How to take care of your trophies and awards

When you or your team receive one of our special trophies you want to look after it and ensure that it looks great on display for others to see your achievements. We’ve compiled some top tips for cleaning and caring for various types of trophies.

Pewter Items

• As modern pewter shows no signs of oxidisation or tarnishing, these need minimal care once received.
• Never put them in the dishwasher!
• If you want to clean it, warm soapy water will do the trick, and dry with a soft cloth.
• If the item hasn’t been cleaned in a long time and is looking a little dull, you may want to try cleaning with a non-abrasive metal polish before you wash with water.
• When polishing your trophy, always go in straight lines in the same direction.

Stainless Steel Items

• These should not be used for acidic beverages, such as fruit juices and cordials.
• Before you fill any flasks for the first time, you should rinse the inside with clean water.
• Between uses, empty and rinse flasks.
• Alcohol should not be kept in the flasks for longer than 3 days.
• Try to fill it up as close to when you are going to use it as possible.

Silver Plated Presentation Cups & Salver Awards

• Try to store silverware in a glass fronted cabinet, not only does it protect it from damage but it also restricts air circulation which slows any tarnishing.
• To improve this even further, you can use desiccated silica gel within the cabinet to keep humidity to a minimum.
• Your silverware should be cleaned monthly, but only with a silver polishing cloth. This should be done in one direction and in straight lines.
• The sooner you spot any tarnishing the better, it is easily removed when you first notice a yellowish tint but it will get harder with time.
• Only use polishing cream if the silverware has been severely tarnished. The polishing cream you use should state that it is suitable for silverware and don’t use anything that has become dried up.
• Use any polishes sparingly.
• If you make any fingerprints on the silverware, you should clean these straight away.
• If you are going to use gloves whilst cleaning your silverware, heavyweight cotton gloves are the best option.
• If you are putting the awards away for long-term storage, you should wrap them in tissue paper and seal in polythene bags. Newspaper print may cause lasting damage on the items.

We hope our useful guide has given you some tips for keeping your trophies and gifts in tip-top condition for the long term!