How to clean cutlery correctly

Important care tips

How to prevent cutlery from tarnishing

Always handle your exquisite cutlery delicately to ensure it remains a brilliant addition to your table setting. Cleaning and caring for your cutlery properly is the best solution to stop stains and deposits forming in the first place. Correct storage is important, too. Store silver cutlery in a dry and airtight place to prevent dark stains. Wrap it carefully in a cotton cloth, multiple layers of napkin, aluminium foil or cling film. Read on to find out how to make cutlery shine and prevent unsightly stains:

Always rinse cutlery in clean water after cooking and after every use. This will remove large food deposits before it goes into the dishwasher.
To stop your cutlery becoming tarnished, always use a suitable dishwasher detergent and ensure no corrosive salt enters the dishwasher cycle.

Tip:

Leave space between cutlery in the dishwasher rather than packing the items too tightly, as the cutlery will then be rinsed more thoroughly.

Why does my cutlery tarnish?

Cutlery is exposed to various stresses in daily use. Despite its highly resistant and robust composition, cutlery can become stained, in particular after contact with acidic foods or salt. Discolouration from tea or coffee can also occur if you do not wash your cutlery carefully. Water stains can appear on cutlery if it is not taken out of the dishwasher soon enough after washing or if too much detergent is used.

Polishing cutlery

Are you wondering how to clean tarnished cutlery and make it shiny once more? You can select different polishes for your stainless steel, copper or silver cutlery sets and apply them using a cloth. Rinse the product off with clean water and then leave the items to dry completely.

A summery table with a plate from the Villeroy & Boch Old Luxembourg collection and Boston glasses.

Stainless steel and silver cutlery

Cleaning cutlery correctly

There are various household tricks you can use to clean cutlery in different materials. To make your Cromargan or stainless steel cutlery shine, we recommend a starch bath. Immersing cutlery in leftover water after boiling potatoes will remove even stubborn grease residue. Afterwards, rinse your stainless steel cutlery in clear water and dry it thoroughly.

Even silver-plated cutlery responds well to certain household tricks. First, rinse your silver cutlery carefully. Then fill a large bowl with salt and warm water. Wrap the silver cutlery to be cleaned in aluminium foil and place it in the warm water for an hour. After this, you can clean the silver cutlery as usual without any special products. However, a word of caution when drying the items: Use a cotton cloth to polish them! In contrast to stainless steel, silver is more delicate and could be scratched by a rough microfibre cloth.

A table set with Afina plates shown in a side view to see the floating effect of the plates.

How to clean silver cutlery

To keep your stylish cutlery sets looking good, including the versatile Victor and modern NewMoon collections, place some chalk or salt in the cutlery drawer. These materials will absorb moisture which will help care for and protect your silver cutlery.

How to make stainless steel cutlery shine again?

Do you prefer the timelessly elegant Piedmont cutlery set or the modern Blacksmith table cutlery? To restore the shine of these two stainless steel sets, all you need is a little bicarbonate of soda and some lemon juice. Alternatively, you can mix up a fine polishing paste using chalk and alcohol and then use this to polish them and reveal their shine.

Methods & household tricks

How can I make my cutlery really clean again?

As you already know, there are various household remedies you can use to help restore the shine of your tarnished cutlery. Depending on the material, you can use bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice or even cola to clean your cutlery.

Caution: Delicate materials such as silver cutlery do not tolerate acidic products. However, you can use bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice for stainless steel sets. We recommend that you avoid using steel wool or abrasive materials to apply these household products. Use soft lint-free sponges and cloths to apply the solution to your cutlery. To remove stubborn stains and rust, which appears as a brown stain on the cutlery, you can use phosphoric acid. For this, use regular cola and soak your cutlery in it.

Washing cutlery in the dishwasher

With a few exceptions, Villeroy & Boch’s high-quality cutlery sets are dishwasher-safe. You can clean gold-plated sets, such as MetroChic, and simple stainless steel cutlery such as the Ella collection in your dishwasher. However, we recommend that you clean our dishwasher-safe silver cutlery separately. Do not put these items in the dishwasher together with stainless steel utensils as the harder material could scratch the delicate silver.

Cleaning cutlery with aluminium foil

Cleaning cutlery with aluminium foil will leave your stainless steel and silver cutlery sparkling clean. Simply place tarnished cutlery or cutlery with unsightly coffee or tea stains in a bowl lined with aluminium foil. Add warm water and a little salt and leave your cutlery to soak for an hour. When you take it out again, the stains should have disappeared and your cutlery will look beautifully shiny again.

Can you use vinegar to remove rust stains from cutlery?

Vinegar is a tried and tested alternative to aluminium foil for rust stains. You can simply immerse your stainless steel cutlery in vinegar and water. This household remedy is particularly useful to clean rust stains, fingerprints and limescale from cutlery. Wash and dry the cutlery thoroughly afterwards.

Cleaning cutlery

Baking soda, a common household product

Baking soda is another tried and tested household product that you can use to clean your stainless steel cutlery. To remove stubborn stains or clean your tarnished cutlery, place the items in a paste made from water and baking soda. Mix three tablespoons of baking soda with one tablespoon of water and rub it over your cutlery. Then rinse, polish and dry the items as described above. Cleaning cutlery with baking soda is a particularly good way to remove tea stains.

Cleaning cutlery with citric acid

Citric acid will also make your dirty cutlery shine once more. Use a dry cotton cloth to rub a little citric acid or lemon juice onto the items. Then rinse the cutlery in clean water and leave it to dry thoroughly.

Cleaning cutlery with baking powder

Baking powder can also be used to clean cutlery. Mix some baking powder with water to make a paste and apply it to the soiled area. Then wash, polish and dry the cutlery thoroughly. However, beware of baking powder’s abrasive effect, which should not be used on fine silver cutlery.

A Villeroy & Boch Vapiano bowl with salad on a wooden table, beside a NewWave knife and fork.

Cutlery with a handle decorated with fine gold - Ella partially gold-plated from Villeroy & Boch.

A black table setting with glasses, rectangular crockery and cutlery from the Villeroy & Boch Manufacture collection.

...

Cleaning cutlery correctly will make it shine

Cleaning cutlery correctly will not only bring a sparkle to your cutlery sets, it will also make your guests beam. After all, the high-quality Villeroy & Boch collections enhance the quality of your food and dishes when they blend stylishly into the table setting. To contribute to a delightful dining experience, your cutlery should always look clean and well-maintained.

Dinnerware

Flatware

Drinkware

Home Décor