Prevent Your Silverware From Tarnishing The Martha Stewart Way

Your treasured collection of silver flatware deserves the best care to keep it looking its finest, and who better to take pointers from than the queen of homemaking herself? Martha Stewart has shared her expert advice to prevent silverware from tarnishing on her personal blog page, The Martha Blog. This blog is a treasure trove for domestic arts enthusiasts as it is full of gardening tips, recipes, organization tricks, and cleaning hacks that Martha Stewart swears by. In a post titled "Polishing Silver Flatware," Stewart reveals her go-to method for getting delicate flatware to shine again without tarnishing it. She says that the best way to prevent your silver flatware from tarnishing is to wash it by hand and avoid using the dishwasher, as the abrasive chemicals of the cleaner and the high water temperature will lead to damage, dulling, and discoloration. While it is a commonly held belief that genuine silver is not dishwasher safe, some experts believe that this concern is overblown and will not lead to damage if it is done correctly. 

In her blog post, Stewart details the steps that her housekeepers take to get her silver flatware gleaming again without using a dishwasher. Though her method is not as convenient, Stewart insists that it is the best way to ensure precise and gentle cleaning for your prized heirlooms or antiques. Before you start the process, it's important to first find out if your silverware is real silver. You can tell by conducting a simple at-home test with an ice cube. The thermal energy of real silver will cause an ice cube to melt quickly, whereas faux silver will not. 

Martha Stewart's blog post makes clear that genuine silverware must be washed individually by hand with a quality flatware polish. "It's a time-consuming task, but keeping items clean and polished is the best way to bring out their beauty and prevent too much tarnish from developing," reads Stewart's blog. Genuine silver flatware, especially pieces with ornamental or specialty handles in delicate materials like mother of pearl, should never be put in the dishwasher, according to Stewart. "The detergents' aggressive chemicals, combined with the washer's high cleaning temperature, will eventually turn the silver grey or white, with a dull, non-reflective surface." Instead, the domestic lifestyle expert recommends cleaning the utensils in warm water and placing a terrycloth towel in the sink to protect them from accidental damage. Wearing rubber gloves, coat each piece thoroughly with silver cream, then rinse the polish off in warm water and use mild dish soap to remove the residue. Give the silverware a final rinse and dry each piece with a soft cloth. Avoid air drying as this could lead to watermarks, Stewart cautions. 

Not all experts agree with Martha Stewart's advice to hand wash silverware. Nelson & Nelson Antiques says that, contrary to popular belief, silverware is perfectly safe for the dishwasher. The New York-based antique dealer argues that it's not the dishwasher itself that causes harm, but the process of metals coming in contact with each other. If using the dishwasher, be sure to separate the pieces when placing them inside to avoid an electrolytic reaction, which could cause the silver to become tarnished and discolored.