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April 19, 2018 · 12 Comments

6 Astonishing and Winning Cleaning Silver Hacks

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I decided to try a bunch of cleaning sliver hacks to see what would work best and I found 6 astonishing and easy ways to share with you.

I have heirloom silver items and I have been wanting to clean them up. I decided to try a bunch of cleaning silver hacks to see what would work best to clean it. I started with some silverware that I had to do the test runs.

A silver cleaner is great but has harsh chemicals I want to stay away from. I’m looking for the best way to clean my silver cutlery, sterling silver, and other silver pieces like silver jewelry. Check out the cleaning process

Boiling method: In a pot place a large piece of tin foil in the bottom, fill with 4 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil.

top 3 Cleaning Silver Hack winners!

1. Boiling silver hack method: (The easy method)

In a pot place a large piece of aluminum foil in the bottom, fill with 4 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil.

Place your silver in the boiling water for 10-30 seconds and pull out. It's pretty amazing to watch the tarnish literally disappear!

Place your piece of silver in the hot water for 10-30 seconds and pull out with kitchen tongs. It’s pretty amazing to watch the chemical reaction tarnish literally disappear!

Baking Soda & Water Paste: Place 1/4 cup baking soda and 1-2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and make a paste.

2. Baking Soda & Water Paste silver hack

Place 1/4 cup baking soda and 1-2 tablespoons of water into a bowl and make a thick paste.

Use a cloth to rub the mixture onto the sliver. When finished cleaning, rinse off.

Use a soft cloth to rub the mixture onto the sliver pieces. When finished cleaning, rinse off and wipe off with a clean cloth.

Toothpaste Method - For this use regular toothpaste (not gel). I used Crest no flavor regular toothpaste.

3. Toothpaste silver hack Method

For this use regular toothpaste (not gel). I used Crest no flavor regular toothpaste.

Put the toothpaste on a cloth and rub the silver with the toothpaste. Rinse off when finished cleaning.

Put the small amount of toothpaste on a cloth and rub the piece of silver with the toothpaste. Rinse off when finished cleaning.

Water & Ammonia: Place 1 cup warm water in a bowl. Add 1/2 c. Ammonia, stir and place the silver in the bowl.

Honorable Mention Silver hacks:

These techniques worked but not quite as well as the above or took a little longer or more effort than I wanted.

4. Water & Ammonia silver hack

Place 1 cup of warm water in a small bowl. Add 1/2 c. Ammonia, stir, and place the silver in the larger container.

Let soak for 10 minutes. When finished use a cloth to wipe clean and rinse off. I found it didn't completely come clean but it did make a difference.

Let soak for 10 minutes. When finished use a microfiber cloth to wipe clean and rinse off. I found it didn’t completely come clean on the tarnished areas but it did make a difference.

Vinegar & Baking Soda: Place 1/2 cup vinegar in a bowl with 2 tablespoons baking soda. Let soak for 2-3 hours.

5. Vinegar & Baking Soda silver hack

Place 1/2 cup of white vinegar in a glass bowl with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Let soak for 2-3 hours.

Let soak for 2-3 hours, rinse and dry off. I found that I needed to use a scrub pad and still scrub at it after it soaked. I was digging into the baking soda to do the scrubbing. So it worked but why not just use the baking soda technique from above...

Let soak for 2-3 hours, rinse and dry off with a regular cloth. I found that I needed to use a scrub pad and still scrub at it after it soaked. I was digging into the baking soda to do the scrubbing. So it worked but why not just use the baking soda technique from above…

Lemon Juice, Water, & Powdered Milk: In a dish place 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/2 cup instant powdered milk and mix. It literally turns sour and looks gross (just a heads up).

6. Lemon Juice, Water, & Powdered Milk silver hack

In a dish place 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups cold water, and 1/2 cup instant powdered milk and mix. It literally turns sour and looks gross (just a heads up).

Let this soak overnight. The next day take a cloth and wipe clean. Once it's clean rinse it off. This method worked pretty well and surprised me. I just don't know if I want to wait a whole day for everything to get cleaned.

Let this soak overnight. The next day take a dry cloth and wipe clean. Once it’s clean rinse it with clean water. This method worked pretty well and surprised me. I just don’t know if I want to wait a whole day for everything to get cleaned.

Soaking in lemon lime soda for 1 hour

What didn’t work???

  • Soaking in lemon lime soda solution for 1 hour
  • Cleaning with hand sanitizer – although if you’re looking to remove fingerprints and such this worked great for that and gave it a nice shine.
Special notes - to stop the tarnish from coming back with regards to small items and silverware - place in a ziploc baggie and squeeze as much air out as possible. It's the air that causes the tarnish to come back.

Special notes for Cleaning Silver Hacks

  • To stop the tarnish from coming back with regards to small items and silverware – place in a ziploc baggie (or anti-tarnish bag) and squeeze as much air out as possible. It’s the air that causes the tarnish to come back.
  • For Silver plated items, stay away from acid cleaners like vinegar and lemon juice as it could harm the plating.

Now I know how to clean silver at home and I won’t have to pull it out for special occasions only.

Here is my heirloom that I'm going to clean up and turn into a lamp... coming soon

Here is my heirloom that has heavy tarnish that I’m going to clean up and turn into a lamp… coming soon

Learn more about “Why to Deep Clean and Organize Your Home” to save money, function better, and keep your sanity.

If you want to find the worth of your silver, this post can help you with that.

Organic Cleaning - DIY Recipes and Tips To Clean the Chemical-Free and Natural Way

Organic Cleaning – DIY Recipes and Tips To Clean the Chemical-Free and Natural Way

When cleaning your home there are amazing ways to be efficient with your time as well as minimize the chemicals in your home. In this book, you’ll learn what natural and organic products to use, the recipes to create, how to use the cleaners in your home, tips, and tricks, and how inexpensive it is to clean naturally. So what are you waiting for? Start cleaning organically and naturally today!

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I decided to try a bunch of cleaning sliver hacks to see what would work best and I found 6 astonishing and easy ways to share with you.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. blankcandy says

    April 20, 2018 at 11:15 am

    Does anyone clean silver or have silver anymore. I do so this was wonderful information. Found you on Blogger’s Pit Stop

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      April 20, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      So true Candy. I think many have stainless steel now, but I have some heirlooms that I clean 🙂

      Reply
  2. blankAndrea says

    April 24, 2018 at 9:04 pm

    Hi, Chas! I enjoy your blog and wanted to share another silver cleaning tip. My Granny” shined up my little silver name bracelet for me back in the early 1950s. I thought she was magic! She put red lipstick on a soft cloth and as she rubbed, the cloth turned black with tarnish and my bracelet was left shiny and new looking. She told me that red lipstick was the key…the redder the better, but not to “get into” my mother’s lipstick without her permission! I have always kept a tube of red lipstick on hand for quick silver polishing.

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      April 25, 2018 at 6:36 am

      Thank you for sharing Andrea and not only did it work like magic but what a wonderful memory to have 🙂

      Reply
  3. blankJulie says

    April 25, 2018 at 10:41 am

    Interesting, so do you have one method you prefer that you’d recommend above the others or do you think it depends what the item is and how badly it’s tarnished?

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      April 25, 2018 at 10:54 am

      Great question Julie! I really liked the toothpaste method. It worked well, was easy to use, is safe for silver plated items, and didn’t scratch.

      Reply
  4. blankRhonda says

    April 28, 2018 at 4:17 am

    The timing of your post is perfect. I just picked up a beautiful silver fruit dish from a thrift shop. I’m going to try the tooth paste method. Thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best.

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      April 28, 2018 at 9:39 am

      Thanks Rhonda and let me know how it goes – love that you got a great find at the thrift store!

      Reply
  5. blankAnn says

    April 28, 2018 at 11:04 am

    Thanks for such a useful idea! I have heirlooms noone wants because they don’t want to polish them. Ha! Now it’s so easy I can continue to use them,at the same time avoiding re-tarnishing. can’t wait to read of your other magic tricks! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      April 29, 2018 at 6:58 am

      Thank you so much Ann and I’m glad you this post might help you.

      Reply
  6. blankDebra Clark says

    October 26, 2018 at 9:25 am

    I tried the aluminum foil method, it worked great however my neighbor wanted to help so she plunged a silver tray with a plastic handle on it, opps it ruined the plastic. Just an FYI

    Reply
    • blankChas says

      October 26, 2018 at 9:28 am

      Hi Debra, I’m so glad this worked for you, and so sorry to hear about your friend’s tray. Thanks for sharing for others to see, and yes for silver that has plastic or other things on it one of the other methods might work better.

      Reply

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blankI'm a little kooky and a kid at heart. I enjoy spending time with family, being outside, watching movies, creating, teaching, and inspiring. I love making new friends and would love to have you join our community. Read More…

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