Getting that holiday shine

With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to spruce up the house for the family Thanksgiving dinner, holiday parties and New Year’s Eve festivities. That probably also means it’s time to whip out the good china and silver. Of course, you’ll want to add some luster to your silver serving utensils and platters. (You want people to think your family dines in style all year, right?)

Here are some tips on basic silver care from the Society of American Silversmiths:   

·         Clean your silver when you don’t feel rushed (like the morning of the party) because that’s when you’re more likely to break something.

·         Use approved polishes made specifically for silver.

·         Best to avoid putting your silver in the dishwasher, which can turn pieces to white from the heat and harsh detergents.

·         Silver flatware used on a daily basis requires little or no polishing. So just hand wash those pieces with a phosphate-free detergent and dry them immediately to avoid spotting.

·         Salt is very corrosive to silver, so when the party’s over, empty the silver salt shaker and wash it.

For your most valuable silver pieces, you might want to consider bringing in a professional who has experience cleaning and polishing silver (Castle Keepers does offer this service).

So, we want to know: do you go all out when getting ready for holiday dinners and parties? Do you bring all the best silver or just go for holiday-themed paper products?