How to Give Sterling Silver a Salty Soda Polish

Clean all of your sterling silver with a homemade solution.

Although you can get out the smelly silver cleaner and a cloth and give your sterling silver pieces a vigorous polishing, a simpler option does not involve harsh chemicals. With basic household ingredients, you can give sterling silver a salty soda polish and restore its luster and shine. The correct combination of ingredients creates a chemical reaction that forces the tarnish ions away from the sterling silver surface.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum pot or aluminum foil
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• Soft cloth
• Dishwashing soap

1. Fill the aluminum pot with 2 qts. water. Add 2 tsp. baking soda and 2 tsp. salt to the water. Place the pot on the stovetop and boil the water.

2. Remove the water from the stove and stir the ingredients briefly. Add the sterling silver pieces to the water, submerging them completely.

3. Soak the silver pieces in the water for about five minutes.

4. Remove the silver after the time elapses and rub the silver surfaces gently with the soft cloth to remove any residual tarnish. The tarnish should remove easily with light buffing.

5. Wash the silver pieces by hand with sudsy water, rinse them well and dry them by hand.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of using an aluminum pot for boiling the water and soaking the silver, use any type of pot or bowl to hold the ingredients and add a 3-inch piece of aluminum foil to achieve the same result.

• Keene State College recommends using a 3-inch piece of aluminum foil in warm water and soaking the sterling silver items in the baking soda and salt solution for one hour. Wash and buff the items as directed.

References

• "Good Housekeeping, Volume 64"; 1916
• Sensible House Cleaning Solutions; Homemade Cleaning Recipes for Metals; Catherine Kennelly
• KSC Recycling and Sustainability Office; Green Cleaning; Cindy Sterling