Nothing can beat white sparkling silver. But the metal tends to lose its shine after a few days of usage as it comes in contact with atmosphere. Certain substances in the atmosphere chemically react with the metal causing it to lose its sheen and making it appear dull. But there is no need to despair if your cherished white metal seems to have lost its glow. We will help you how to keep your metal clean, white and tarnish-free with these easy-to-follow home remedies.
There are metal cleaners available in stores outside. But I prefer to avoid them as they have harsh chemical ingredients that may be harmful for use. It is better to opt for home remedies that give equally good results. Baking soda gets the top score for being a great cleaner. This insignificant and cheap kitchen ingredient is simply great when it comes to cleaning of metals, especially silver. Now read on to know how to go about the cleaning procedure:
- Fill a pot of water and keep it to boil on the stove. Fill enough water so as to immerse all your silver ware.
- After the water boils, remove it from the heat and place a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot and then add your silver items on it one by one. Start sprinkling baking soda into the water on the items. There will be a chemical reaction and you will see the soda foaming and it will give out a smell.
- This chemical reaction will remove all the tarnish from the metal and will deposit on the aluminum foil. Continue to shake in more soda till your metal is clean and shiny or until the solution stops forming bubbles.
- After the tarnish is gone, you can wash the items with a mild detergent and water to get rid of any remaining stains or tarnish.
After having practiced and experimented with different methods, I have found this method to be the most effective, but provided you do it right. In case you have silver with gemstones, then this method is not advisable as the heat and chemical reaction may affect the gemstones adversely and damage them. In such a case, you can take your jewelry to a reputed jewelry store for cleaning and polishing the jewelry.