The convenience of the dishwasher is unquestionable, but this essential household appliance isn’t always as thorough as one would wish. Silverware is a particularly touchy subject. It can have a dull, scratched, and tarnished appearance or develop tiny rust spots, no matter how high you crank up the water temperature and what dishwasher detergent you use.
This is when this viral cleaning hack comes
in handy. This life-changing trick eliminates all the issues you may
experience when cleaning silverware in the dishwasher. It takes only a
minute of your time, and all you need is a balled-up piece of aluminum
foil, shiny side outside, rolled into a ball 3-4 cm.
How do I use aluminum foil in the dishwasher?
The next time you want to clean silverware
in the dishwasher, take a small piece of aluminum foil, crumple it up,
enough to make a 1-1½-inch ball. Place the ball into the silverware
basket or cutlery shelf, and run the dishwasher as usual. Even the most
persistent grime and tarnish will be removed, and you’ll be left with
shiny and clean silverware.
You can reuse the same ball of aluminum foil several times. Toss it when
it becomes very grimy or smelly. You can also repurpose the aluminum
foil you've used to cover dishes for this hack.
Why does this trick work?
If you already tried this trick, or on the contrary, you’re not yet
convinced that you should, you may be wondering - how does it help scrub
the silverware clean without making direct contact with the cutlery?
Interestingly, the balled-up foil undergoes a chemical reaction when it
comes in contact with the chemicals in the dishwasher detergent and hot
water.
Dishwasher tablets or powdered dishwasher detergent are somewhat similar
to baking soda. When combined with aluminum particles, the detergent
cleans away silver sulfide particles (better known as tarnish). This
leaves your cutlery sparkling clean and tarnish-free. This trick is also
helpful for preventing rust stains on your silverware and buffing out
minor scratches. Who knew a simple ball of aluminum could do all that?!