There Must be an Easier Way

I like to think of this as a full service blog; funny stories, spiritual insights, book reviews, helpful hints, and more. So, when I learned this trick I just had to share it with those of you who take the time to read my ramblings.

If you’ll recall, a couple of weeks ago I had a tea for my neighbors. I used my silver tea pot as part of the centerpiece and as I polished it I figured out why silver has lost its popularity. It was a bugger to polish! Then, I borrowed some cute little silver spoons from my friend and she told me how to polish them. SO EASY! Since I needed a little visual aid when she explained it to me, I took some pictures for you as I polished a necklace and an antique silver spoon.

Step 1: Line a bowl with aluminum foil and add one teaspoon of baking soda.

Step 2: Boil one cup of water.

Step 3: Pour water into bowl. This part is really fun because it gets all bubbly and looks like a high school science experiment. The bubbly goes away immediately so don’t think you’ve failed when bubbling subsides.

Step 4: Add silver items to be cleaned. Let sit while you go have a cup of tea or something.

There really is a necklace and a spoon in this bowl. You might need to enlarge it to actually see them.

Step 5: Rinse and dry silver.

The first few times I used this technique it worked perfectly. I have to admit, however, the antique spoon wasn't quite as shiny as I hoped, after my little staged demonstration. And, as I was attempting to upload my blog, I worked on a few other pieces. They too, didn't have that shiny look that I was hoping for, but were way easier to clean with silver polish than they usually are so at least the process helped a bit.

It has taken me a few days to decide if I would even upload this writing because of my disappointment with the results, but like I said, this method worked great on the first few items. I guess my advice would be to try it, and if it doesn't work, at least you'll have softened the tarnish up and can quickly finish the job with some polish. But, if it works, you'll love me.

Check back for other tips I have other tips up my sleeve. I promise, you won't be disappointed.