How to Clean Silver Through Electrolysis

You can always clean your silver pieces the old fashioned way, using silver polish and elbow grease. But science has provided a much less labor-intensive solution to your grimy silver problems. It's the electrolytic process, a method that separates the tarnish-causing chloride and sulfide ions from the silver. And you don't even need a laboratory to conduct this experiment; it's safe and easy to do at home using common household products.

Things You'll Need

• Glass baking dish
• Aluminum foil
• Half gallon of hot water
• Two tablespoons of baking soda
• Pitcher
• Soft cloth
• Long-handled spoon

Instructions

1. Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil and lay it in the bottom of a glass baking dish. You can also use a plastic container, but do not use a metal one.

2. Lay your silver pieces on top of the aluminum foil. If you have far more silver than can fit into the dish, just lay out a portion of it and conduct several cleanings.

3. Mix a half gallon of hot water and two tablespoons of baking soda in a large pitcher. Pour the mixture over the silver pieces until they're completely covered. Allow the batch of silver to soak for about ten minutes, during which time an ion exchange will take place between the aluminum foil and the silver.

4. Remove the silver pieces and buff each one dry individually with a soft cloth. If you are cleaning silver flatware, move the pieces to an appropriate padded case as soon as possible. Use a clean piece of foil and a fresh baking soda mixture for any subsequent batches.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not attempt this technique on silver pieces that are sealed together with adhesives, as it may weaken the bond.