How To Clean Silverware With Toothpaste

How to clean silverware with toothpaste? Let's start by placing a clean cotton tube sock on your polishing hand.

First, dampen the sock slightly under cold running water. Then, squeeze a pearl-sized drop of toothpaste on your 'gloved' fingertip. Next, apply the toothpaste to the silver using up-and-down rather than circular strokes. Keep going until the tarnish is gone.

Clean Silverware with Toothpaste and Prevent Future Tarnish

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Now that you know how to clean silverware with toothpaste, here's how to keep your silverware looking its best:

  • For regular silverware cleanings, rinse under warm running water and use a mild soap, such as dishwashing liquid, to remove surface dirt.
  • Resist the urge to submerge silverware: less is more with this precious metal. 
  • Wear gloves while cleaning to protect the silverware from fingerprints. Cotton is best, but rubber works if you wash a new pair first. (Any sulfur that remains on the gloves could tarnish the silver.)

Storing Silverware Safely

  • Store silverware in an airtight plastic bag or a chest lined with tarnish-resistant flannel.
  • Resist the urge to bundle silverware in rubber bands: the rubber can cause surface discoloration.
  • Avoid serving sulfur-containing foods such as mayonnaise and eggs from your platters - they'll cause tarnishing.