Keeping it bright once you've got there
The single most effective habit is using it. Silver that goes into regular rotation and gets washed and dried promptly tarnishes far more slowly than silver that sits in a dark cupboard. After a meal, rinse anything that has touched eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, onions or salt fairly quickly, since these are the usual culprits behind a fork that looks fine and a spoon that has gone yellow-brown overnight.
For storage, wrap pieces in tarnish-resistant cloth or acid-free tissue and keep them in a closed drawer or box, ideally somewhere dry. A stick of chalk tucked into the box helps by absorbing moisture. Avoid sealing damp silver into plastic bags, which traps exactly the conditions you're trying to escape.
Can I clean silver with toothpaste?
It is one of the most repeated tips and one of the ones I would skip. Toothpaste is mildly abrasive by design, so it takes tarnish off quickly and leaves a network of tiny scratches that make the surface look permanently cloudy in bright light. Warm soapy water, a proper polishing cloth, or the foil-and-bicarbonate bath will get you further with no lasting cost.
Why does my silver tarnish again so quickly?
Usually because of what it is stored with and where. Damp air, rubber, wool, newspaper and cardboard all speed the process, as does a kitchen where a lot of eggs and onions are cooked, and central heating that swings between damp and dry does not help either. Dry everything completely, store it wrapped in the right cloth somewhere stable, and you'll find the interval between polishes stretches out considerably.
