How to Clean Silver-Plated Items With Household Ingredients

How to Clean Silver-Plated Items With Baking Soda and Salt

To clean a silver-plated item, immerse and soak it in a foil-lined container filled with boiling water, salt, and baking soda and watch the tarnish disappear.

1. Assess the Tarnish

   Decide how much of the tarnish you want to remove. Some people want the item to look like new, while others prefer to leave a portion of the tarnish intact to give it some character.

2. Mix the Cleaning Solution

   Combine 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of baking soda for every gallon of water. Pick a bucket or tub that is large enough for the silver to lay flat and be covered in the liquid.

3. Line a Bucket With Aluminum Foil

   Place a few sheets of aluminum foil, the shiny side facing up, on the bottom of your container. The container should be flat enough on the bottom that the silverware can lie directly against it.
   

4. Sprinkle Salt and Baking Soda on Foil

   Sprinkle equal parts salt and baking soda on top of the aluminum foil.

5. Add Boiling Water

   Pour boiling water carefully into the container, being careful not to scald yourself with the water or the steam. Make sure the container you're using is deep enough to contain the fizzing when the water hits the baking soda and salt. There should be enough water that you cover the pieces you will be cleaning. You may smell a slight pungent odor from the chemical reaction during the process.

6. Allow Silver to Soak

   Place the silver-plated items side by side in the container using tongs. The tarnish may start to dissolve immediately but if not, add more salt, baking soda, or water, and ensure the aluminum foil is in direct contact with the silver item. Do not let the silver overlap or touch each other.

   Let the silver soak for up to 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the hot mixture with tongs, and wipe with a soft rag. If tarnish remains, soak the item longer.

   Tip

   Some darker spots might be the base metal showing through the silver plating. This is common on older pieces where the silver plating has been worn down over time by polishing.

7. Rinse and Dry

   Rinse each silver item with clean water to remove the leftover salt and baking soda mixture. Dry with a soft rag so no moisture is left, since any moisture could cause the silver to tarnish again.

Additional Tips to Clean Silver-Plated Items

• Lemon: Lemon juice removes water spots from silver-plated items. Dip a microfiber cloth in lemon juice and wipe off tarnish and water spots.
• Vinegar: This is the best method for removing moderate amounts of tarnish in minutes. Submerge your item in undiluted white vinegar and let it sit there for 15 minutes (for light tarnish) to a couple of hours (for heavier tarnish). Rinse in plain water and dry the silver-plated piece.
  
• Ketchup: Ketchup is good for polishing silver-plated objects to a shine. Squeeze ketchup onto a microfiber rag, gently polish the silver plate, and then buff the ketchup off with a clean rag.
• Toothpaste: Regular white, non-gel toothpaste shines silver-plated items. Squeeze a bit onto a microfiber cloth, gently rub it onto the silver plate, and buff it with a clean cloth.

How to Store Silver-Plated Items

Store silver-plated items as you would any silver item so that it can remain moisture-free. Store it in a drawer or container lined with a tarnish-resistant fabric, silver cloth, acid-free tissue paper, or unbleached cotton muslin.

Place the wrapped item into a cotton or anti-tarnish bag. Avoid storing silver-plated pieces in plastic because of potentially trapped moisture.