Many people hold on to their antique silverware for many years, (decades even), and pass them down the generations within their family. People need to maintain such pieces therefore to keep them in perfect, pristine condition so they look fabulous around the home. Cleaning your silverware can be a daunting task but don’t worry we’re here to help.
Here are some tips from Mr Campbell on how to achieve the perfectly polished piece of silver, including some flatware specifics …
- Avoid over cleaning
- Regular gentle dusting is preferred to infrequent severe cleaning
- Use a clean cotton cloth or duster
- Wadding, such as ‘Silvo Silver Polish Wadding’ made by Duraglit is ideal for cleaning most items (pictured)
- Protect hallmarks with sticky tape before polishing
- Store your item of silver in a protective silver storage bag
- Any crevices should be cleaned gently with an old toothbrush
- Frequent use of silver pieces such as flatware actually reduces tarnishing
- Silver flatware should be rinsed shortly after use
- Don’t soak silverware in water overnight
- Wash flatware in hot, sudsy water, then rinse in clean in hot water and dry immediately with a soft cloth
- If washing silver flatware in a dishwasher keep the detergent down to a minimal amount
- Never put stainless steel and silverware in the same basket in your dishwasher as direct contact between such pieces may cause damage to the silver
What issues do you face when cleaning your treasured items of silver? Please share below …
Do you have recommendations for displaying silver items? I have some pieces I’d like to leave out on display, but I don’t want to cause them any harm by doing so! Your advice is most appreciated, thank you.
Hi Marie, Do you mean you want advice on keeping the items on display clean? or advice on how to display them ?
Regards
For larger items of hollowware I line my kitchen sink with aluminium foil and add washing soda and warm water. The tarnish comes off without any effort at all and all that’s required is a quick rince and a rub with a soft towel.
Do you sell storage cloths for silver cutlery sets.? My set is about 40 years but I’d like to ensure it stays untarnished.
Hello,
Unfortunately we don’t sell the storage cloths. However you can get some excellent products here http://www.towntalkpolish.com. If it is a cutlery set you have I would recommend looking at the storage rolls for cutlery and the polishing cloths. Let me know if you struggle to find them and I can send you the direct links.
Thank you for the advice in cleaning my silver properly and gently and drying the silver with correct cloths. Also packaging in the correct way, was so useful.