For some people this time of the year means not only a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Those of you who are entertaining a large number of guests, may have already had your silverware out for Thanksgiving. Of maybe you dined using someone else’s silver at Thanksgiving, but now have to pull out and examine your own silver flatware to see if it is ready to make its holiday debut.

As you know silver may become tarnished when it spends too much time exposed to air. This is especially true when silver comes into contact with air that is damp.

You can buy pre-made silver polish at the store or you can use some things you have around the house such as baking soda or toothpaste. The chemicals that are in store-bought silver polishes do get the job done, but they can be rather harsh.

Polishing silver is a lot of work. You have to spend a proper amount time cleaning each piece of silver individually. For some piece of silver, such as bowls, you have polish both the inside and the outside. And some people recommend that you polish all of your silver flatware and silver serving pieces anywhere from twice to as often as six times a year. That is a lot of time spent polishing silver. And unless you have an army of servants like they do in the movies, you (and any family members you can recruit) will have to do all of this silver polishing on your own.

Experts recommend that you cover your silver with plastic or cloth once you have cleaned it. That goes for silver flatware and silver jewelry. Polishing silver is usually at the top of anyone’s list, so once you have taken on this task, you probably don’t want to do it again.

And if you are really ready to never have to polish silver again, then you should consider that you can  sell silver flatware and silver serving pieces to a silver buyer. Those of you who are downsizing or leaving a large house to move into a smaller home or condo might not do the kind of entertaining that you used to do. If that is the case, then you will not need all of the silver flatware that you needed when you were in a larger place.