All of my nice silverware is rusting after being washed in the dishwasher! What causes this and how?

Question

can I avoid this? Do I have to handwash all of my basic, everyday silverware??

Answer 1

It means that it is sure not silver. It is probably steel, but not stainless even. Whatever metal it is made from contains impurities that are rusting when water sits on them for a long time. To prevent rusting in flatware, it has to be made of either sliver, or stainless steel, which is steel that contains virtually no other metals.

Answer 2

Rust is the result of a simple chemical process, called oxidation, that occurs when the iron compounds in stainless steel corrode in the presence of oxygen and water. Actual silver contains no iron, and therefore does not technically "rust". The corrosion of silver is called "tarnish" and results in a substance very similar to rust.

Stainless steel is designed to prevent the iron compounds from uniting with oxygen in the air, (hence the 'stainless' in the name) but when it interacts with some other outside elements it can eventually rust. Water with a high mineral concentration is the most common outside element that produces rust on otherwise stainless flatware. To prevent rusting on your silverware, simply make sure to dry it completely after washing to remove any mineral deposits from the water.

To remove rust from silverware, a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar used as a polish usually does the trick. For very stubborn rust deposits, you may need to coat the silverware in the cream of tartar paste and let it sit for a few hours or overnight before polishing.

Answer 3

The answer is from the site listed below, it even has how to get rid of the rust....and shame on you for putting it in the dishwasher :-)

Rust is the result of a simple chemical process, called oxidation, that occurs when the iron compounds in stainless steel corrode in the presence of oxygen and water. Actual silver contains no iron, and therefore does not technically "rust". The corrosion of silver is called "tarnish" and results in a substance very similar to rust.

Stainless steel is designed to prevent the iron compounds from uniting with oxygen in the air, (hence the 'stainless' in the name) but when it interacts with some other outside elements it can eventually rust. Water with a high mineral concentration is the most common outside element that produces rust on otherwise stainless flatware. To prevent rusting on your silverware, simply make sure to dry it completely after washing to remove any mineral deposits from the water.

To remove rust from silverware, a paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar used as a polish usually does the trick. For very stubborn rust deposits, you may need to coat the silverware in the cream of tartar paste and let it sit for a few hours or overnight before polishing..

Answer 4

when any metal rust's there must to key elements present, one being water and the other being oxygen, these 2 will cause metals to rust, especially in iron which most silverware is made of, to get ride of the rust you must first get all the rust off then try either re polishing or get them re-coated. most silverware is coated in silver, hence the name silverware.

Answer 5

It's not silverware, it's a low quality stainless steel flatware. Buy better quality, nothing less than 18/10.

Buy cheap, get cheap.

Answer 6

If your basic cutlery is silver, it cannot go into the dishwasher. If you have purchased a quality everyday cutlery it shouldn't be rusting unless you have problems with minerals in your water. I have had a simple Oneida set for everyday for years and it doesn't rust in the dishwasher.

Answer 7

If it's true silverware, it shouldn't go in the dishwasher; the silver plating will come off and the underlying metal will rust.

Sounds to me like it's really cheap, dollar store stuff.