Here’s an easy and quick method that shows how to clean silver naturally and in about 5 minutes. Use to clean silverware, serving pieces & more!
Several years ago, I inherited a set of vintage twin silver urns or as they are sometimes called, ice buckets. They belonged to my in-laws and when I brought them home, they were dirty and tarnished. I briefly considered leaving them as is but that thought was short-lived. I know it’s trendy to display tarnished silver, but I just couldn’t. Call me crazy but I wanted them to be shiny and clean. Here’s the method I used…
How to Clean Silver Naturally
- Place a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of your kitchen sink, and fill the basin with HOT water.
- Add 1/2 cup kosher salt and 1/2 cup baking soda. Swish the water around until the salt and soda are dissolved.
- Drop your silver pieces into the water.
- Allow your silver to soak for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Remove and rinse well.
- Buff dry with a soft towel or cloth.
Pictured below is the first urn halfway through the cleaning process. When I rolled it over, I was amazed at how quickly the tarnish and dirt had been removed.
Tips
- Use more salt for larger pieces, as you will need more water and a longer wait time.
- Loosely wrap the silver pieces in foil before you set them in the basin.
- Use toothpaste on a soft rag to clean stubborn spots and streaks.
- Badly tarnished silver may need to be soaked a second time.
I changed the foil and bath after the first urn but if your pieces aren’t badly tarnished, I think you could do more than one piece at a time. My kitchen sink has 2 sections, one bigger than the other. I used the small side which measures 15 x 12 x 6. If your sink is larger I would recommend using more salt and soda.
This method is for cleaning only. It doesn’t polish silver…but I’m not sure that’s even necessary. Polishes have chemicals and I read that sometimes silver tarnishes faster when it’s polished. I have no idea if that’s true or not…I only wanted to share the information.
Learning about this process has enabled me to bring my silver out of hiding. For years and years, I didn’t use it because I didn’t have the time to clean it. Now I can easily maintain it so it can be used and enjoyed.
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Sandy says
Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 12:10 pmThanks for this natural and much easier approach to cleaning silver. I use my silver urns to hold my paper towels. Love it and enjoy seeing them every day next to my sinks.
Michele says
Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 2:07 pmDoes this work for silver jewelry?
Ann Drake says
Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 7:49 pmHi Michele…yes it does. However, if it’s valuable jewelry, I’m not sure I would try it. I’ve cleaned my silver jewelry with a soft tooth brush and a baking soda paste. That works very well too.
Elizabeth Brogan Tore says
Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 7:03 pmDoesn’t matter what kind of salt you use – it dissolves in the hot water. I’ve used this technique for smaller pieces, and just put them in a disposable foil pan, which can be reused for future cleanings. I add white vinegar after putting the silver in the hot water, baking soda, and salt mixture. The vinegar and baking soda bubble up – and the tarnish disappears. Love it!
annie @ anniehearts says
Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 10:06 amThis is brilliant! Thanks for the great tip!
Annie XO
Diana says
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 12:58 amThank you for sharing these helpful tips(: I’ll use them to clean my sister’s trophies. Just one question, could I use sea salt?
Ann Drake says
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 2:41 pmI’m not sure about using sea salt. The kosher salt is very course and may remove the tarnish better. You could try but it may not work as well!
Cindy says
Monday, July 1, 2013 at 8:27 pmPerhaps I should clean my silver, I love it tarnished, but it looks so lovely when it’s shiny and new looking.
Have a good day!
Suzanne Jozayt says
Monday, July 1, 2013 at 6:46 pmDo you have any information on how to clean brass with natural ingredients? Strong chemicals make me sick and I have not been able to find anything that works. HELP, PLEASE!
Ann Drake says
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 10:37 pmI think the best way to go about cleaning your brass is to use baking soda and vinegar. Pour a little vinegar into a bowl and add baking soda until it makes a paste. Rub it on your brass until the tarnish is removed. Rinse and buff it to get the shine back. One other idea is to use ketchup. I know that sounds odd but it is acidic which is what you need to remove the tarnish. Squirt some ketchup on a dry rag clean and rub on your brass. Rinse and buff. I hope one of these ideas works!
Amy says
Monday, July 1, 2013 at 6:34 pmThis is such helpful info! I have a ton of silver to clean. Thanks!
Glenda Childers says
Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 8:01 pmWow, Ann. I will gladly toss the hideously smelly, full of chemical cleaner in my cupboard. This is brilliant.
Thanks.
Fondly,
Glenda
Cynthia says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 8:48 pmAnn,
This sounds so good I am going to have to give this a try. I have my mothers silver and I love using but like everyone I know I can’t stand polishing it when needed. I’ll see how this works.
Cynthia
Jenna says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 8:37 pmI will have to try this again, I did try the baking soda/foil with NO luck~but perhaps my silver was too tarnished! I actually chalk painted some candlesticks I couldn’t clean and they look great now! Your urns look lovely, just like new!
Ricki Jill Treleaven says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 5:35 pmGreat information, Ann. Thank-you!!!
Lin says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 5:24 pmI have been reading about the tin foil method and want to try this. I have 3 handmirrors that need cleaning,but I am hesitant to put them in the liquid because I am afraid it might hurt the mirror glass. I guess the ony way to see if it will is to try it. Thank you Ann for the information. Have a great weekend.
Angela says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 3:08 pmThanks for the tips, Ann! Your urns are beautiful!!! Have a nice weekend!~~Angela
Jane says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 10:03 amThanks so much, Ann. The urn turned out fantastic! I recently used the foil/baking soda and it didn’t really clean up the tarnish on my silverware but actually added a nice shine. I’m going to try this. I’m a little worried about doing it in my sink though, I used a large pan…I didn’t need a lot of depth. My sink is porcelain, can the tarnish harm it?
XO,
Jane
Ann Drake says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 10:21 amI’m honestly not sure about harming your sink. My sink is acrylic and it didn’t do a thing to it. I almost wish it had so then I could justify getting a new sink. Ha! The water after cleaning was dirty and the foil becomes sort of discolored. If you are really worried then a large pan would be the way to go. Thanks for your comment!
Keeping It Cozy says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 9:04 amThank you so much for sharing, Ann! I’m going to give this a try next week… my silverware is desperately in need of a cleaning!
Gretchen says
Friday, June 28, 2013 at 8:58 amGreat tips Ann! Your silver urns are just beautiful!