Martha Stewart uses this $12 product to keep her silverware looking pristine

Your silverware probably takes a regular beating from eating with it, serving with it and then tossing it in the dishwasher. But did you know that if you give your daily flatware (or the fancy set you save for special occasions) a good polish from time to time, it can keep them from tarnishing and really make them shine? Leave it to Martha Stewart to fill us in. The lifestyle guru shared her step-by-step process for polishing her silver flatware, and it includes this $12 cream.

Stewart (or her housekeepers, she admits) clean and polish her collection of silverware several times a year "well ahead of any holiday entertaining," she wrote on her personal blog. She starts by rinsing each piece under warm water. Then, she applies the Wright's Silver Cleaner and Polish Cream with a damp sponge or soft cloth.

"I've been using Wright’s Silver Cream for years and love how it works," Stewart said, and explained that its "anti-tarnish agents leave a protective, invisible wax-like surface that actually slows the formation of tarnish."

She added that as the cream is gently rubbed into the silver, it will start to brighten. And finally, when she's done with that, she rinses each piece with dish soap and warm water to completely remove the cream and uses another soft towel to dry each piece. "Do not let silver air dry, because water left standing can cause spotting," she warned.

Maybe you've even heard of Wright's Silver Cleaner and Polish Cream — the brand has been around for over a century. Today, you can get a tub of it at Amazon and it even comes with a polishing cloth. It's gentle enough that you can use it on other types of silver too, including stainless steel, pewter, chrome and porcelain. (Try using it on your silver jewelry if you want to bring an old piece back to life!)

Amazon shoppers love it as well. More than 14,500 people give it a glowing five-star review.

"I use this product on a lot of antique silver, it gets the job done quickly and effectively and makes the silver look brand new!" said one reviewer. "The sponge removes tarnish easily. Overall great product for the price."

"I would marry this product!" said one enthusiastic customer. "I wish I took a before picture, but my Tiffany bracelet was black and I tried other cleaners and nothing worked. I thought the bracelet was done for — it was black with rust and disgusting. Now, it looks brand new! I can't even believe it!"

"I tried Wright’s for the first time and it didn’t disappoint," added a new user. "No smell, easy to use, and very little mess to clean up. Much better than Tarnx, which is smelly and messy and can take multiple applications to clean the silver. Also does a better job than Tarnx. It took a couple applications to get the more tarnished areas, which was expected... Overall, great experience and I’m glad I bought it. The silver looks fantastic now."

Another tip from the queen? Stewart shares that she always places a terry cloth towel on the bottom of the sink so the silver metal doesn't bang and scratch the surface. A side tip from the domestic goddess herself? She also puts a towel down whenever she washes delicate china, just in case it drops.

Need to upgrade your flatware ahead of holiday hosting? You can get a Martha Stewart flatware set at Amazon as well.

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.