You should be able to find silver polish at WalMart, located in the cleaning supplies aisle(look on the top shelf). I always buy Wright's, and I use an old toothbrush to apply the paste.

I know you won't be using Tarn-X, but I wanted to mention that I've heard it is NOT good to use. It's easy, but apparently too harsh I guess.

Several people recommended HagertyÂs silver polishing gloves to me. I tried them and they do work great. The gloves are already coated with polish. I got them at a smaller local hardware store (Berings - you know the kind that also sells fine china and gifts.)

Hagerty's. I buy mine at the Container Store.

For the jewelry, use a silver polishing cloth - it's much easier and really works and then you don't have the worry about damaging stones or rinsing. I have one that's a 2 part system, one for the tarnish removal and the other to buff.

For serving pieces, I prefer a cream - sorry I can't think of the brand at the moment. I've tried the liquids and don't think they work as well. The one I'm thinking of comes in a small jar.

The reason quick dips and instant results are not used for valued sterling, every time it is used, you are rinsing silver down the drain. Far better to take a little time to admire and appreciate fine silver the old fashion way, remove the tarnish gently and buff with love.

I use an aluminum foil sheet in a dishpan with baking soda and very hot/boiling water. I dip trays in this, pitchers, flatware and all my jewelry. If something needs a little extra shine, I use wrights creme.
I have a lot of sterling jewelry with all kinds of stones and gems. If they are tarnished, I don't want to wear them yet most are too delicate to polish by hand. If I wear out the sterling or stones, so be it.
Better to wear them now while they are in style then put them away and treat as "fine china" which never gets used.

Thanks for the help. The only 2 brands I have heard of are HagertyÂs and WrightÂs; I was wondering if there was some marvelous brand out there that I had not heard of. I did try the aluminum foil /baking soda/hot water thing on my serving pieces and it had zero effect. Funny, because I had my son do it for a video science experiment back in grade school, and it worked great then. I do have polishing cloths, I donÂt want to use them because I have carpal tunnel and have too much polishing to do.

So, dlm2000, a cream is better than a liquid? Less messy?

Well, in my experience, yes, the cream is better. At the moment I have 2 bottles of silver polish - Goddard's and Wright's. I don't like either one of them although the Wright's a not as bad as the Goddard's which I find basically worthless but I hate to pitch them so am 'trying' to use them. At some point I'll get sick of that game! I believe the cream I like is probably Wrights because the jar lid is the same color as their bottle. It has a small sponge inside, you dampen the sponge, dip in the cream and go to work. Not sure why I tried different stuff - maybe couldn't find the cream at that moment.

Wright's silver cream in the white plastic tub with the navy blue lid. You can get it at the grocery store. You use it with the enclosed sponge, and wash it off...much easier on hands with problems (I have badly arthritic thumbs and lots of old silver).
Three caveats, and one suggestion...never soak silver in the same water as stainless, or in a stainless bowl. The water makes the two metals react in a way that damages silver...and that includes silver table knives, which almost always have stainless blades.
Never soak flatware that has hollow handles (most knives, some serving pieces, and some pitchers).
And always make sure the silver is perfectly dry before you put it away. I rinse with very hot water, let it air dry, but not long, and then dry it with a plain cotton dish towel. Then I usually leave it out for the rest of the day or overnight. Moisture is the enemy!
The suggestion? Use your silver all the time. The more you use it, and wash afterwards, the less you have to polish it, and the better the patina over time.

Didn't know you were going to get grandmother's lecture, did you!

There's a metal polish called Maas. It works very well on silver, as well as brass and copper. You rub it on with one cloth and then buff with a clean cloth. You don't have to rub very hard, either.

It's expensive, but it does really shine things up.

MetAll is good too. It seem to seal out air longer than most.