Some people think polishing causes damage and reduces the value, while others want the item to look as new as possible. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. If you have treasured silver pieces too, I hope this helps you clean and enjoy them for many years to come! But I never give up because theres nothing to lose at this point. It doesnt work as well as the wipes to get into the crevices on the inside of the bowls, no matter how hard I scrub! Our tube of toothpaste didn't seem very effective, but the real concern would be that every tube is different so the potency would be hard to moniter. No Problem. Add a quarter cup of baking soda to the saucepan while the water inside is still hot. If youre polishing multiple itemslike, say, a utensil settry to spread them out to avoid overlapping, or soak them in several batches if thats not possible. E.P. I have only sterling silver and every site accessed comments that sterling silver is not damaged by baking soda and boiling water. While the item is still wet, gently rub its entire surface with a soft, dry cloth or dish sponge to slough off loosened dirt and grime. LOL. Only one was in great condition. All you need is Calgon, salt, aluminum foil and hot water to make a quick and easy silver cleaner. Store your cleaned and polished silver-plated items in an anti-tarnish silver storage bag (view example on Amazon) or a kitchen drawer covered with anti-tarnish fabric lining (view example on Amazon). However, the best thing about the ultrasonic cleaner is that theres no need for harsh chemicals. Pick a bucket or tub that is large enough for the silver to lay flat and be covered in the liquid. Submerge the silver-plated item in the soap bath completely. Silver plate platters, tea sets, and flatwaretypically made of copper, brass, or nickel and topped with a thin layer of pure silver or a silver alloy through the process of electrolysisadd a touch of class to any table (at a far more reasonable price than solid silver). Are you sure you want to remove this item from your Recipe Box? Your Do-Anything Kitchen gathers the smartest ideas and savviest tricksfrom our community, test kitchen, and cooks we loveto help transform your space into its best self. The man who sold me a set of silver-plate utensils (not mad at him, because technically I didn't ask) recommended hubcap cleaner as the best way to get them squeaky clean. Copyright 2022 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Just the other day I was thinking about getting rid of my silverware that I have been trying for years to clean. Far and away the most aggressive of the cleaners we tested, hubcap cleaner left the most silvery, shiny sectionbut stripped away all the good tarnish and even left a strange splotch. Restoring silver is a hotly debated topic in the antique market. (i found mine at the pharmacy in 5 points Raleigh NC.) If youre lucky enough to have inherited a set of silver flatware or invested in some ornate candlesticks, you know that its shine can begin to dull and tarnish in as little as a few months. Would soda and aluminum foil do the trick? However, I use washing soda, not baking soda. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Another method involves purchasing a high quality silver polish and, again, expending considerable energy buffing away the tarnish with a cotton ball. "You just dump it in the sink and let it soak and it does a darn good job of getting even heavily oxidized tarnish off if you leave it long enough Then you just give it a good rinse.". Others leave it to soak for up to a half hour. Dont forget about Pacific Cloth. Some antique pieces are rare and valuable, while others are sentimental. In most instances, you'll notice the tarnish starts to dissolve immediately. Heres how to clean a silver plate, water jug, cutlery set and just about any other discolored item youve got thats made with this precious (in more ways than one) metal. I don't care for the oil based cleaners! But it does the job well and surprisingly fast and easy! They are not that sturdy. Do you know the age or where it was from? We put the lid into a Ziploc bag filled with industrial strength Simple Green Pro HD and water (be sure the piece is fully submerged in the solution). Loved this. Yay, it worked! It's here: Our game-changing guide to everyone's favorite room in the house. Ive never heard of the Calgon method but Im going to try that next time on my silver utensils. For large pieces and small. If you inheritedantique silver, check with a local antique dealer to determine its value. Goddards silver polish is another one recommended but we couldnt find it in our area. In the dropdown menu, select Metals. Not something to do when you have a dozen other things on the go to get done :). If you aren't planning on reselling the silver-plated object any time soon, then how you restore it is entirely up to your discretion. Dry the piece with a soft rag. Worse still, it only works well on lightly tarnished silver, so your sweat and tears would be more or less wasted on a heavily discolored object. For this cheese platter, I just hit the high spots of the detail. Good news: Theres a natural and chemical-free method for cleaning silver that works like magic and likely wont cost you a penny. Other household items that you can use successfully to polish silver include vinegar, lemon juice, and ketchup. Its minutes of work vs. hours of polishing! Is it sterling silver or silver plated? Brass is 2/3 copper which eventually turns green due to salt and air pollution. Soaking vessel (like a bucket or a deep baking dish). But the tray still needs substantial work. This article has been updated in December 2020 to provide even more (!) if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'birdzofafeather_ca-leader-2','ezslot_6',116,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-leader-2-0')};See what I mean below about price ranges? However, I decided at Thanksgiving that 2020 is the year of tarnished silver and I'm not even polishing the ornaments. Silver is a soft metal so never use anything rough to dry or buff it scratches easily. Too bad it only works on silver! to our creative directorAlexis' version, which called for just baking soda, stirred into hot water in a pan lined with aluminum foil. Jump to the last section to read how to shine your silver plate. I personally think not having to scrub a soft metal like silver is the better way to go if you want to try to save a silver piece that has chipping lacquer. How much is it worth? After applying the wipe all over, the directions say to rinse clean with water. Thanks Captain Obvious! As the baking soda and foil reacted with the silver, the whole bath gave off a slightly strange, dirty scent. After drying it, theres still plenty to clean after its bath. Some amazing tips in here Sara. So if you have something like a sterling cutlery set, you can have it sparkling again in mere minutes! All rights reserved. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',122,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-large-leaderboard-2-0')};My advice is to upload a picture with no other items in the background and to clean your piece first like Ive done below. or caviar with the little silver spoon. This is actually because household silver (used for jewelry, platters, tea sets, etc.) Read through our findings below to find out which methods didnt exactly stack up, and which was the clear winner. Spray feature made it easy to coat a piece quickly, and would have been really nice if you were cleaning a lot at once. To start your research, head to a site like WorthPoint. Thank you for sharing the cleaning tips for silver, which will serve me well! When I discovered Weiman Silver Polish a couple of decades ago, I never turned back. Is it old? Silver discolours and tarnishes with air exposure. Since the cloth is dry, theres no accidental seepage onto areas you dont want to remove patina from. Now that were close to Christmas, this is the ideal time to clean them. Unfortunately the silver plate on the inside is sparse and the copper is showing through, but that doesnt bother me in the least. Klrconinsisted that "for silverware the easiest method is the aluminum foil and baking soda trick," which is something we heard from a number of users. Have taken it to a cleaning service etc. Both highly effective and gentle, this silver cleaner removed the brown tinge of tarnish without getting rid of any of the good stuff. Be sure to wear safety eye protection too as the Wenol flies off the spinning Dremel tool if you smear too much polishing paste on the silver piece. By the way, ultrasonic cleaners are not meant for tarnish removal, just cleaning (and removing lacquer!). I think it would be lovely to upcycle this one to use on a bedside table to hold rings and other jewelry at night. Click the highlighted link, then upload a picture of your item. When you see it for yourself in action, especially on sterling silver, its like magic! Line a casserole dish or shallow vessel with aluminum foil (or obtain an aluminum dish). SoakThis process can range from a quick 60-second dip to a full 30-minute affair, depending on the degree of tarnish your silver is suffering from. While refurbishing her 1916 bungalow on her own, she shares lessons learned through her DIY and home improvement articles. I mean HUUUGE: it covers 3 burners on our stove. If nothing similar comes up (which isnt the case here as far as images go), you can change the description in the search bar. I feel like this is on par with what Alison Roman said in her most recent email: "Who the F cares at this point?" The exact or similar items will pop up. The dull centre section, once under water and in contact with the silver, is now sporting the tarnish. This method when it's promoted makes him mad. Theres a chemical reaction that attracts the tarnish from the silver items to the aluminum foil. You'll be able to tell how long your silver needs to soak based on how much tarnish is still left on the piece. OK, so the traditional techniques for polishing silver are pretty unappealing, but dont ditch those heirloom items just yet. Stop at your local motorcycle shop and get tubes of Wenol and Simichrome. For instance, instead of antique, try silver clamshell and search again. However for silver plate, like the tray, I would say use this method with caution. Manasa Reddigari, 8 Things You Never See on the Dining Table Anymore, 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Towns Curbside Cleanup Day, 50 Things Every Homeowner Should Know How to Do. Underneath though, looks like an oil slick. Add the silver pieces, being sure that each piece touches the foil. The only problem is that, thanks to all that tarnish, your sterling isnt looking so stellar at the moment. If there is still tarnish, place it back in the bucket for additional soaking. Id love some tips for polishing copper cookware - Ive tried everything on my Mauviel and find the only thing that works is bringing a dish in the deepest pot to dinner at my mothers house. After removing the object from the bucket, rinse it thoroughly with clean water. It doesn't come off and I have now idea how it happened. Sterling silver, like many other metals, just requires a bit of upkeep to maintain a mirror-like shine. I love the way it looks now with a gentle cleaning! We have a few silver pieces that are hiding in a cupboard because they look a little worse for wear. Read our, How to Clean Sterling Silver and Keep It Shining, Use This Simple Trick to Clean Your Silver, From Aluminum to Steel, Learn How to Keep Metal Clean, Use This Trick to Remove Tarnish from Copper and Brass, How to Remove Paint From Metal Without Chemicals, The Best Silver Polishes for Adding Shine and Protection, Here's How to Keep Chrome Shiny and Bright Using Ingredients You Probably Already Have, Learn How to Make Your Own Cleaning Solutions for Around the Home, How to Clean Copper Pans and Other Copper Surfaces Naturally, Learn How to Freshen and Unclog a Drain With Baking Soda, How to Use Baking Soda to Shine Pots, Pans, and Cookie Sheets, Bring Back the Shine on Your Baking Sheets. That gorgeous antique silver you scored at the flea market (or from Aunt Jean) is begging for you to bust it out at your next dinner party. 6. And heres another reason why you might want to skip this method: Commercial silver polish often contains some seriously nasty toxins, including suspected carcinogens andgaspcyanide, too. that need to be polished! Use a soft cloth like this t-shirt fabric to apply it and rub away. If some tarnish is stubborn, add more salt, baking soda, or water. Could you supply more information on "deposits aluminum film on a dirt spoon?" Any suggestions would be appreciated. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated so save this pin to refer back to later! Watch this video to see four of the five methods we tried! Moving on, heres part of the set that goes with the lid we resurrected. Add boiling water and silverAdd your (roughly) pre-measured quantity of boiling water to the soaking container. And keep applying. These articles have great tips on how to conserve a valuable piece, so read up before proceeding. I love learning more about how old an item is and what its actually for! Get it at fabric store. Until today! Then sprinkle equal parts of Calgon and salt into the tray. This is where a cleaning cloth works brilliantly. If you have really heavy dark tarnish on an intricate gadroon silver piece and the sponge just isnt cleaning everything, carefully use a high-speed Dremel tool with a felt point while always moving quickly to avoid buffing too much silver plate off. If you already have experience with cleaning silver, whats your go-to? Wenol is slightly more abrasive than Simichrome so use that to remove heavy tarnish and then Simichrome afterwards when your silver needs repolishing. Jillian is a freelance journalist with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. Thanks!! And I have a silverplate piece that seemed ruined but now Im going to work on it some more as well. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist. A better description may work better. The water will bubble as the baking soda dissolves. If cleaning a non-lacquered item, run hot water from the tap. This method is also amuch faster way to clean silver than wipes or polishing liquid. If you have vintage pieces you don't really want to strip them of ALL their patina. Thats so interesting that you have the same cream & sugar set! It will help my granddaughter who does this for meits a paid chore. When pouring, stand back because the steam could potentially scald your skin, and the smell is not pleasant. Ensure the aluminum foil is in direct contact with the silver item. Then look for markings on your piece and type that into the search bar. The baking soda will immediately begin to chemically react with the silver sulfide. You just have to put on music you enjoy and while away the hours. Following either the regular or deep cleaning routines, use this procedure to restore sheen to silver plate. Boil four cups of plain water in a saucepan, then move the saucepan of water from the heat to an empty sink. I'm fairly neutral :), I was shocked to see this method recommended--it totally removes the design of elaborate silver patterns to leave a flat one color surface that cannot be recovered. To see if the silver is ready, carefully remove it from the hot mixture with tongs, and wipe with a soft rag. Now I have "stainless" steel but some of the pieces have turned almost black. 3. Add hot water and baking soda. First photo by Bobbi Lin; all others by Alpha Smoot. Silver polish is VERY messy so this is something you might want to wear gloves to do. Some pieces are passed down from his family but he has an impressive CPR silver collection. Line the base and sides of a large glass bowl with a sheet of aluminum foil (either the shiny or dull side can be facing up), then set the silver-plated item inside the bowl directly on top of the foil. There are many commercial products to clean silver and silver-plated items, but you also can clean silver naturally. For things like trays and serving dishes, take an aluminum foil turkey tray, or an aluminum take-out container. Also, since the cleaner is throughout the entire wipe, you can clean two surfaces at once right around edges saving time.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-leader-4','ezslot_8',136,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-leader-4-0')}; My best tip for using these wipes is to cut only what you need. Know the value of your piece first before choosing ANY cleaning method. Gently rub the paste- or cream-based polish (e.g.,Wrights Silver Polish Cleaner, available for $5 onAmazon) over the entire surface of the clean silver-plated item using circular motions. A dry cloth is the 4th option for how to remove tarnish from silver. Wipe down and buff. I have two "chests" worth of silverplate that were my mom's and grandmom's. Polish is a popular option for how to remove tarnish from silver. Whileit did lift a lot of the tarnish, I still wonder if multiple uses of this silver cleaning method might also eventually lift the silver plate itself once it starts to wear.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_13',130,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-mobile-leaderboard-2-0')}; Last, but not least is using a silver polishing cloth. So that wraps up the four different methods on how to clean silver and remove tarnish (5 if you include the ultrasonic cleaner). But if you dont want to pay beyond a free trial, or just cut to the chase, copy and paste the description into google or go to eBay! The shell on the bottom isnt clean or polished and maybe even has condition issues. Although the lacquer had worn away only where it was tarnished, we managed to give the lid new life again be removing it completely. Rinse the item under warm tap water to wash off lingering debris, then wipe it down with a soft, dry cloth. RELATED: 8 Things You Never See on the Dining Table Anymore. 2010-2022 Wow Media Products, Inc doing business as PureWow. While light tarnish will transfer to the aluminum foil on its own, more dramatic discoloration may need to be wiped away with a rag once the silver is done soaking. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'birdzofafeather_ca-leader-3','ezslot_7',115,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-leader-3-0')};Heres a better shot of the golden hue on the lid (the black spot is now at the back, but you can see the tip of the handle is also tarnished): Turns out the lid has a lacquerfinish over a silver plate base which is tinted yellow to mimic gold plate. Do you have tarnished silver pieces in a cupboard or china cabinetwaiting to be loved again too? With a strength comparable to the Tiffany's cleaner, Wright's was very effective right from the bottlethough it did require a little more time to get a high shine. The British Antique Dealers' Association. Going to enjoy my pieces now thanks to this terrific information. In this post we try five ways to get your silver sparkling again!if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',104,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-medrectangle-3-0')}; This little tray holds a darling cream and sugar set, which youll see how to clean later. (Arent you glad you measured the water before boiling?) Remove the silver-plated item from the bowl using tongs, then rinse it under warm tap water to wash away any lingering film. The lid goes over the glass dish in the middle. Note: You dont have to perfectly line the container, but the goal is to have the silver in contact with the foilso the bigger the swath, the better. When the water/soda solution is very hot, dip sections of the tray or silver piece. But its definitely much better than the before which practically looked like coal! I hear that baking soda and salt will work too, so if you cant find Calgon, thats another option you can try. And something else you might not even consider: is there lacquer over the silver to keep it looking shiny? Make sure to dry the water immediately with a soft cloth. Now, dont forget to polish to completely restore the metals luster! Give the piece three to five minutes of dwell time to loosen dirt or grime, then remove it and place it on a clean surface. However if you click on these, it doesnt take you to the source (eBay) and give you a price. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_14',112,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-narrow-sky-1-0')};You can wrap it around a finger (like Im doing on this brass hardware) and target a particular spot. However, not all silver should be polished. Use this procedure for cleaning silver plate to get rid of the dirt and grime that accumulates from regular use. Whether sterling or silver plate, I never really gave a single thought to how to remove tarnish from silveruntil I inherited some pieces from my mom. At first, I really didnt know why this lid looked golden in colour instead of silver (like the rest of the set) and why only a small portion was blackened. They would really come in handy to clean this stuff, wouldnt they? When silvers on display, that shiny, sparkling look diminishes with each passing day. That big black mark on the right side in the first pic above is not the base metal. Its the pieces left in the drawer that tarnish. Thank you for this very informative article!P.S. Someone selling an item on one site, might not have a really good handle on the real worth of an item, so look at high end and auction sites too for a better understanding. Be aware that some darker spots might be the base metal showing through the silver plating. Place a few sheets of aluminum foil on the bottom of your container, and make sure that the shiny side is facing up. when needed! I have to break out the Q-tips to swirl into those circles to get them clean. The silver in my dining room gleams afterwards! The more you use sterling the less often you will need to polish it. Add the baking soda and saltThe quantity of baking soda and salt you should use really depends on the size of the possession youre trying to polish, but there is a straightforward formula. The ultrasonic cleaner removes most of the lacquer. This is not cleaning the silver. Theres no way Id want to change it by shining everything up. You get the idea! Sprinkle a few special serving pieces into your tablescapes for a touch of glamour and sparkle over the holiday season! I snapped these shots before our work on the lid. But then, if you do that, you cant see or enjoy it on a daily basis. It's all-natural, effective because of a chemical reaction (which we geekily love), and seemed impossible to mess up. You'll need roughly 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of baking soda for every gallon of water used. 2. But dont wait until the very last minute to clean your silver. As mentioned, I dont find Silvo is great at getting into the crevices. I also shined up the flat surfaces of the design around the outer rim to add some sparkle. And keep rubbing. Use the following steps to clean your silver naturally. Weve always used Silvo and I dread silver polishing day every December. A telltale giveaway that silver is plated is if the piece looks like an oil slick (as you see with the tray at the beginning of this post). This is common on older pieces where the silver plating has been worn down over time by polishing. I love them because, theres no harsh smell and the liquid on the wipes really gets into all the nooks and crannies. This another version of the aluminum & sods method. 4. Bring water to a boil, and carefully pour it into the container. So my verdict on using Calgon in a water bath? Right away I have hits on the exact same item. When youre not using your silver, storing it in plastic away from air helps preserve its sparkle and all the hard work you spent cleaning. It is a messy job, but I use disposable robber gloves, old undershirts, and an apron reserved for that task. Two readers, QueenSashy and Klrcon, suggested using toothpaste to clean silverbut Boulangere said that it's "abrasive and will scratch the silver, especially if it's not silver plate." UserClaire Smithrecommended jewelry cleaner, and others got specific: "I think Wright's silver polish is the best," saidMolly Fuller(who was seconded byBoulangere). My husband has quite the silver collection. I find that Hagerty Silversmiths wash OR Magic Wadding is superior and faster, Store your silver with camphor blocks. 14 Pieces of Furniture That Dont Require a Pro For Assembly. Try wipes for how to remove tarnish from silver. When I downsized I gave my silverplate to my daughter. Instead of keeping your silver pieces, like we are, you may even be thinking about selling them. Now carefully, so as to avoid scalding splashes, add the silver pieces you wish to polish to the container. Hope you have a Merry Christmas Michelle . Burns and Scalds. Obtaining it was easy in New York City, where you can just swing by the Tiffany's store even if you're wearing sneakers, but wouldn't be as simple to come by in other markets. Our best tips for eating thoughtfully and living joyfully, right in your inbox. I think its the only way to go if you have sterling silver pieces like the cheese knife below. This method went out years ago (I am 80 with lots of silver). Im always on the hunt at Goodwill and other thrift stores. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'birdzofafeather_ca-leader-1','ezslot_10',109,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position!='undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-birdzofafeather_ca-leader-1-0')};Dry any water drops immediately with a soft cloth; water is not a friend to silver. Pour in very hot water to dissolve. Perfectly shiny with the great patina remaining. Rinse under a warm tap to remove remaining soda. Though it required a bit of set-uplining a dish with foil, then dumping in baking soda and hot waterwe could see how this would be the easiest way to polish a mess of silverware by far. Then add your silver, ensuring its totally submerged below the water and touching the foil. Lauren Thomann is a jewelry expert passionate about crafting and DIY home improvement, writing on both topics.