found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

prunepie Posted: Feb 04, 2006 09:51 PM

found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

i bought silver cleaner but there are still soooooo many marks on it.... there is a tray and spoon etc..that iw ould like to use at my wedding for our first cake slice..but cant seem to get some of these tarnish spots off.... any ideas??? ty

lrs2005 Posted: Feb 04, 2006 09:56 PM

Re: found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

Is it sterling or silver plate? If it is sterling, there is this brownish paste that fortunoff sells in a tub (they have it near the sterling silverware and the rings) and if you follow the directions on the tub it works, but it does require some elbow grease.
However, if it is silver plate some of those marks and discolorations won't come out. Sorry

prunepie Posted: Feb 05, 2006 09:31 PM

Re: found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

how would i know if it is sterling or silver plate? i am not very savy about this stuf.... i do know it has company markings etc on the bottom of the pieces. ty!

kara10152006 Posted: Feb 05, 2006 09:42 PM

Re: found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

if you're unsure of the metal, you may just want to try tooth oaste and an old soft tooth brush. it will take some elbow grease but the results are well worth the effort!

MrsStefan Posted: Feb 05, 2006 11:25 PM

Re: found parents old wedding silver..but cant clean it..help!!

Try this. I've heard it works!

1. An aluminum pan (like the disposable ones you buy to bake a cake or pie)

2. Hot Water (must be boiling hot)

3. Box of Baking Soda

Place your silver jewelry on the aluminum pan first. Spread the pieces out so each piece of jewelry is touching the aluminum pan and so that it is not too crowded.

Boil water in kettle, when it reaches boil, pour the boiling water into the aluminum pan so that the jewelry is completed covered by the water.

Last, sprinkle in the baking soda into the water. The water will start fizzling and sizzling and steam will come out that smells like rotten eggs. The steam is partly composed of the sulfur (which creates the tarnish). Stir the water a little to make sure all the baking soda dissolves.

After the fizzling stops, you can pour the water out and rinse everything with cold water to wash off the baking soda. Most of the jewelry will look like new! If some are still tarnished, just repeat the process again.