Home Remedies For Cleaning Silver Flatware

Silver flatware can tarnish very easily especially if it is not used that often. This is a process that is caused by oxidization.

This is a process that occurs when the silver spoons, knives, forks, and other flatware are exposed to the air. An easy-to-follow home cleaning remedy can really do wonders in this situation.

The right method of maintenance can years of life to your silver flatware. At the same time, the right kind of flatware cleaner is environmentally friendly.

Oftentimes the easiest and safest solutions to use are made with materials you find right in your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room.

What you see below is a description of the most common home silverware cleaning methods:

The aluminum foil method-This is by far one of the most popular ways to remove tarnish from silverware. The best way to do this is to line the bottom of a basin or portable tub with aluminum foil, or you could even use a glass baking pan.

When using the aluminum foil method, remember one very important thing. The shiny side should be facing up. After you have put the aluminum foil in a basin you then should complete the following steps:

• Place the silverware on top of the aluminum foil. It is best if every piece of flatware is touching the aluminum.
• Evenly pour ¼ cup of washing soda on the flatware and then pour a gallon of boiling water into the basin. Let this water and washing soda sit for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the silver pieces from the basin and then wash them with plain water. Then, you can polish them dry with a clean towel, and/or a special silver polish if you have one.

Olive oil polish-This is a substance that often is used to polish your silver. It has an advantage in that it is totally non-toxic. Just take some olive oil and sparingly pour it onto a soft cloth. Rinse off the silver pieces and polish them.

Silver cleaning bath-A bath for your silver flatware can be created. This is a bath that is a little bit different yet somewhat similar to the aluminum foil method, only this is more of a bath.

Add a teaspoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of salt to a gallon of water. And alternative approach would be to use a tablespoon of baking soda for every quart of boiling water to use for a silverware soak.

Allow this solution to soak for a minimum of 15 minutes. After this you can rinse them with hot water.

Cornstarch-Gradually add water to cornstarch until it is a paste consistency. You can use this with a cloth to wipe each piece of flatware. It helps clean off the tarnish and cleans the tarnish all at the same time.

You might be able to use more than one of the methods above for cleaning and then polishing. For instance, if you only have mild anti-tarnish cleaning to do you can use the cornstarch and olive oil mixture.