivory or Dawn to wash.

A. Allure
- Atlanta, GA

Brasso doesn\'t really shine my Thai bronzeware, What does? Is there a product which will restore to my set of bronze dinner ware the shine it had when I bought it years ago in Thailand?

I've tried Brasso and it does little. I even dipped some of it in a silver cleaner solution, with no result. Copper cleaner also didn't work.

james McNaughton
hobbyist - Chevy Chase MD USA

James,

There are hundreds of brands of metal polishes and while each one does not operate on its own seperate principles, there are several general types. Brasso is one "type", and it creates a beautiful warm glow but is terribly slow on heavy tarnish. Other types, perhaps because they contain sulfamic acid, work way faster and easier, although the result may not be quite as warm. I would suggest Revere copper cleaner [link is to product info at Amazon] because it is made for the very heavy tarnish you get on copper-bottom pots; it is really fast.

If that doesn't do it, then the problem is probably not tarnish but the fact that the surface is no longer mirror smooth. If that is the case then it needs to be power buffed. You can send it to a plating shop for that or you can try to do it yourself with a buffing wheel and buffing compounds, or on the cheap with a buffing pad in a power drill and Mother's Aluminum Polish [link is to product info at Amazon]. Good luck with it!

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

I received a set of gold-plated flatware from my Dad and there was a small paper w the name, DoMenico, of Akron, Ohio on it. It was previously from my Uncle, who has Alzheimer's, so I can't ask him. They apparantly are not in business anymore and I have not been successful looking at sources in the library or on line. Does anyone know anything about them?

Larry Andrews
homeowner - Tallmadge, Ohio, USA

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