h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here it is:
Take a pot and a sheet of aluminium foil, fill the pot with water (not Evian, the simple kind!), heat it until it's just not yet boiling and add a handful of ordinary salt. Put the silver in it and watch. In most cases the black stuff on the silver disappeares like magic, sometimes it's neccessary to wipe with a soft cloth.
It has, of course, something to do with chemistry. Don't ask M E to explain I missed most of my chemistry lessons at school.

Greetings from Wowbaggy!

What do you do with the aluminium foil?
Is it in the pot? Is it to keep the silver fresh? Do you use it to wrap the spoons?

Saw this tip being demonstrated on a program about Glamis Castle last week. I didn't notice that any salt was added to the water, though. She just scrunched up a sheet of tinfoil, dropped it in the simmering water, then submerged the silver in the same pot, sitting on top of the scrunched-up foil.

Just put the foil down in the pot. You don't need to wrap the silver in it.

Well, being a complete loser in Chemistry, I cannot explain why to put salt into the water. Maybe it's faster and more aggressive (grrrrr..)?
Any chemistry professors around here?

Maybe it adds flavour!

Great idea! Next time I'll put some garlic into it. I love garlic and maybe it turns off those nasty vampires who always nick my silver spoons..

That sounds like a serious infestation.
Have you thought about keeping them under a cross?

Nah. No cross or other religous stuff will ever cross (!) my threshold. Even though a lot of Germans (I'm German, have I told anyone yet?) are immensily proud of having a German pope now. Hey, maybe I should mail this silver cleaning cure to the Vatican, they have loads of silver around.

More than they need probably. You could get a sainthood out of this!

Thank you, Vestboy. I'm so proud. I imagine a silver halo slowly rotating over my head. Or do they give you a golden one? I'd like a pair of wings, too. I used to have one of those flying dreams which are supposed to have a (you know what) background according to good old Freud.

Well, if they give you a silver one you'll know how to keep it clean. Flying dreams, eh? I think they are great! Though I've never bumped into the Freud chap in them.

Flying dreams...'you know what'? Do you mean sexual? I've always associated flying dreams with feeling trapped, trying to escape from situations.
Dontcha just hate the ones where you can't get up the speed to lift off, and pursuers are closing in on you fast?

Well, I have read they are supposed to have a sexual background altough the one I dreamt had nothing to do with it. I was just flying quite low over a landscape but I had a feeling to be stronger or somehow superior to somebody who was after me. I know the other kind you mentioned, they are really ghastly. By the way, I haven't had dreams for a very long time, neither good nor bad ones..

Are you getting enough sleep?