Honestly...
Who loves to sit and polish silver by hand? Putting the paste on the sponge, rubbing the tarnish on the piece, hoping it comes off... And realizing that after ten minutes of patiently trying to polish the silver- it's NOT coming off.
So... More paste... More "polishing"... More time spent in attempting to get that darn spot off the silver. But- no such luck. It's not budging.
What to do?!
Simple, easy, and it includes everything easily found in your kitchen.
Typically, we use this to get the sterling silverware cleaned for Holiday dinners at our home... BUT... The same technique can be used for sterling jewelry in a pinch.
Ingredients List:
* Baking Soda
* Tin Foil
* Water
* Heatproof Bowl or Pan
* Tea Kettle/Small Saucepan
* Paper Towels
* Mug
* Favorite Type of Tea
* Sugar/Honey
Fill the Tea Kettle or Saucepan with water, and set on the stove to boil. (Microwave can also work if you have a container big enough- boiling takes about 4-7 minutes depending on power)
Tear off a piece of Tin Foil large enough to cover the bottom of your bowl or pan.
Depending on how many items you have, either a bowl or a deep heatproof pan will work. I prefer ceramic- such as Corningware, however Mom likes to do this in our big stainless sink. Scatter your items atop the tin foil, making sure they aren't touching one another.
Sprinkle them with a good amount of Baking Soda. Mind you- they don't have to be completely covered- but a good sprinkling does wonders. Unless your Baking Soda is clumped in the box (like mine does after a while!!) it should come out nice and powdery.
Once the water is boiling, remove from heat and pour over your jewelry/silver in the bowl.
Pour yourself a nice, hot Mug of Tea and add Sugar/Honey to taste.
Immediately upon pouring the water over the items, you should see the silver start to brighten. This is due to an amazing chemical reaction caused by the boiling water coming into contact with the Baking Soda and Tin Foil. While it looks like it's all clean now... Be patient!
Sip your tea, and by the time you're finished- you'll have sparkling sterling silver!
Remove from the bowl/pan, rinse under cool water and lay to dry on paper towels.
Did I also mention that it cleans the stones as well? It doesn't clean quite as well as having a jewelry cleaner and scrubbing the stones with a soft brush- but- as you can see, they have an irresistible luster. Lights, camera, ACTION!
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