Comments on How to Clean and Polish Silver

The ashes on the wet cloth work wonderfully - however, if you really want to remove tough tarnish - and especially if you have nothing to lose if the finish is already damaged, dip a toothbrush in Coca-Cola and then in the ashes and scrub away! Or, simply pour over the item or immerse it very briefly in the cola. I found some silver pieces at a yard sale, and could not even tell the pattern engraved on it. With nothing to lose, presto, the cola took it right off! However, I would not recommend this for regular cleaning.

Fill sink with hot water, dissolve 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 cup of water softner, add sheet of aluminum foil to sink bottom, dip silver item for instant shine.

Securely wrap your silver up in plastic cling wrap. It keeps your hard work nice and shiny until its next use. It really works!

tarnish occures most commonly through contact with sulpher and sulfide compounds, unlike the common bain of other metals that oxadize in moisture, so, one may find that rinsing silver with distilled water perioticly will prevent tarnish formation, rather than accelerate it. tap water on the other hand, always hase a sulpher content and is not a good idea to use for rinsing silver.

Clean silver thoroughly, wrap with plastic wrap -- try to get as much air out as possible. Then wrap again with second layer. Check in a few months for any tarnish. Should last at least two years.

Put hot water, aluminum foil, and baking soda in a glass pan. Place silver piece(s) on top of foil and wait. Remove silver, dry with soft towel. This will not remove any silver plating.

My Aunt told me this. Dip the tip of a clean rag into water. Then dip in the nearest ashtray. Use this paste to wipe tarnish away. She says this is the old time way. Also it is much gentler because ash particles are so fine. Gives a soft luster!

Anti-tarnish strips can be found at the Container Store as well as many department stores that sell silver.

Leave pieces of white chalk (like you use on a blackboard) in whatever chests or cabinets you store your sliver serving pieces. It prevents tarnish.

I thought I would try it since it was the easiest thing to do and it really works! Also, I then sealed it in foodsaver bags.

Using foil, hot water and soda can also be done, placing foil in sink. Pieces often too big for glass bowl.

tarnish occures most commonly through contact with sulpher and sulfide compounds, unlike the common bain of other metals that oxadize in moisture, so, one may find that rinsing silver with distilled water perioticly will prevent tarnish formation, rather than accelerate it. tap water on the other hand, always hase a sulpher content and is not a good idea to use for rinsing silver.

Put hot water, aluminum foil, and baking soda in a glass pan. Place silver piece(s) on top of foil and wait. Remove silver, dry with soft towel. This will not remove any silver plating.

Before you go and buy anything, try using toothpaste. I'm serious, it works amazingly well. -Roni

I do not entertain as frequently as I used to, so I vacuum pack (i.e. FoodSaver) the seldom used items. This way I can take them out when I need them, and just wash, dry and repack for the next use. This eliminates cleaning before they are needed again.

I find that the product "So Clean" detergent booster made by Arm and Hammer works a bit better than just baking soda alone. Same method-hot water, foil, glass bowl or pan but a couple of tablespoons of "So Clean". I think it's the added detergent.

I have a silver pitcher that used to belong to my great-great-great-great-grandmother. It has many tiny grooves that are very hard to clean with a polishing cloth, so I use a soft-bristled toothbrush with mild toothpaste. If you do this to clean silver, be sure that you rinse it well with clean well water or bottled water (tap water may have chemicals like fluoride) so that the toothpaste doesn't dry in the grooves. To get any tarnish off that won't come off with a cloth or brush, gently rub the tip of a wooden toothpick on the tarnish. It work really well.

If you have tarnish on silver, brass, stainless steel or light rust on other iron ptoducts, but it's not quite so terrable that you want to make a big production of it, use some cheep toothpaste. I've found that small pieces of jewelery are too difficult to use chemicals on, and a tiny tube of cheep toothpaste (the kind that you might get from a hotel, or jail) is useful for cleening stuff that's either too delicate for major tarnish removal, too big or awkward to boil in a pot with alternative cleening methods, or stuff like door knobs that are securly fascened to other stuff. a slight warning though, do not use a toothbrush to apply it, and if possable don't use anything that has a gritty texture or baking soda content.

My Aunt told me this. Dip the tip of a clean rag into water. Then dip in the nearest ashtray. Use this paste to wipe tarnish away. She says this is the old time way. Also it is much gentler because ash particles are so fine. Gives a soft luster!

This is a poor man's Tarnex. Mix about 4 cups of water with 3/4 cup powdered water softener in a bucket. Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of the bucket. Add your silver; it creates the same chemical reaction.