DIY Network

Cleaning Silver Learn how to clean real silver. From "Home Made Easy" episode DHME-106

Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean®, joins host Stephanie Lydecker to demonstrate different ways to clean real silver. She evens shows how to make your own silver-cleaning clothes and shares tips on keeping tarnish away.

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Linda Cobb shows you how to clean real silver.

Materials:

bowls for mixing ingredients and soaking
rubber gloves
lint-free cloths
paper towels
aluminum foil
boiling water
3 tsp. baking soda
ammonia
silver polish
empty coffee cans with airtight lid

Figure A

How to Polish Real Silver

1. In a large bowl (large enough to fit all of the silver you may have), lay down strips of aluminum foil in the bottom of the bowl shiny side up (figure A).

2. Place silver cutlery in the bowl on top of the aluminum foil strips. The silver must come in contact with the aluminum foil.

3. Pour boiling water onto the cutlery and cover with water. Then sprinkle three tablespoons of baking soda over the silver.

4. Soak this for ten minutes, rinse well with water and dry.

Note:This only works for real silver. Don't use it for hollow handled knives or glued pieces of silver. This will also work on silver jewelry. Do this when your silver is heavily soiled. You do not want to do this on a regular basis.

Royal Tips for Silverware

• When storing your silverware, don't place a rubber band around it. The rubber will corrode the silver and pit it so that you can never get it clean again.

• Never wrap the silver in anything that will hold moisture because moisture causes tarnish.

• If you get carried away with something abrasive when cleaning silver, it will take the silver off (figure B). The silver is a coating and if you rub it with abrasives, it actually removes the coating.

• Great ways to store silver are with flannel lined case for silver or flannel cloths (figure C) that are treated.

• Blackboard chalk is great for absorbing moisture. Just put some chalk with the silver in a container or the drawer.

• Wash silver cutlery as soon as possible after using.

Figure B

Figure C

How to Make Your Own Silver-Cleaning Cloths

Note:These cloths are not for taking off total tarnish, they are just to use for shining up the silver when it doesn't look quite right.

Tip: Always wear rubber gloves when mixing the cloths in the solution.

• First, take small, cut squares of lint-free cotton (use an old t-shirt) and saturate cloths in a solution of two parts ammonia, one part silver polish, and ten parts of cold water.

• Pull the cloths out of the mix and let them air dry. Never dry them in the dryer because of the ammonia.

• Once they are totally dry, store them in an airtight container like an old coffee can. Use them whenever you need to polish silver.

Next: Cleaning Stainless Steel

GUESTS :

Linda Cobb
The Queen of Clean®
Website: www.queenofclean.com