Thanksgiving Dinner -- Time to set your prettiest table. In my house that means foregoing our scratched, bent, and sometimes garbage-disposal chewed flatware and bringing out the good stuff. And this week is when I need to get it ready.
My silver place settings were passed on to me by my grandmother. It was her wedding silver which makes it about 90 years old. It has escaped the garbage-disposal treatment (so far) and has always been hand washed, so it looks pretty nice -- when it is polished. Which for many years was a rare occasion.
Along the way, thanks to some of The Dollar Stretcher readers' tips, I have learned two tricks in caring for silver that has saved me oodles of time.
First - keep it wrapped in plastic. Air will cause silver to tarnish. If the silver is tightly wrapped in Saran Wrap or another plastic wrap, there is a good chance that you won't have to polish it every year. I wrap a few pieces together and store it in a felt-lined silver drawer. Just make sure the silver is very clean and completely dry before you wrap it.
Second - don't polish it, boil it. The neatest science experiment I've ever seen is watching tin foil, boiling water, baking soda and salt remove the tarnish from silver. Take a 9 x 13 pan and line the bottom with tin foil. Make sure you use good quality foil. (I have heard of foil disintegrating and attaching itself to the silver. Not good.) Pour in 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt. Pour in boiling water. Place your silver pieces in the boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes. You'll see the tarnish disappear. Then remove the silver, rinse, and dry.
The Dollar Stretcher family will be eating in style this Thursday. And we'll be counting our many blessings, including our faithful readers (and your tarnish-taming tips!). We wish all of you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving.
