You are expecting guests and have polished the apartment to a high gloss - only the cutlery has unsightly stains?
Fortunately, there are home remedies that help with cleaning.
Stainless steel cutlery does not always come out of the dishwasher completely clean.
If there are still stains on them, clean the cutlery again thoroughly with washing-up liquid and a sponge and dry it well.
For more stubborn stains or tarnished silver cutlery, however, it is best to use household remedies.
These make knives, spoons & Co. shine again.
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The good silver cutlery can be easily cleaned with household products.
© IMAGO/Taidundua
1. Clean cutlery with home remedies: lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar to prevent rust
However, cleaning in the dishwasher sometimes causes rust film to form on stainless steel cutlery.
In this case, an old household remedy should help: lemon juice.
Rub the clean cutlery with a little lemon juice.
Then rinse, dry, done.
Alternatively, a bath with baking soda or vinegar is also suitable.
Simply put the two home remedies in warm water and put the cutlery in for an hour.
Then wash off and dry with a cotton cloth.
To avoid rust film, manufacturers recommend not leaving the cutlery in the closed dishwasher for a long time and drying it well before it ends up in the cutlery drawer.
You forget these spots all the time when cleaning
You forget these spots all the time when cleaning
2. Clean tarnished silver cutlery: with aluminum foil or baking powder
Even grandma's "good" silver cutlery tarnishes over time.
That can hardly be prevented.
With the right home remedies, however, you can help silver shine again.
The easiest way to do this is with aluminum foil:
Line a bowl with aluminum foil.
Fill the bowl with warm water and sprinkle some salt in it.
Place the silver cutlery in the bowl and let it soak for about 30 minutes.
Get the silver out of the bowl and dry it well.
Now the dark discolouration should be gone.
Silver cutlery that has become heavily tarnished can also be cleaned with baking soda: Mix baking soda with water to form a thick paste, put a dab of it on the cutlery and polish it lengthways with a soft cloth.
Baking soda has an abrasive effect, so avoid using it on very fine silver and watch out for scratches when polishing.
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3. Clean brass cutlery with buttermilk and toothpaste
A patina often forms on brass cutlery as a result of oxidation, which can be easily removed with household remedies.
With cutlery made of pure brass, it is best to grab toothpaste and rub it on.
If it is an alloy of stainless steel and brass, abrasive materials such as toothpaste would damage the thin brass layer.
Buttermilk will help remove the verdigris here.
Simply brush the cutlery with the buttermilk and let it soak a little.
Then rinse – the cutlery should now be sparkling clean again.
List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Taidundua
