Last Christmas, my mother-in-law surprised me with my first piece of silver! She warned me it would eventually tarnish and require a little maintenance, and well, 6 months later it was definitely overdue for a little TLC.
Removing tarnish by hand can be a daunting task, so I chose a much easier route of letting my pot soak in my sink for a few minutes.
De-Tarnish Your Silver
This method is so great because you likely already have all of the supplies you need at home. And it works on jewelry too.
Supplies You’ll Need
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Aluminum foil
- Almost boiling hot water
De-tarnish your silver {in less than 2 minutes}
Materials
- Aluminum foil
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup baking soda
- Almost boiling hot water
Instructions
Line your sink {or a dishpan} with aluminum foil, shiny side up.
Pour the baking soda and salt into the sink.
Fill sink two-thirds full with almost-boiling water. Submerge silver for 1 - 2 minutes.
Rinse with hot water, and then immediately dry with a soft cloth.
Ta-da! Like brand new, in less than 2 minutes! Wild, right?!
Why this method works
The foil, soda and hot water produce a chemical reaction that sucks the silver sulfide, or tarnish, from the silver item, and onto the foil. After cleaning several pieces, you will notice that the foil has become quite dark.
Happy de-tarnishing!
Dee
Friday 14th of July 2023
This is amazing. I just tried it and it’s so easy and turns out great. Thank you so much!!
edie
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
Wow! I thought my silver tea pot was ruined but this took all the tarnish off. I think the trick is to not leave your pieces in long. I turned mine constantly and took it out, rubbed it with a soft cloth and then dipped again. I also rinsed the salt off with cool water and rubbed again with a clean cloth. What an amazing thing. My teapot is so shinny again.
Brenda
Sunday 25th of June 2023
Will this work on silver plate?
Vicki
Sunday 29th of May 2022
Everybody loves a shortcut but please don't use this method on your treasured silver. The reaction that takes place, moving the molecules of tarnish from the silver to the foil, is also taking a tiny bit of silver with it. Plus, as a shortcut WD-40 is faster and safer. But for the real treasures stick to the hard work of silver paste/polish.
Julia Young
Friday 21st of January 2022
did not work, left my silver teapot and bowl pitted and spotted. Later I tried silver polish and would not remove it, I am afraid they are damaged forever. J. Carol
Kathy Wolfe
Saturday 15th of July 2023
Did not work for me either! I spray thrift store silver pieces with matte white paint and “scuff” a little off of the handles and edges—makes a really pretty display, and no more tarnish!
Marilyn
Wednesday 19th of January 2022
Would this work on copper?