How to keep the shine alive in a silver show piece?  

My Grandma gave me her silver tea and coffee service. I treasure it and have it proudly displayed in the dining room. When we moved from one province to here in BC, it was stored and it did get black. I cleaned it using a natural solution that was so easy, and had it sparkling in no time. This only works on actual silver and not silver plated items (I found out the hard way with a frame that I thought was real silver and it left it a dull grey). Test a small area first where it's not clearly visible, and if there is no problem than you can go ahead with the cleaning.

In your kitchen sink, add one liter of water at room temperature water, three tablespoons of baking soda, and three tablespoons of salt and mix all together with your hands. Put a small piece of aluminum foil in the sink and dip your silver in the solution. Your silver should shine again in a matter of seconds. You can replace the aluminum foil when you see that it's taking longer for the silver to shine. There is a slight smell that occurs due to the natural chemical reaction but it's in no way harmful, so just leave a window open if the smell bugs you. Once the black has disappeared, wipe dry with a soft, lint free cloth. I look forward to hearing what you think of how easy this is. Take care.