How to Clean and Polish Sterling Silverware–at No Cost
by philip momberger on Nov 28, 2008 with 0 Comments
Fine sterling flatware can be cleaned and polished by application of scalding water, followed by cold water spraying and vigorous drying with a terrycloth towel. Tarnish disappears, and the silver’s patina gleams.
Quite by accident, I discovered a no-cost method of cleaning and polishing my fine sterling flatware.
Cleaning such utensils in a full-cycle, high-temperature dishwasher risks loosening hollow knife handles or marring the pieces with small black spots caused by chemical reaction if stainless steel utensils are washed in the same load, so I had always used commercial spray or paste cleaners to remove tarnish and brighten my place settings.
The drawback to those methods, however, is the buildup of crusty residue in the deeply “carved” patterns that I favor.
Intending one day to remove that residue, I heated a kettle of scalding water, poured it over some pieces, sprayed them with cold water, and vigorously buffed them dry with a terrycloth towel. The crusty buildup disappeared, as I’d hoped-but so, unexpectedly, did every trace of tarnish. My flatware’s patina gleamed again, and at no cost at all!
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Published in: Personal Organization
