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Maintenance and repair articles.

Cleaning Silver Flatware



Wash in warm sudsy water. Rinse well and dry
immediately.

Do not let hollowhandled silverware or hollow ware
stand in water as a combination of heat, water, and
detergent may loosen soldering.

Washing in a Dishwasher
Silverware may be washed in the dishwasher but the
patina on fine silver is enhanced by the rubbing that
occurs when washing and drying by hand. Hollow handles
may be loosened with exposure to heat and detergent in
the dishwasher.

Electrolytic methods of cleaning with aluminum-salt-
soda are not recommended for cleaning silver with an
oxidized or French gray finish.

Do not spill dry dishwasher detergent on flatware; it
may cause dark spots.

If washing both silverware and stainless steel
flatware in the dishwasher, do not put in the same basket
section or let one metal touch the other, or the silver
may be permanently damaged.

New sterling silverware sometimes gets brown spots
after washing in the dishwasher. Sterling is 92 1/2%
silver and 7 1/2% other alloys including copper for
greater durability. In automatic dishwashing, a reaction
can occur between water droplets and the small portion of
copper at the surface to cause brown spots on some
pieces. After the silverware has been washed several
times, the copper on the surface is gone and the surface
is pure silver. Avoid such spotting on new silverware by
washing and drying new silverware by hand for the first
few uses.

If you want to use the dishwasher, follow these
precautions:

1. Use the automatic rinse dispenser feature of a
dishwasher. The rinse agent lowers the surface tension of
the rinse water so it sheets off the surfaces and
droplets don't form.

Or use a rinse agent in solid form that hangs on the
dishwasher rack, if your dishwasher does not have an
automatic rinse dispenser.

2. Remove new silverware from the dishwasher immediately
after the last rinse cycle and towel dry for the first
few times.

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