I find the first thing you should do to take good care of your zills is to keep them in their bag and away from moist or extremely warm or cold areas. If your zills get dirty or tarnished(as most do with use), first try to wipe the dirt or tarnish off(sometimes they don't need harsh cleaners yet. If however, it doesn't come off there are several suggestions I've heard for cleaning them; you can use brass or silver cleaners such as brasso, never dull, semichrome, turtle wax, etc... After you clean them you usually have to buff them a little. You will probably have to change your elastic often since it loses it's elasticity and gets quite dirty. If you oil your zills after cleaning them up it may keep them from rusting and tarnishing a little longer. After years of use the sound of your zills may deaden a little. I have heard that some people have had success in removing the elastic and baking their zills at 350 degrees F, for 15 minutes. I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you plan on throwing your zills away anyway's, in case you don't care for the results.
