How to Care for Your Flatware

18/8, 18/10, 18/0…what do they mean? First is chromium; second is nickel; chromium makes steel stainless or rust resistant. Nickel makes it “whiter” in color or luster and adds strength, particularly to delicate patterns. 18/8 and 18/10 are considered the industry standard for quality. 18/0 reduces the cost significantly while only mildly affecting color. Stainless is usually sold in 5-piece place settings consisting of: teaspoon, place knife, place fork, salad fork, place/soup spoon. Here are three easy steps for sparkling, clean flatware: 1. Load flatware into the dishwasher with spoon and fork handles down, knife handles up. 2. Use powder detergents. Avoid ones with lemon and orange scents. 3. Use a stainless metal cleaner periodically to keep your set looking its very best.

by Sharon Newell of Belk