How to Clean and Polish Aluminium Serving Trays and Bowls
How to clean and brighten aluminium serving trays, platters and bowls: mild soap, a lemon or vinegar boil for dull pieces, and why the dishwasher turns them grey.
Wash aluminium serving trays and bowls by hand with warm water, mild dish soap and a soft sponge, then dry them straight away. To brighten a piece that has gone dull or grey, use something mildly sour: lemon juice, white vinegar or cream of tartar. Keep aluminium out of the dishwasher and away from baking soda and bleach, which darken it.
Everyday cleaning
- Rinse off food soon after use. Salt and sour food left overnight pit the surface.
- Wash with a soft sponge and a little dish soap.
- Rinse and dry at once with a soft cloth. Air-drying leaves water marks.
Bringing back the shine
| Problem | Method |
|---|---|
| Dull, grey film | Rub with a cut lemon or a cloth dipped in equal parts white vinegar and water. Rinse and dry. |
| Dark stains inside a bowl | Fill with water, add two tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar per litre, simmer ten minutes if the bowl is plain cast aluminium, cool, wash. |
| Dishwasher darkening | Paste of cream of tartar and water, rub gently, rinse. It may take two or three rounds. |
| Final polish on a decorative tray | A soft dry cloth, or a metal polish made for aluminium, then wash before food use. |
Only heat a piece that is plain metal all over. Trays with enamel, colour work, wooden handles or a lacquer coat are cleaned cold.
What to avoid
- Dishwasher. The detergent is strongly alkaline and turns aluminium dark and chalky.
- Baking soda, washing soda, bleach and oven cleaner. All are alkaline or harsh on this metal.
- Steel wool on polished or mirror-finish pieces. It scratches. A nylon scrubber is the limit.
- Brass cleaners. Lemon and salt left on, or brass powder, is too strong for a polished aluminium surface.
- Storing sour or salty food in it. Serve in aluminium; store in glass or steel.
Aluminium or brass: telling them apart
Aluminium is silver-white and very light; a 12 inch tray may weigh 400 g where brass of the same size weighs well over a kilo. Polished or nickel-finished aluminium serveware is common for platters and nut bowls. Each of our listings names the metal, so check it before choosing a cleaning method. Brass is cleaned differently: see how to clean brass utensils.
