Spring winds are beginning to blow…
Which means we will soon be taking out our white tablecloths and special Passover tableware. We will shake the dust off the cloths and remove the time stains from them. We will clean and polish the dishes to make them look good as new.
How do you maintain silver/gold/brass items?
Metals are a living material and, as such, time tarnishes and stains them. This is called corrosion. There are, of course, differences between different types of metal:
Gold is less sensitive to corrosion, silver is more sensitive, and so is brass.
How do you clean and polish corrosion stains? Do not fear.
There is a huge variety of products on the market for cleaning and polishing metals.
To keep the items in good condition, it is important to check the suitability of a cleaning product for the specific metal.
It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
At AV Design we use Hagerty France products, and also Connoisseurs products.
Cleaning instructions for brass bowls
Test the bowl’s reaction to the cleaning product on an inconspicuous area, and, of course, follow the instructions for use.
Use gloves (we removed them for the purpose of the photograph 😊)
Prepare soft absorbent paper towels in advance (kitchen roll).
Pour a small amount of cleaner onto the absorbent paper and gently wipe the bowl. If necessary, leave to stand for a few minutes. Repeat until the desired result is obtained.
Apply cleaning product
Let the cleaner work
Wipe off the cleaner with a soft cloth
When completed, it is important to rinse the bowl in water and a gentle detergent, especially since it may be used with food.
It is also very important to wipe dry each bowl immediately, using a soft cloth, until completely dry, and only then go on to rinse another bowl. This is to ensure that drops of water do not dry on the bowl and leave water stains.
Cleaning instructions for gold/silver plated bowls
Clean with special Connoisseurs cloths or gloves impregnated with cleaner.
Begin with the purple cloth, and then use the white cloth.
Another option for cleaning gold/silver objects is to use Connoisseurs polish in the same process described above for cleaning brass bowls.
So, if you want all the aunties to talk about your festival table at least until Rosh Hashanah (stunning Passover table décor design in our next blog post), it’s worthwhile investing!
Wishing us all a happy and well-polished holiday,
AV Design Studio