How to Polish Silver

A silver platter with a silver candle holder on top, in front of a box of baking soda
You’ve cooked the perfect meal and the guests are about to arrive. The meal is so perfect it deserves a place setting with real silver utensils. As you try and remember where you stored them, you may wonder if they’re even still shiny. Uh-oh. The good news is you don’t have to let dirty silver tarnish your dinner party or the night’s mood. Molly Maid has a quick and easy way to polish silver fast.

How to Clean and Polish Silver Fast

  • Bring four cups of water and one tablespoon of baking soda to a boil.
  • Line the bottom of a separate container with aluminum foil. Make sure the container is big enough so that each piece of silver can be in direct contact with the foil, and fully submerged. Even better, skip the foil and use a disposable aluminum baking tray.
  • Place the tarnished silverware in the foil-lined container or the aluminum baking tray.
  • Pour boiling baking soda water on top of silverware, submerge each piece entirely.
  • Wait 10 seconds or longer for very tarnished silverware.
  • Remove each piece of silver using kitchen tongs.
  • Dry with a clean dishtowel. Voila.

Heavily tarnished silverware may require a few treatments.

Alternative Silver Polishing Methods

Mix a quarter cup baking soda with two tablespoons water into a paste for a polishing compound. No baking soda in the cupboard? You can also use a small amount of toothpaste on a rag to polish the silver. Just be sure the toothpaste has some sort of abrasive.

Not Seeing Results?

If no magic is happening, this probably means that your silverware is silver-plated, and the silver has worn off or has been polished so many times, it’s no longer there. Re-plating isn’t very cost-effective, so maybe now you have the perfect excuse to go silver shopping.

Want more time to do the things you love? Let your local Molly Maid clean your house so you can spend more time planning dinner parties and entertaining friends. Learn more about our home cleaning services and contact your local Molly Maid today for a free estimate!