How to Get Rid of Tarnish on Silver?

Anyone who has silverware or silver serving items, whether it’s a one piece or an entire collection, needs to know how to get rid of tarnish on silver. Some of the advice on cleaning and shining silver points toward an item called washing soda. This might be the first choice for a home remedy but baking soda will also do the job, if used properly.

Mix water and baking soda so that the consistency is like a paste. Rub this on your silver items with a cloth that won’t scratch the surface. You should follow the application of the soda paste by cleaning the residue with a moist cloth. Then polish the item with another clean cloth until it is shining.

Aluminum and Salt
You may be able to remove tarnish from silver without a lot of hand work by placing the silver items in a pan that has been lined with aluminum foil. Put in enough water to cover the items and mix in a teaspoon each of salt and baking soda. Put the silver pieces in after bringing this mixture to a boil. Leave the silver in the water for two minutes, remove them and dry them with a soft cloth. Buffing them with another soft cloth should bring back the shine.

You may be able to remove everyday tarnish from silver with the toothpaste from your bathroom. If you cover the items with toothpaste, run water over the item until the paste foams up then rinse the toothpaste off, you should be able to polish the item until it shines.

Prevent Tarnish, Remove Tarnish
Silver becomes tarnished from exposure to air. This prized substance will change color if the items are left standing undisturbed over a long period of time. It may be tempting to display your shiny silver for guests but it is actually better to use your silverware and other silver serving items on a regular basis. The surface of items made from pure silver simply gets tarnished with time.

When you use your silver on a regular basis you must be sure to clean it thoroughly and dry it well before storing it again. In fact, food residue shouldn’t be left on silverware for a long time. It’s more important to remove food from silver than it is to remove food residue from stainless steel, china plates and so on.

For best results when using silverware, wash each item carefully by hand. Be sure to dry each item completely. If you haven’t used your silverware for a long time, you might want to try one of the home remedies mentioned above or purchase a commercial silver polish from the local store. When you use baking soda or silver polish be absolutely you have removed all the residue from the cleaning agent before storing the silver again. The key to maintaining quality silverware is this: regular attention to the storing conditions and to cleaning each item once it is used.

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