Cleaning Silver - From Shabby To Chic

How To Easily Clean Your Silver

Tarnished to Sparkling

You will need aluminum foil and baking soda. Use a non reactive tub, bowl or a porcelain kitchen sink.

Line the bottom with aluminum foil. (If you use heavy duty foil, you may reuse the piece again.)

Generously sprinkle the bottom with baking soda.

Place your pieces to be cleaned on top of the baking soda. Try not to have them touch each other.

Add boiling water to cover the pieces as much as possible. Make sure your area is well ventilated as this tends to have an odor.

Roll the pieces with a plastic utensil if the water doesn’t cover it all. Soak for about 15 minutes or until you don’t see them getting any cleaner. (Add cold water to cool so the items can be picked up.) Repeat this process until the pieces come out almost clean. This may take a few tries. By getting most of the tarnish off with this first step, polishing is extremely easy.

Finish with a quick cleaning polish with a silver paste or Semichrome (available at antique stores and motorcycle shops).

Wash with a gentle dish soap, rinse and dry well with a soft cloth.

Enjoy!

Tips For Storing And Caring For Your Silver

An area with low humidity is the best place to store silver.

Storing items in plastic bags will slow down or stop the tarnish process.

Silver pieces can also be wrapped in a clean, white cotton towel or acid free paper to help prevent tarnishing.

Always remove salt from salt shakers before storing them. Salt is corrosive and will not only damage the shaker, but may damage all the silver stored with it.

Never use rubber bands to secure stacks of silverware. A chemical in the rubber will tarnish anywhere it touches.

Never wash in the dishwasher.

And most important, use and enjoy your pieces!