For those of you out there that don't know this, I send out monthly postcards with household tips. I have gotten numerous compliments about the helpfulness of the tips. I received a wonderful e-mail today from a couple, thanking me for the cards and saying that they have tried a number of the suggestions and appreciate receiving the cards. Then they went on to share a couple of tips with me. I appreciated them so much that I want to pass them along to you!
1) Polish silver and silver-plate* the way rich folks’ butlers do it:
Use an aluminum pan deep enough to immerse the pieces you want to polish (it has to be aluminum). Put all the items in the pan, not touching each other, but they must touch the aluminum pan. Sprinkle liberally with plain baking soda and then pour in boiling water to cover all the items in the pan. Walk away and do something else for an hour or so, and then come back and rinse all the items. Voila! Beautiful and so much work!
*Don’t try this with pieces that are lined with felt (such as some candlesticks…)
2) Remove hard baked-on grease and crud from pans and stovetops:
Make a gluey paste from powdered cream of tartar and drops of white vinegar. Daub this mixture onto the spots you want to clean. Walk away and do something else for a couple hours. Some stains will wipe right off, others will require a little elbow grease with a scrubbie. This really works – try it on the gross burned-on spots on your roasting pans or burner drip pans.
Happy polishing!