Cleaning silver, from jewelry to tableware, is no longer a smelly chore with this easy how-to cleaning technique, using baking soda and aluminum foil.
Sterling Silver Doesn’t Have To Be Cleaned With Harsh Chemicals
I once had a huge collection of household silver; you know, the kind our grandma would showcase in a display cabinet, only to bring out for special occasions or Sunday dinner.Â
However, cleaning silverware with the harsh silver cleaners became a laborious job I couldn’t justify the time spent, so I gave much of it away.Â
Often times I would find the chemicals from the silver polishes gave me a headache from their smell by the time I was done.
Once I discovered how easily this natural mix of ingredients could clean the few silver pieces I still had, I wished I hadn’t given away the others.
Natural Silver Cleaners
Who knew there could be an easy way to clean silver with items you already have in your kitchen!
A chemical reaction between the baking soda, salt and aluminum foil does all the work for you, due to the creation of a cell that acts as a reducing agent in the tarnish on the silverware.Â
Simply dipping the silver pieces into the mix for about 10 minutes, removing, rinse and drying, makes this the easiest natural silver cleaner I’ve ever seen.
The really cool thing is that you can use your bare hands since there are no harsh chemicals involved. You can, however use rubber gloves at first because the water will be hot.
For The Love Of Silver
The first piece of silver I ever saw was a silver dollar my grandfather gave me, from a coin collection he had, when I was eight years old. It was a Christmas present dated 1920, solid silver, and he gave me one every year for several years.Â
By the time I became a teenager and my grandfather had passed, I was attracted to jewelry that had that same shiny, heavy consistency as the silver dollars I had tucked away.
Having bought a few pieces with my early earnings, it didn’t take long to realize that silver tarnishes, turns black, no longer shiny, had an unpleasant smell which ultimately turned my jewelry attraction to gold.
How To Start A Silver Collection?
Have a Big Fat Greek Wedding; just kidding! My first brief marriage, first big wedding and first bridal shower, did in fact shower me with many pieces of silver tableware, platters and other ornate dining accoutrements.Â
Being of Middle Eastern heritage and my first marriage to a large Greek family, silver gifts were given like copper pennies poured from a piggy bank.
They looked magnificent at first, however within a short time, much like the marriage itself, they turned dark and I put them away forever, like… ever!
Food Photography And Cleaning
Oh the messes we food photographers get ourselves into, all for the love of that one amazing, magazine cover photograph, and wow does silver bring lots of bling to a food photo.Â
Countless times, when setting up to photograph a delicious recipe, I’d quick go to grab a silver spoon or goblet to bring into the photo, only to find it had already turned black with tarnish.
Good grief, I felt as though I had just cleaned them only recently.
Needless to say, I reached for any one of my beautiful silver pieces less and less out of frustration for that laborious cleaning they require.
Baking Soda And Aluminum Foil To The Cleaning Rescue
Without becoming scientifically technical, suffice it to say that silver, a metal found in the earth, formed from natural compounds also found in the earth, other chemical compounds were needed to refine the finish and make it shine.
While I know little about chemistry, I was willing to experiment with a little chemistry from my kitchen to see if the chemistry spoken of for cleaning silver, would really work.
The chemical reaction of the aluminum in the foil and the sodium bicarbonate in the baking soda, worked like magic to remove the tarnish quickly from my silver pieces.
Baking Soda For Food
I’ve always known baking soda to aid in my baking as a leavening agent, when mixed with an acidic agent (yogurt, lemon juice etc.) causing the food to rise and become fluffy.Â
Baking soda is also the rising agent used to make American biscuits and scones, a kind of quick bread either sweet or savory.
It had also been used as a digestive aid, thus two doctors in Scotland created the Digestive Biscuit; how clever of them to make a cookie to help in digestion (wink).Â
Baking Soda As A Cleaning Agent
Cleaning silver though, has become my newest use for baking soda, even though it’s been around for years. I suppose like so many other people, I just thought only to trust a marketed product loaded with chemicals to clean my silver. Not anymore!
A chemical reaction is created when baking soda is combined with aluminum foil and hot water, creating conditions whereby the tarnish on the silver surface transfers to the aluminum.
Once you have cleaned your silver using this method, you will notice how dull the shiny side of the aluminum foil becomes.
Aluminum Foil
Transferring tarnish from silver to aluminum foil with the aid of baking soda sounds almost unbelievable to someone like me without knowledge of chemistry, but I can assure you it happens right before your eyes.
The aluminum acts as a reactive metal, readily accepting sulfur atoms from the tarnish on the surface of the silver, transferring it to the aluminum.Â
Aluminum And Food
While I am loving this new chemistry knowledge I have experienced, I am still cautious cooking with food directly coming in contact with aluminum, especially highly acidic foods.
When using aluminum foil to wrap around foods while cooking, like a big ole turkey, it’s best to place parchment paper between the foil and the food as a barrier.
In this way, the foil keeps in the heat without coming into contact with the food, transferring any of its metals to the food.
The Easy Method Of Cleaning Fine Silver
First, you will need to decide the size of the silver items in need of cleaning. This will determine the size of container needed to clean in.
For silver cutlery, silver jewelry and other silver pieces less than 8 inches, a baking dish or glass bowl can be used to hold enough water for the baking soda solution we are going to be mixing.
For large silver items, serving pieces such as serving bowls or platters, a larger container will be needed.
This easy cleaning technique will make you wish you never gave away the antique silver you once had because you hated cleaning it (like I did)!
How To Clean Heavy Tarnish From Silver
With a container of warm water, some salt, baking soda and a piece of aluminum foil, we can clean that ugly black tarnish off of our beautiful silver piece, be is silver plate or pure silver!
Best part about this amazing cleaning method is that it is ridiculously cost effective and it is with stuff you already have in your kitchen.
- A piece of aluminum foil is placed inside of a container on the bottom and up the sides, shiny side up.
- Baking soda and salt are sprinkled over the foil.
- Hot water is poured over the mixture in the container, dissolving it quickly.
- Silver pieces are laid into the container for 10 minutes, removed and dried.
That’s it! No need to wash chemicals off of your silver or your hands, though a quick wipe with a dry cloth will remove any powder from the baking soda or water spots on the silver.
Cleaning Silver With Baking Soda And Aluminum Foil
Equipment
- glass bowl or baking dish at least 1 litre capacity
- measuring cup and spoon
- kettle or boiling pot
- soft dry cloth
Materials
- 4 cups Boiling water
- 3 tbsp Baking soda
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt
- Aluminum foil sheet to fit inside container
Instructions
- First place a piece of aluminum foil inside the container bottom and sides, shiny side up.Â
- Place the baking soda and salt on top of the tin foil inside the container.Â
- Pour the hot water on top of the dry ingredients. It will bubble and foam a little.Â
- Have a sheet of paper towel or two, laid out on the counter next to the container you will be working with. An extra container filled with cold water is helpful for quickly rinsing any water spots from the baking soda mixture.Â
- Carefully lay the pieces of silver you want to clean inside of the prepared water for 10 minutes. If only cleaning a few pieces, then simply wipe them with a dry soft cloth or paper towel as you remove them one by one. If you are doing several pieces, then it is worth having an extra container of clean water alongside to place the pieces in it until you are ready to wipe them dry.Â
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Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.