Homemade Silver Cleaner | Polish Silver without Harsh Chemicals
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Longtime former Yankee contributor Earl Proulx had a simple solution for practically everything — including household chores. A woman once wrote to him asking how to clean a sterling silver spoon she had left soaking in bleach, causing it to turn “black as an ace of spades.” She’d tried cleaning it with silver polish, but with no luck. He suggested she try the electrolyte method, and gave her instructions to make a homemade silver cleaner that’s easy, uses common household staples, and doesn’t require gloves or messy chemicals. She wrote again to tell him how well the method worked for her. Before she tried it, she thought the spoon was ruined.
Note: This method should be used as a last resort. The electromagnetic reaction that removes the tarnish may also remove the patina, leaving the silver looking flat. Do not use this method for cleaning silver on pieces that have a raised design or on cemented pieces. For help with cleaning valuable pieces of silver, we suggest contacting a silversmith.
HOMEMADE SILVER CLEANER | DIY ADVICE
Ingredients for Homemade Silver Cleaner:
1 quart of hot water
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 sheet of aluminum foil
non-aluminum dish
Our homemade silver cleaner (the best method we’ve found yet for how to clean tarnished silver) includes baking soda.
Instructions for Making Homemade Silver Cleaner:
Line bottom of non-aluminum dish with a sheet of aluminum foil
Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a quart of hot water
Soak for a half hour — time may vary depending on degree of tarnish
Buff with clean, dry cloth
The subject: a heavily tarnished spoon. The process: soak tarnished silver in a water/baking-soda bath. The result: a silver spoon free of tarnish.
Do you have any tips for natural silver cleaner or advice for how to clean silver? Let us know!
This post was first published in 2011 and has been updated.
