Makes me think that there was a real reason for “silverware” besides appearance. There is a product on the market now for keeping humidifiers free of mold. The active ingredient is silver. A little plastic thing that looks like a baby rattler for midgets or monkeys.
The new subway trains being delivered here have posts and handholds that are silver-treated. If the idea catches on, maybe public transit could become a transport system instead of a disease vector?