Monday is a good day to clean...

Your Silver

Store freshly cleaned silverware on top of a sheet of aluminum foil to deter tarnishing. For long-term storage of silverware, first tightly cover each piece in cellophane wrap – be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible – then wrap in foil and seal the ends.

Remove tarnish from silver by gently scrubbing it with a soft brush dipped in a bit of ammonia. Wipe off any remaining liquid with a soft cloth or preferably a chamois.

Polish silverware with a banana peel. Remove any of the leftover stringy material from the inside of the peel, then just start rubbing the inside of the peel on your silver. When you're done, buff up the object with a paper towel or soft cloth.

Polish your silver with cornstarch. Make a simple paste by mixing cornstarch with water. Use a damp cloth to apply this to your silverware. Let it dry, then rub it off with cheesecloth or another soft cloth to reveal that old shine.

Keep your silver sparkling with ketchup. For smooth surfaces, dunk silver in a small bowl of ketchup for a few minutes. If it has a tooled or detailed surface, use an old toothbrush to work ketchup into the crevices. To avoid damamging the silver, don't leave the ketchup on any longer than necessary. Rinse you silver clean, dry it and it's like new!

Our of silver polish? Grab a bunch of potatoes and boil them up. Remove them from the water and save them for another use. Place your silverware in the remaining water and let it sit for an hour. Then remove the silverware and wash. The tarnish should be gone.