Dishwashers are supposed to make our lives easier, but that’s not always the case. Cutlery, especially, can be tricky. If your silverware comes out of the dishwasher looking dirty and dull, don’t start shopping for a new machine yet. Aluminum foil might be all you need to clear up scratches and grimy silverware stains, which is great news. The aluminum foil stays trapped in the cutlery basket, so it’s not scrubbing your silverware clean. Instead, how it works has to do with the way the foil ball interacts with the chemicals in your dishwasher tablets or detergent. The reaction is a sort of oxidization process, where the chemicals in the detergent interact with the chemicals in the aluminum foil. This process leaves your tarnished silverware looking as good as new. So, the next time you’re loading your dishwasher, take a second to rip off a piece of aluminum foil and crumple it up into a ball. Toss it into a compartment in your cutlery basket and run a cleaning cycle like usual. You'll be surprised at how good it looks when it's finished.
