how to clean silverware
with toothpaste
To clean silverware with toothpaste, place a clean cotton tube sock on your polishing hand.
Dampen the sock slightly under cold running water. Squeeze a pearl-sized drop of toothpaste 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 the silver thoroughly and polish it dry with the clean, dry side of the sock.
Clean Silverware with Toothpaste and Prevent Future Tarnish
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, as long as 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.
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