Special items : Silver

►If your silver is starting to tarnish, you can rub with salt to bring out the beautiful finish. Simply rubbing salt over the silver with your fingers will remove any lingering tarnish.

►You can make and use your own silver polish. Put a sheet of aluminum foil in a glass dish or bowl on the counter. Sprinkle salt all over the foil and then sprinkle baking soda all over the salted area. Then fill the bowl with warm water (not too hot) and then you can soak your silver overnight. The next day you will find that the tarnish is gone from your silver and it has been transferred over to the aluminum foil. You will need to dry your silver completely then.

►If your silver has been sitting in food for a while and now it is stained don’t worry you can get it out! Using two tablespoons of salt, add a touch of water to make a paste. Buff those stains right out.

►Here is a basic recipe for a silver polish that you can use any time you need: use one-half cup of dish liquid, one half cup of liquid whiting, one half cup of ammonia (the non sudsy kind) and one cup of hot water. This polish, if not used all in the first application, can be kept up to three months in a sealed container for your continued use.

►Another tip for tarnished silverware is as follows: in a pan, use two cups of water, one teaspoon of cream of tarter, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of alum and boil. When it has cooled off use this mixture to buff your silver clean.