David and I bought cheap silverware right after we got married because the good stuff is kind of expensive and this is one thing we didn't get as a wedding present. We've had it about a year now and the rust on some of the pieces is horrible. We used to wash our dishes by hand and let them air dry on the counter. For the most part, we now put everything in the dishwasher but we still let it air dry (to save on energy costs). However, I recently found out that this is very bad for the silverware and no wonder we have rust spots! We assumed it was just the cheap silverware copping out on us but then we were given some nicer (older) silverware that quickly got rust spots too so we knew something was wrong.
We have always been pretty good about doing our really nice, expensive knives by hand and towel drying right away but now I know you're supposed to do that with your silverware too. So in the future, that's what we'll do but for now we have the problem of rusty silverware. However, there is a solution!
Depending on how many pieces you have to clean (in our case a lot), you can use a lemon or bottled lemon juice. You mix it with baking soda (or cream of tartar) until you have a thick paste (does this remind you about my tea stain post? Apparently baking soda can clean anything!). Then you rub it on your silverware, rinse well, and towel dry (do NOT let air dry--apparently ever!). If it still has rust, you can repeat. And voila! You have clean silverware again.
I will note that I haven't tried this method yet but everywhere else online recommends it. I will also mention that for your fancy knives, you can soak them in a glass of lemon juice and then rinse and towel dry. I'm not sure why they would be any different but I don't want to take any chances wrecking ours because like I said, they were NOT cheap (although they were a gift).
I'm excited to try this method and I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes!
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