Stain Removal for Ironstone Dishes

I love Ironstone dishes!

I'm always on the lookout for them at thrift shops or antique malls, hoping to find a treasure at a bargain. I was thrilled to find this particular piece at a local thrift shop last fall - I loved the design detail, but the platter had a few stains:

Then I came across an article in a Martha Stewart magazine about how to clean it. I couldn't locate the link on line for you, but all you do is dissolve a scoop of OxiClean in a container of cool water, submerge the dish, and let it soak until the stains subside (two days for me):

Here's the final result:

I was pleased, especially with the removal of stains around the rim. I think I'll let it soak for another day or so to see if I can completely remove the remaining stains.

(Be sure to wash the dish thoroughly to with your regular dish detergent - you don't want to ingest any OxiClean!)

HOWEVER,

The sweet dishes that came from my mother's side of the family didn't fare so well:

In fact, it darkened the stains instead of fading or removing them. Boo hoo!! They aren't ironstone dishes, so maybe that was the reason? Oh well!