Care & Cleaning

Return Pewter Plate Luster

Pewter Cleaning Tip

Before I polish my pewter plates, I soak them in extremely hot water for several minutes in a dish pan.

I take a pad of super fine steel wool (0000), place it in the water, squeeze it out, and apply a teaspoon of Dawn dish liquid. Then I take the plate out of the water and begin firmly rubbing the steel wool in a circular pattern from the middle to the outside diameter of the plate. Repeat this rubbing on both sides and dry the plate with a soft cotton towel or cloth.

Removing Dents from Pewter

Keep Your Pewter in Tip Top Shape

Sometimes a small dent in a piece of pewter can be pushed down or ironed out with your thumb. Really! In fact, many of my wooden straightening tools are shaped like the human thumb in various sizes.

Before attempting to iron out a dent, clean the piece and submerge it in hot water for several minutes. Then dry the piece and hold it firmly while rubbing or ironing out the dent with your thumb. Take your time and move the metal slowly, as it is very pliant.

Give it a good polish and you’ll be good as new!