Suggestions for Homemade silver polish for silverware and silver dishes?
Question:Any suggestions for cleaning alot of silverware and silver platters safely???
Answers:
Oh, please don't put anything corrosive on your sterling!! Vinegar is acidic, it can etch your sterling silver!! Toothpaste is abrasive, it can permanently scratch your sterling and keep it from shining ever again. Salt will also eat or etch your sterling. It is VERY corrosive. If I were you, I would (instead of trying to find a homemade solution because there IS no safe one) go to Wal Mart and buy some Hagerty Silver cream or lotion and use that. I would NOT take a chance on any kind of abrasive or corrosive solutions on my sterling. It is just not worth it because once it's scratched or etched, that's it. If you use the Hagerty or Wright's Silver cream/polish they will also have an anti-tarnishing agent in them that will prohibit tarnish reoccurence BUT your best bet is to put your sterling in a box specifially made for storage of sterling flatware. You can also buy cloths that are made of the anti-tarnishing material that the silverchests are lined with to put your serving dishes/trays etc in. Be sure to store all of your sterling in this manner and also remember that the more light your silver is exposed to, the faster it will tarnish. Also, exposure to the air will tarnish it as well.
Be sure also that you don't store your flatware in one of the bags because it can become scratched from the pieces rubbing and coming into contact with each other. That is why the silver chest is so important. It allows the silver to be placed in slots where the pieces won't bang each other up. I promise, this is the best bet. Your sterling is an investment and was expensive and would be MORE expensive to replace. Be careful to treat it gently and it will give you many years of enjoyment. (One more thing..be SURE you don't ever put a rubberband around your flatware to keep them together. The rubberband will permanently tarnish the pieces wherever it touches the silver.)
Cheap toothpaste. (No mint) mixed with baking soda to form paste. Rub it on let it set almost to powder. Buff off. WAH LAH beautiful shine. This also works to shine the car wheels.
Are they silver plate or solid? Silver plate just use a soft cloth. Solid silver i did see something about vinegar being OK, although there is the problem of the faint odour afterwords. Good luck.
1. Fill sink full of steaming hot water.
2. Mix 2-tablespoons salt and 2-tablespoons baking soda in bowl.
3. Add mixture to sink of hot water.
4. Cut a small sheet of aluminum foil and push it to the bottom of sink.
5. Dip silver items. Most tarnish will slide off. For stubborn stains, allow them to sit for up to 5-minutes at a time.
6. Rinse well.
7. Dry.
8. Store properly.
=)
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