Cleaning Silver
Some Invaluable Steps For Cleaning Silver
There are some rather expensive chemical solutions for cleaning silver on the market today, but what did people use for their jewelry and flatware before these modern day miracles? Well, elbow grease, for one, and some naturally occurring elements which still work wonders today. Baking soda, for instance, is a wonderful ingredient for cleaning silver, and there are ways of bringing the ultimate power out of this natural element. Baking soda is used for cleaning silver by way of transference, and tin foil is the most common and cost efficient material for this type of project.
Depending on the size or amount of silver that you have to clean, you will need to adjust your materials accordingly. Be sure before cleaning silver jewelry or flatware that you check for signs that the piece may be plated. Plating is a method used for coating other metals thinly with real silver. Though these pieces may be costly as well, and contain quite a fair amount of silver, they can be easily damaged should abrasion become an issue. Once you have determined the type of pieces which need cleaning, silver should be washed with a very mild dish detergent and warm water. Thoroughly rinse the pieces and rub them dry with a clean towel.
If you have a large glass bowl, this would be best for the proper chemical reaction to take place while cleaning silver. You will want to start a large pot of water boiling, adding up to one cup of baking soda to it before it begins to boil. Line the bottom of your glass dish with heavy duty tin foil, making sure that the shiny side is facing upward. When your pot of baking soda water has begun to boil, be sure to stir it often, as the baking soda will settle toward the bottom in a granular form. Baking soda is abrasive to silver in this form, so be sure to continue boiling the water until the baking soda is completely dissolved before cleaning silver with it.
Place the pieces to be cleaned on top of the tin foil in the glass dish. You may have to repeat the process for larger pieces, as the hot baking soda mixture will only work on the submerged portion of the piece. In this case, you would clean the bottom first, and then repeat all of your cleaning silver steps after flipping the piece over. Once you have placed the items in the glass dish you will carefully pour the hot baking soda water into it and wait. You will see flakes of brown and gray tarnish peel away from the silver, and the tin foil will often discolor to black. About ten minutes should be a fair amount of time, and the pieces should rubbed dry with a lint free cloth.