How to Clean Silver Soldered Dishes
When you see the "silver soldered" stamp on the bottom of a dish, it means that the joints are silver soldered -- but it doesn't mean that the dish itself is silver. More likely, it is nickel or German silver, a metal alloy that is shiny like silver, but contains no actual silver. Nickel silver tarnishes easily, so if your dishes haven't been maintained in a while, they may appear very dark. Bringing out the shine is simple, using materials you probably already have on hand. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dish soap
- Dish towel
- White toothpaste
- Paper towels
- Baking soda
- Polymer car polish (optional)
- Soft cloth (optional)
Instructions
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Wash the dishes in warm soapy water to remove any dirt from the surface. Dry the dishes with a cloth.
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Apply a small amount of white toothpaste to the dish and rub it into the tarnished surface with a paper towel. If the dish is large or you have a large number of them, sprinkle them with baking soda and rub them with a damp cloth to remove the tarnish.
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Rinse the dishes well in running water and dry.
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Polish the dish, if desired, using a polymer metal polish, such as an auto polish. Moisten a corner of a soft cloth with a small amount of polish and rub the dish in a swirling motion. When the polish leaves a hazy cast, buff it off with a dry section of the cloth.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't use car polish on silver soldered dishes if you intend to eat off of them.
