How to Clean Silver With Bananas

It is not necessary to resort to harsh chemicals or cleansers to get gleaming silver. A simple banana peel polish will restore the luster of most pieces. For more heavily tarnished silver, a bath in salt water with baking soda and a piece of aluminum foil will remove the heavy black tarnish. Then you can use the banana peel polish to buff your silver to a warm glow.

Things You'll Need

• Banana peels
• Water
• Blender or food processor
• Clean soft cloths

Instructions

1. 

   Blend the peels until smooth.

   Put a couple of banana peels in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add water as needed to bring the consistency to that of toothpaste.

2. 

   Silver dish and spoon

   Apply the banana peel polish with a soft cloth. You will see the black tarnish begin to lift off.

3. 

   Silver cup

   Rinse the banana peel polish off and buff with a clean cloth until shining.

Tips & Warnings

• The natural wax and oil in the banana peel with help preserve the shine, do not rinse after buffing to a shine.

• For heavily tarnished pieces, consider using this technique: Put a piece of aluminum foil in a bowl, place your silver on top of the foil and sprinkle with a tablespoon each salt and baking soda. Pour 4 cups hot water over everything. The baking soda will bubble the tarnish loose and it will adhere to the aluminum foil. When the bubbling has stopped, dry your silver and buff to a soft luster with the banana polish.

• Polishing with baking soda will remove small amounts of silver. For frequently used pieces, buffing often with a soft cloth is the best way to maintain the luster of your silver. A small amount of black in the detailing is considered desirable.

References

• Nancy's Kitchen: How to Clean Silver with Baking Soda
• Frugal Fun: Naturally Frugal Cleaning

Resources

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Household Solutions: Melodie Moore: (c) 1998: ISBN 0-02862706-7