HowTo Clean Silver Without Silver Polish

Clean tarnished sterling silver using common household items.

The need for toxic, expensive silver cleaner is not necessary if you have common household items in your kitchen. Once you remove the tarnish from the silver, drying it before storage is imperative to keep the silver from tarnishing again quickly. Do not use these methods on silver that has glued components as part of the design.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Shallow glass bowl
• Aluminum foil
• Baking soda
• Aluminum saucepan
• Salt
• Kitchen tongs
• Paper towels or dishcloths

Method One

1. Crush a sheet of aluminum foil and place it in the bottom of a shallow glass bowl or baking dish.

2. Place the silver that needs cleaning in the bowl or dish. Separate the silver so that it does not touch the pieces next to it.

3. Pour boiling water over the silver, immersing the silver completely.

4. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. baking soda over the surface of the water.

5. Allow the silver to soak for five minutes. Remove from the water and dry completely.

Method Two

1. Fill an aluminum saucepan half full of water. Add 1 tbsp. salt and baking soda to the water and bring to a boil.

2. Drop silver into the boiling water, one piece at a time. Do only a few pieces of silver so you don't overcrowd the saucepan.

3. Boil the silver for three minutes.

4. Remove the silver from the saucepan, using kitchen tongs, and drain on paper towels or dishcloths.

Tips & Warnings

• Shine the silver with a clean, soft dishcloth after the cleaning process is complete.

• For silver that has glued components, use a commercial cleaner.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Recipes for a Healthy Home