The wonderful staff of Victoria magazine put together an easy guide for how to polish silver, so I thought I’d share:
Silver has been prized as a precious metal for centuries. But it reached a new level of prominence during the Victorian era, when members of nobility enjoyed elaborate meals—sometimes with as many as ten courses. Each dish served required different cutlery. Today, several collectors enjoy discovering rare finds that hark back to that time.
The inherent beauty of sterling ensures that it need not be reserved for holidays—it can make any occasion special—but if you have even a passing acquaintance with silver, you are probably familiar with what some consider a drawback to this fine tableware. The treasured metal tarnishes with exposure to air and seems particularly susceptible during winter months, when heating systems warm chilly days.
Think of polishing your flatware as a labor of love and an opportunity to admire the exquisite details of favorite patterns and perhaps you won’t view this task as a chore. It’s important to note that proper care of silver often can prevent—or at least lessen—tarnishing. Watch the below video for a polishing how-to.
What you will need:
Silver polish
Polishing cloth
Silver gloves
Horsehair brush
Bowl of warm water
Plastic bags
Silver chest
Suggestions:
Do not handle silver while wearing rubber gloves. Rubber promotes tarnish and can even corrode silver, if stored in proximity.
Acidic fruits, vinegars, salad dressings, and olives are harmful to silver if the acid they contain remains on the sterling. Be sure to clean implements thoroughly after use with such foods.
Do you take the time to polish your silver? Why or why not?
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