Quality holloware is a durable product that can provide you with a long life of beautiful service. By giving your holloware investment proper care, you can insure that it will make a fine impression, give you extended use, and earn a higher return on your investment.

General Care Information
Store your holloware pieces together in a reasonably dry area. By organizing the pieces by size and type you can save time in handling and inventory. Plastic or wooden racks provide the best storage, but avoid plastics containing sulfur for storing silver.

Avoid cutting on any holloware surfaces.

Pieces should be pre-soaked and washed directly after use to prevent hardened food particles that can cause tarnish. Always avoid using steel wool or metal scrapers in removing food particles.

Separate flatware and holloware for pre-soaking. Generally, follow the cleaning agent manufacturer's instructions for pre-soaking, but avoid products containing chlorides, bromides or iodides. For best results, change the pre-soak when it becomes dirty or greasy- about every three or four loads.

Wash your holloware right after it comes out of pre-soaking. Load the washing machine with the openings of hollow pieces facing down. Use washing detergents recommended by the manufacturer of your machine, but again avoids products containing chlorides, bromides or iodides. Also, a high chloride content in the water can be damaging. Check your local water, and if a water-softening unit is necessary, check it operation regularly.

All pieces should be completely dry when they come out of the washing machine. Storing pieces that are not dry can cause corrosion and oxidation marks. Check pieces coming out of the washing machine to make sure they are clean, and have not retained any food particles. Re-wash items if necessary.

Special Stainless Steel Holloware Care Instructions
Take particular care in removing all remnants of lemon, vinegar, butter, ice cream, cheese, milk, and table salt from stainless items directly after use. These foods can cause stainless corrosion if they're left on too long.

Do not use a pre-soak solution containing silver de-tarnishing agents. These products cause severe corrosion to stainless.

Polishing stainless occasionally is a good idea, but not a necessity. Polish stainless items with a mildly abrasive powder mixed with neutral soap flakes. Then rinse pieces in hot water and dry them well.

Special Silverplate Holloware Care Instructions
Silverplate should be stored in an area away from drafts (air conditioning) and sulfurous vapors.

Take particular care in removing all remnants of egg, mayonnaise, lemon, vinegar, and fish directly after use. Prolonged contact with these foods can be damaging to silver.

De-tarnishing removes sulfurization, and keeps silverplate gleaming. It is advisable to de-tarnish after washing (not during pre-soaking), always prior to burnishing. Pieces should be de-tarnished about every 15 days.

There are three de-tarnishing methods. Hand polishing is effective, but laborious. De-tarnishing with chemical solutions can be done with care to avoid damage. An effective, simple de-tarnishing method is with an aluminum plate and an electrolytic solution.

A less convenient, but effective, and inexpensive de-tarnishing solution can be made by placing one tablespoon each of salt and baking soda in one gallon of boiling water in a clean aluminum vessel; or one lined with aluminum foil.

Consult a reputable manufacturer for the method best suited for your needs. After de-tarnishing, rinse pieces thoroughly with hot water, and dry them well.

Burnishing replaces the luster of silver, and hardens the surface for extra durability. There are fine vibratory or rotating machines on the market in sizes to fit any operation.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for burnishing. Check to see if the right quantity of burnishing media is in the machine, and if they are not rusty or distorted. Also check to see that the burnishing media and water container are clean at all times.

Load the burnishing machine with holloware pieces of the same size and type, a few at a time. Flatware and holloware should not be mixed.