Picnics and trips to the beach call for plastic flatware and paper plates. But what about that darling little garden party you’ve been meaning to throw? You could go plastic, or you could class things up by bringing out the silver to shine in the summer sun.   Uh oh. Did you unpack the silver and find that it’s tarnished? That happens when silver sits unused. It’s actually better for silver to be used frequently than packed away. The more you use your silver, the less you’ll need to polish it.       If your silver is in bad shape, Amidon can help. We offer a silver restoration service. We can solder, remove dents, machine refinish and replate your silver flatware, silver teapots and other silver treasures. Drop a spoon down the garbage disposal? No problem. We can fix that, too. Amidon offers a 25-year warranty on replating services.       If your silver flatware just needs a little TLC, here are some suggestions for extending its full, shiny, glorious lifespan.  

• After every use, hand wash (not in the dishwasher!) your silver flatware in warm water and gentle dish soap. This removes food residues whose acid can erode silver. For example, don’t let your silver forks sit in tomato sauce overnight. Avoid corrosive liquids, including soaps with a citrus base.

• Before putting away your silver, dry it completely.

• Buy specially made flatware storage bags or cases. These prevent the scratches that inevitably occur if you toss your flatware pell mell into a drawer.

• Polish your silver from time to time. If you use your flatware frequently, you’ll only need to polish it every few years. Less-used silver requires more polishing.

• Use special silver polishing cream. Follow the instructions on the label.

• Only polish clean silver.

• Give the tarnished areas extra attention.

• After polishing, rinse each piece of flatware with warm water until it’s completely clean.

• Dry your flatware before returning to its storage case or bag.