How to clean silverware tarnish: polish, foil bath or paste

Step by step: how to clean silverware tarnish

Safety first. Use oven mitts or tongs with the near-boiling water in the foil method, and keep the dish on a heat-safe surface. Work with windows open: the reaction gives off a rotten-egg smell from sulfur. Never mix silver dips or polishes with bleach.

1. 1

   Sort sterling, plated and fragile pieces

   Look for marks on the back: “sterling” or “925” means solid silver, while “EP,” “EPNS” or a maker’s plate mark means silver plate, which is a thin layer you can wear through. Set aside knives with hollow handles, pieces with wood or bone handles, and anything with a dark decorative finish in the pattern; they need polish only, not soaking.

2. 2

   Wash in warm soapy water

   Wash the silver in warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap to remove food and grease, which block polish. Rinse and dry with a soft towel. Light tarnish sometimes comes off at this stage.

3. 3

   Polish by hand for best results

   Put a pea-sized amount of silver polish on a damp soft sponge and rub each piece in straight back-and-forth strokes, a small area at a time. The sponge will turn black as the tarnish comes off. Use a soft toothbrush in the pattern, then rinse in warm water.

4. 4

   Or set up a foil bath for many pieces

   Line a glass or ceramic baking dish with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Lay the flatware on the foil so every piece touches it. Pour in very hot or just-boiled water to cover, then sprinkle in about 2 heaping tablespoons of baking soda per quart or so (1 cup per gallon), and stir gently.

5. 5

   Wait and watch the tarnish lift

   You will see bubbling and smell sulfur as the tarnish transfers to the foil. Light tarnish clears in a few minutes; Arm & Hammer suggests up to 30 minutes for heavier tarnish. Turn pieces with tongs if the side facing up still looks dark.

6. 6

   Rinse and dry each piece right away

   Lift the silver out with tongs, rinse it under warm water, and dry it immediately with a soft cloth so water spots do not form. Get baking soda out of the pattern and the tines.

7. 7

   Buff to bring back the shine

   The foil method can leave a soft matte look. Buff each piece with a polishing cloth or a little silver polish to restore the bright finish, then rinse and dry again if you used polish.

8. 8

   Store it so it tarnishes slowly

   Put dry flatware in anti-tarnish bags, a lined silver chest, or wrapped in acid-free tissue inside sealed plastic bags. Keep rubber bands, felt with sulfur dyes, and newspaper away from silver, as they speed up tarnish.

Which method cleans tarnished silver best?

Hand polishing gives the brightest, most controlled finish; the foil bath is fastest for a whole set; dips are quick but harsh. The Canadian Conservation Institute’s silver care note explains that tarnish is black silver sulfide formed by sulfur compounds in the air, and every method either rubs it off or converts it back.

The CCI note also says dips should not be used on hollow objects, where liquid gets trapped, and that the foil (electrochemical) method leaves a dull finish that needs a gentle polish afterward. Arm & Hammer’s instructions give the foil bath ratio used above: very hot water with baking soda at about 1 cup per gallon, soaked up to 30 minutes.

Cleaning sterling silver versus silver plate

Clean sterling and silver plated items, from flatware to trays and candlesticks, the same way, but go gently on plate, because every polish removes a little silver and plating is thin. When the copper or nickel base starts showing through as a yellow or pink tint at the edges and tips, the plating is worn; polishing harder makes it worse.

The CCI’s note on plating silver onto copper alloys is written for conservators, but it makes the same point: on plated objects, repeated polishing can wear through to the copper-based metal underneath. For worn plate on pieces you love, a silversmith can replate them. Solid sterling can be polished for generations as long as you avoid harsh abrasives.

Can you put silverware in the dishwasher?

Hand washing is safest for sterling and silver plate. If you do use the dishwasher, keep silver in its own basket section away from stainless steel, skip lemon-scented or harsh detergents, and take the pieces out to dry by hand before the heated dry cycle.

Never use the dishwasher for knives with hollow or glued handles, which can loosen, or for antique and heirloom pieces. Wash silver soon after eating eggs, mayonnaise, mustard or salty foods, all of which tarnish or spot it quickly. Silver jewelry has its own needs; see how to clean silver jewelry.

Mistakes to avoid

• Soaking hollow-handled knives, which can let water in and loosen the blade.
• Using toothpaste or scouring powder, which scratch silver.
• Rubbing in circles instead of straight strokes, which leaves swirl marks.
• Leaving silver wet after the foil bath, which causes water spots.
• Polishing silver plate hard enough to expose the base metal.
• Storing silver with rubber bands or in a damp cupboard.