How To Easily Remove Tarnish From Silver
Do you have antique silverware lying around, that you never use because it’s so hard to polish? I did too! I was blessed enough to have been given two complete sets of beautiful silverware. But I was so afraid to use them. And I certainly didn’t have hours to spend polishing it all each time! So I did some quick research, and combined some different methods, and discovered how to easily remove tarnish from silver!
One holiday, by necessity, I had to get the silver out. Forks seem to disappear in my house, and we didn’t have enough forks for everyone. My mother in law suggested that I get out the real silver, and I about had an anxiety attack! It had to be done, though. After we ate, I painstakingly made sure that each and every piece was accounted for, and washed them. So many pieces were so tarnished after sitting for years unused (we ate with them clean, but tarnished) and I didn’t have any silver polish on hand. I came up with my own method to easily remove tarnish from silver and it works!
The good news is that you probably have what you need around the house!
What you need:
Hot water
Soft cloth or dish towel
That’s it!!! That’s all it takes to remove tarnish from silver! No need to go out and buy expensive silver polish!
How to remove tarnish from silver:
Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon baking soda all over pan, enough to give it a good covering.
Place silverware on top of baking soda. Be sure to spread it out a little so that it’s not touching each other.
Pour enough boiling water over it to completely cover the silverware. You can carefully swish the pan so that the water moves a little back and forth over the silverware. Be careful not to splash the water and burn yourself! Let sit for about 5 minute or so. You will be able to see some of the tarnish instantly disappear. There is a sulfur type odor that is produced, that just means it’s working! Turn the silverware over with tongs and let it sit another few minutes.
You can touch any stubborn spots of tarnish directly on the aluminum tray to further remove it.
Wipe any exiting tarnish off with a soft cloth or dish towel. If any stubborn tarnish remains, repeat the baking soda process all over again. For best results, use a fresh aluminum tray.
In about 15 minutes time, you will have tarnish free silver!!! But the most important step to keeping your silverware tarnish-free is how you store it!
To store real silver:
Stack like items-all the forks together, spoons together, etc. Don’t go too high or they will topple over. Wrap the stacks very tightly in foil. Now they are all ready for the next time you use them, and they will be sparkling clean!
To clean silver:
Did you know you can wash real silverware in the dishwasher??? You can, and they come out perfectly! But if you don’t want to try it, just hand wash as usual and wrap in foil for the next use.
Here are some other ways to clean with baking soda!
Now that you have sparkly silverware, how about how to set a beautiful table?
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Frequently asked questions
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