How to polish silver? Silver is a beautiful metal used as ornaments, in jewelry and in industry. In order for the silver to stay sparkling clean, however, it must be polished regularly. To get your silver really shiny, you can use tried-and-tested housewife tricks that are both gentle on the silver and the environment.
Use aluminum
The problem with silver is that it quickly turns ugly and black. The process is called silver sulphide and occurs when the silver is exposed to oxygen and other air pollutants. The aluminum reacts with the black silver sulphide in a redox process, which makes it somewhat simplistically absorb it. All you need is a plastic or glass bowl, a piece of aluminum foil that you place in the bottom, a couple of spoons of bicarbonate or baking soda and boiling water. To get the best possible effect, the hot water must cover both the foil and the silver, and the silver, whether it is a ring or necklace , must be in direct contact with the aluminum foil. Leave the silver in the water bath for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with water. Then you polish all objects with a soft polishing cloth.
Try toothpaste
It may sound funny, but you can actually use toothpaste when cleaning your silverware. This is because there are abrasives in toothpaste that are meant to wear down plaque on your teeth. However, it also works great on silver. You can even use a toothbrush, but a cleaning cloth works just as well. Be careful not to scratch your silver, but feel free to use a good dab of toothpaste. Always rub in the same direction to avoid scratches and wear. When you're done, rinse your silverware and polish it with a polishing cloth or a soft cloth if you don't have anything else at home.
How do you get sterling silver?
Nickel and silver are not the same thing. Namely, nickel silver is a mixture of nickel, zinc and copper that wants to imitate silver, while silver is a precious metal. However, cleaning is done in the same way. To achieve a shiny glossy surface, you must polish properly with a polishing cloth afterwards, regardless of whether you use the toothpaste method or the aluminum bath.
