How to Clean Silverware
To clean silverware, all you need is ordinary toothpaste.
Although if you're so inclined, a store-bought polish will also do the tarnish-removing trick.
Place a clean cotton sock on your polishing hand. Dampen the sock slightly under cool running water.
Squeeze a pearl-sized drop of toothpaste or polish on your "gloved" fingertip.
Apply the toothpaste to the silver using up-and-down, rather than circular, strokes until the tarnish is gone.
Use a twisted bit of rag or a toothbrush to get between tines and other tight spaces.
Rinse well and polish it dry with the clean, dry side of the sock.
Avoid serving sulfur-containing foods such as mayonnaise and eggs from your platters - they'll cause tarnishing.
Store in an airtight plastic bag or in a chest lined with tarnish-resistant flannel.
Resist the urge to bundle it in rubber bands: rubber can also cause discoloration.
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About the Author
Tara Aronson is a native Californian. Having grown up in San Diego, she studied journalism and Spanish to pursue a career in newspaper writing. Tara, whose three children - Chris, Lyndsay, and Payne - are the light of her life, now lives and writes in Los Angeles. She also regularly appears on television news programs throughout the U.S.
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