Remove Tarnish From Silver Safely With Aluminum Foil
Make your silver shine with foil and these basic steps.
- Line a glass-baking pan with aluminum foil and lay it in the kitchen sink to avoid spills.
- Place the pan with flatware, jewelry, coins, or other silver, ensuring that each piece of silver physically touches the aluminum.
- For small pans, add four cups of boiling water followed by a quarter cup of baking soda. You can double or triple the recipe, as needed, to ensure the silver is completely covered with water.
- Once the mixture is added to the pan, it will begin to foam. This is normal and safe.
- The tarnish will rapidly begin to disappear, and you may see the resulting aluminum sulfide form yellow flakes and stick to the foil.
- Lightly tarnished silver will be restored in several minutes, while heavily tarnished silver may require a few treatments.
- Once the silver is clean, remove it from the pan, rinse it with clean water, and dry with a soft cloth.
- Rinse the used baking soda down the drain, and put the foil in the recycle bin.