Silver Polish - Frugalbits

This homemade concoction will put a shine on your silver with minimal cost and effort. (VIDEO)

THIS STUFF WORKS | Until recently, I have polished my wee cache of silver—both sterling and plate, everything from jewellery to flatware—with pricey silver polish from a local jewellery store. “Why do you use that stuff?” my friend and Frugalbits contributor Brendan Power asked one evening after I complained about the bits of pink paste that had become lodged in the nooks of my newly cleaned Tiffany bracelet. I could avoid this residue, and polish up everything nicely, he explained, “using tin foil, soda and salt.”

Who knew this combination of ingredients could return silver possessions to their store-bought polish and shine (not me, certainly, though it does seem to be common knowledge in certain circles on the Internet)—and that the detarnishing process would be both super simple and quick.

CLEANING SILVER FLATWARE & JEWELLERY

While plenty of house-cleaning pundits suggest cleaning silver in the kitchen sink, I used a large, glass baking dish instead to keep the work area contained. I lined my dish with a fresh sheet of aluminum foil shiny side up. Next I poured boiling water into it and sprinkled a tablespoon each of table salt and baking soda across the surface of the water and watched it bubble up. Then I submerged my silver items in this hot bath, making sure each piece made maximum contact with the foil. The popular video below, produced by Clean My Space, calls for the addition of white vinegar, but I didn’t find it was necessary.

It’s surprising how quickly the tarnish melts away using this method, even in hard-to-clean places like between the tines of forks and inside the crevices of jewellery (you may need to repeat this process several times using more boiling water, salt and soda when the discoloration is particularly stubborn; also, remember to use tongs when removing your items from boiling water). —Carolann Rule

Top Photo: Tiffany Atlas Collection