Silver objects shine when they are clean, but unfortunately they tend to blacken and lose their luster over time. Blackening is the result of a chemical reaction that occurs naturally. Fortunately, there are several ways to clean silver, one of which is to use baking soda to trigger a reverse chemical reaction. Prepare the silver objects and jewelry as described in the first part of the article and, if necessary, repeat the process until they are perfectly clean.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prewash the Silver Items and Prepare the Sink
Step 1. Wash the silver items by hand
Before trying to clean them with baking soda, rinse them to get rid of dust and dirt, then make sure there are no food or other residues.
- Use a mild soap and check that it is suitable for cleaning silver.
- Clean the surface of silver items with a cotton or microfiber cloth.
- Do not put silver cutlery and crockery in the dishwasher.
- Do not use an abrasive sponge, as silver is easily scratched.
Step 2. Plug the sink
To kick off the process, you need to clean the sink and then plug it. This is an essential step as dust, dirt or other contaminants could stain the silver and compromise the result.
- Clean the sink with a sponge and mild detergent (or baking soda).
- Once cleaned, seal the sink so that it can be filled with water.
Step 3. Line the base of the sink with aluminum foil
To get a good result, the paper must cover as much surface area as possible. Lay it out with the shiny side facing up and don't worry if it's not completely flattened against the bottom of the sink.
- Use a generously sized piece of paper.
- You can reuse a piece of leftover aluminum foil.
- The paper does not need to cover the entire bottom of the sink.
Step 4. Arrange the silver items on the tinfoil
Place them on the paper one at a time and make sure that each of them is physically in contact with the aluminum.
- Place the objects on the paper gently so as not to risk breaking it.
- Don't fill the sink with too many items. If you have a lot of silver things to clean, it's best to proceed a little at a time.
Part 2 of 3: Immerse the Silver Items in Water
Step 1. Boil the water
Take a pot and boil a suitable amount of water to fill the sink and completely submerge all the silver objects to be cleaned.
- A couple of liters of water will suffice for a small sink.
- In any case, it is better to boil more water than necessary to have it on hand in case you need more than expected.
Step 2. Pour the baking soda into the boiling water
Pour it into the pot when the water has reached a boil. Baking soda is essential because, when it comes into contact with the tinfoil, it will trigger the chemical reaction that will clean the silver.
Use 60 g of baking soda for every liter of water
Step 3. Pour the water into the sink
Once you've made the baking soda and boiling water mixture, pour it very slowly into the plugged sink. Be careful not to risk burning yourself or getting surrounding surfaces wet with boiling water.
- Pour in the boiling water a little at a time.
- Stop adding water when all silver items are completely submerged.
Step 4. Observe the chemical reaction taking place
After pouring the boiling water with baking soda into the sink, you will notice that some kind of foam will form. The effervescent effect may start slowly and accelerate slowly. The chemical reaction taking place should last for a few minutes.
- You should notice that yellowish fragments have formed on the tinfoil: this is aluminum sulfide.
- It may take several minutes for the silver items to become clean again, even if they are slightly blackened.
Step 5. Let the water cool
After witnessing the chemical reaction, let the baking soda solution cool for a few minutes. It is important to wait so as not to risk getting burned while removing the silver items from the water.
- Wait for the water to stop smoking.
- You can take a pair of tongs and remove an object from the water to check if the chemical process is complete.
- If you are concerned that the water is still too hot, measure the temperature with a kitchen thermometer.
Step 6. Inspect the silver
Watch it closely to make sure the cleaning process worked. Examine the top, bottom, and sides of all items to see if they are clean enough.
- The dark halos should be gone or visibly diminished.
- The silver should be shiny again.
Part 3 of 3: Cleaning the Heavily Blackened Silver Items
Step 1. Edit the formula
Try to increase the cleaning power of boiling water combined with baking soda. If the first attempt didn't work, you can try adding salt or white wine vinegar to the base mix.
- Add 60 g of salt for every liter of water. The amount of salt must be equivalent to that of bicarbonate.
- If you prefer to use white wine vinegar, add 100ml of it to every 200ml of water.
Step 2. Repeat the process
If the silver is only slightly blackened, it may be completely clean after a few minutes, but if it is very dirty the times can be extended and you will likely have to repeat the process several times to get it back perfectly clean. Then:
- Empty the sink;
- Rinse off the silver;
- Remove the foil and replace it with a new sheet;
- Arrange the silver items on the card again;
- Submerge them with more boiling water and baking soda.
Step 3. Rinse the silver items
When all items are clean, empty the sink and rinse them under cold running water. Rinse them thoroughly to remove any remaining baking soda, salt, or vinegar particles.
Also rinse the sink thoroughly to remove baking soda, salt, and vinegar residue
Step 4. Dry the silver items
After rinsing them thoroughly, dry them well one at a time using a soft, clean cloth. When they are dry, place them on another soft cloth and let them air dry.
It is best to use a microfiber cloth to minimize the risk of scratching the silver
Step 5. Discard the used foil
After drying the silver items, remove the tinfoil from the sink and throw it away. Since it is stained, it cannot be reused to clean silver in the future.
You will notice that many spots have formed on the paper. They are the result of the chemical reaction that transferred the sulfide from silver to aluminum
Warnings
- Do not perform this process in an aluminum sink.
- Do not use this method to clean silverplate items.
