How to clean tarnished silver?

[Russ Nobbs]

At the NBS forum someone asked me to elaborate about the "kitchen trick" to remove tarnish form silver. Here's a copy of my reply:

In a glass dish, put a piece of aluminum foil and dissolve some baking soda in very hot water. Put your silver item in that and swish it around.

To learn why read http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Dec2002/1041253726.Ch.r.html

From http://www.courier-tribune.com/guide/22601.htmlis comes a little more detailed instruction from Mary Anderson:
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Formula: One scant tablespoon of baking soda per cup of very hot water. It is very important for the water to be very hot, but not boiling.

* Using aluminum foil, completely line a non-metallic bowl large enough to hold your silver piece.

* Place the jewelry or tray or other silver piece in the bowl and sprinkle baking soda over the surface.

* Add the hot water and in about 30 seconds the tarnish will be gone.

* Rinse the jewelry thoroughly in warm water to remove all baking soda residue.

Can this formula be used on flatware or bowls? It can be used on any silver object.

Will this work on very dirty and/or very tarnished pieces? Yes. If the piece is very dirty and/or very tarnished, use an old toothbrush and warm soapy water to gently clean the piece before placing it in the hot-water-and-baking-soda mixture. If the piece is very tarnished, you may have to repeat the process several times.

Caution: Some silver pieces, including jewelry, use oxidation as part of the design of the piece. The black lines outline the design to make it stand out. You can use this process on those pieces if you are very careful and remove the piece from the bath before you lose the outline.
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It's been published in columns like "Hints for Heloise" in the past, too. For some reason it is not well known. Sometimes people sell "kits" to do this with a secret "magic powder." It should work well on Liquid Silver multistrand necklaces tho I've never tried that personally.

[Luann Udell]

Russ, thanks for passing the word on this.  I think I first read it in Martha Stewart LIVING magazine a few years ago.  It works like gangbusters!  Sometimes I use an aluminum baking pan (like a cake pan) and sometimes I buy those cheap disposable aluminum turkey roaster pans at the supermarket (if I have to clean ALL the silver.)  (er...silverPLATE, that is....)

BTW, I found out the hard way that silverplate silverware should never be washed (in a dishwasher) with ordinary stainless steel silverware.  The two react and permanently damage the plating on the silver silverware.

Okay...what's the right term for eating utensils that aren't made out of silver???  Cutlery is only knives, right?  

Luann:D

[WriteBrainedWoman]

Good question - that one used to confuse me too. Flatware is the proper term for plain old stainless steel eating utensils. I think it might also apply to plastic utensils. Webster's defines flatware as:
"Tableware more or less flat and usually formed or cast in a single piece; especially : eating and serving utensils (as knives, forks, and spoons)"

Cutlery is pretty much confined to knives, like you said.
Now the question remains: How the heck do you classify a spork? '>

[Metalman]

Is that a spork or a foon?

[Luann Udell]

hahahahahhahaha, you never know WHAT you'll find in this forum!

This thread reminds me of one of my all-time favorite signatures from another forum.  It read, "I always do what the little voices tell me, and today they're whispering, "cutlery...."

I don't know what it meant, but I loved it!
Luann

i cant get the tarnish off even with this method.i have tried a few dozen times and it still doesnt work.

[Metalman]

Oh ! Yeah!
I love a mystery. Let's see. Was this item something that tarnished while you had it or did you acquire it tarnished?
Have it been around kitchens and oils of any sort?

I might try cleaning with alcohol [shellac thinner] and or a light detergent  then try the cleaner process again.
Does it have the stamps or logos on it indicating sterling silver or silver plate?
Is it from Italy?
If its not silver, this method will not work.
If the item is from Italy, they frequently do various protective coatings which may cause problems.

Just a note: This process works by chemically grabbing the  oxides and sulfides off the the sterling - I have seen the formula for this - the silver is not harmed.

[Metalman]

'>
I found it again - the chemistry for this cleaning process:

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Dec2002/1041253726.Ch.r.html

[Luann Udell]

I found the water has to be HOT--like boiling water.  Otherwise, the reaction is slow to non-existent.

I don't think baking soda can get "old", but it's possible...  Try a fresh box.

Also, as Metalman said, it's possible your silver is lacquered or treated with some kind of sealant.  

Or (sadly) that it's not really silver....
 '>
hope this helps,
Luann

It does not work on tarnished '63 half dollar coins.

[Russ Nobbs]

1963'>    64 is when dimes stopped having silver content. I can't remember if half dollars had much silver in them then or not?.  And if they did, was it over 80%?

At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_half_dollar
I learned they were 90% silver so the process should work.  Does it work on silver jewelry? But NOT on the coins?

[couzey]

I have two Kent 'silver' goblets given to me when I got married.  We used them then and maybe one other time and up to the attic.  This year is my 25th anniversary and I would like to use them again.  The silver polish cloths didn't remove the 'yellow' coloring no matter how hard I tried.  Tarn-X didn't seem to work either.  Any suggetions?

[Metalman]

Dear Couzey,
I did a search for Kent Silver and pulled their website in England. I am waiting for their reply which I will post when I get it. I am hoping they will just join the forum and answer you directly but we shall see.

[couzey]

Thanks!  I will try this method tonight.  Is 'Kent' a silver name or is just something stuck on the bottom of the goblet for 'prestige'?

[Metalman]

Kent id=s a manufacturer of Silver Goblets and other goods located in England. Check out their website at :
http://www.kentsilver.co.uk/

I have not yet heard back from them about cleaning their goods[ie your goblets]