How to Prevent Damage to Silver Plated Flatware

Silver plated flatware is an affordable alternative to sterling silver. Unlike sterling which is silver all the way through, silver plate utensils are made of a base metal (usually copper or brass) that is coated with a several layers of silver. Price wise, silver plate costs more than standard flatware though is considerably less expensive than sterling.

I own several vintage silver plate flatware sets that have come down through the family. Even though silver plate only has about a 20 year life span, with special care these utensils can last for many decades.

Store carefully. Silver plate flatware should never be stored in the utensil drawer where the movement of a sliding drawer can knock the pieces around. This leads to scratching, dings, and increased wear. The best way to store silver plate is in a specialty designed storage box or wrapped in flannel storage pouches. You can stitch up your own storage pouch or buy them ready made.

Minimize tarnish. Just like sterling, silver plate tarnishes too. Regular use minimizes the tarnishing. In between uses, rubbing the pieces with a soft cloth will minimize tarnishing as well.

Hand wash only. While sterling could be tossed in the dishwasher, silver plate must always be washed by hand. Why? The grit found in most dishwasher soaps will eat away at the silver plating, scratch the surface, and accelerate the wear.

Use silver polish for cleaning. For the times that the tarnish is too heavy to remove with a soft cloth, the flatware set should be gently polished with a silver polish cream and NOT a homemade solution found on the internet. A silver plate set doesn’t have that much silver to begin with and many of these homemade remedies may pit and eat away at the surface. A tub of Wright’s silver polish cream costs less than $5, lasts several years, and gently cleans the silver plate while slowing down the formation of tarnish during storage.

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