Household Remedies for Cleaning Silver

Many people are becoming more conscious of the harsh chemicals found in many cleaning products. By using simple household products that you already have, you can avoid the use of chemicals and save money as well.

Considerations

If you wear rubber gloves when you polish your silver, the rubber actually encourages tarnish. The following items can adversely affect and even damage silver: table salt, olives, salad dressing, eggs, vinegar, fruit, fruit juices and flowers.

Cleaning Tarnish from Silver and Silver Plate

Fill your sink with very hot water. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom and add baking soda and salt. Soak your silver and silver plated items for a few minutes. The tarnish will leave the silver and go to the foil.

Cleaning Silver Jewelry

You can clean silver jewelry similarly to the method above; just place your jewelry in an aluminum pie pan and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water into the pan and allow the jewelry to soak until clean. Repeat if necessary.

Silver Polish

Large silver pieces will need to be cleaned by hand. You can use ordinary toothpaste or a paste of baking soda and water as a silver polish. Rub the paste on the silver, then rinse in hot water and dry with a clean, soft cloth. For stubborn tarnish, you may need to leave the paste on the silver for a little while.

Benefits

In addition to avoiding chemicals and saving money, these methods are good for the environment.

Resources

• Additional home made cleaning products