If you are one of those who wants your cutlery to shine like new, then you should definitely try this tip.
The problem with dishwasher cutlery is that no matter how much you rinse it before putting it in the machine, it doesn’t always come out shiny and clean. Of course, you can opt for a laborious polish, but there is a much simpler method, as Carolina McCauley demonstrates on TikTok. This Australian specialises in household hacks and shares her favourite polishing technique.
Place a ball of aluminum foil in the cutlery basket of your dishwasher and voila: your cutlery is extra shiny. Simply roll a piece of aluminum foil into a ball and place it in the cutlery basket of your dishwasher. Then run the machine on the standard setting and be sure to use your regular dishwasher detergent. Your cutlery will come out of the machine sparkling like never before.
And it’s not just that aluminum foil cleans food residue off of cutlery; it’s a chemical reaction between aluminum and the ingredients in dishwasher detergent. This method works because cutlery becomes dull due to “volatile rust.” Volatile rust is the rust that forms, for example, on screws inside the machine or on pans and then deposits on the cutlery.
Aluminium foil acts as a lightning rod here: it oxidises more easily than stainless steel and therefore attracts rust. In addition to this, a chemical reaction between the aluminium foil and the dishwashing detergent helps to remove other stains.
The trick is not harmful to health, but unfortunately it is not very environmentally friendly. This is because aluminium production requires a lot of energy and aluminium oxides can be released into the environment with the washing water.
