You might not really use your previous silverware all the time but only on several occasions since they are such sophisticated items that you dear most. That being said, you really have to polish and clean them on a regular basis to keep their finish looking stunning all the time.
Just like the other fine metals, the finish of your beloved silverware may fade due to harmful elements that are present around your house. Cleaning your silverware is essential since the dirt, dust, and harmful exposure can really damage the clarity of their finish.
For you who think that this is the right time to take out your silverware from those boxes and polish them, below we have a complete tutorial on how to get the job done all by yourself. There are five ways that are presented and you can go with the one that suits you best. All of them use easily-available home supplies as the cleaning agent, so you will not have to spend a lot to bring back the beauty of your gorgeous silverware.
Just keep scrolling to check out 5 DIY ways to clean silverware that we have compiled just for you.
5 DIY Ways to Clean Silverware
Prepare these supplies:
- Hot water
- Your regular cleaning agent
- Microfiber cloth
- Plastic bowl
- Aluminum foil
- Cotton gloves
- Baking pan
Follow these steps:
Cleaning with baking soda
Make your DIY cleaning solution
Yes, we should always include baking soda in almost every single DIY cleaning tutorial. This easy home supply also works to clean your silverware.
- Line your plastic bowl with aluminum foil.
- Mix two tablespoons of baking soda and hot water.
Soak your silverware
Put your silverware in the cleaning mixture and make sure that all of them are completely submerged. You can add more hot water to ensure that the items are submerged.
You will start to see the mixture get fizzing and let it work to clean your silverware for around 30 minutes.
Polish your silverware
In a separate bowl, mix two tablespoons of baking soda with a few drops of water until you get a paste consistency. Use it to polish your silverware with a clean cloth.
Rinse your silverware
Once you’re done polishing, clean the residue of the baking soda paste with clean water and dry them up with another clean cloth.
Cleaning with rubbing alcohol
Make your DIY cleaning solution
Rubbing alcohol is a good cleaning solution to treat mild spotting, tarnished metal, and smudges. You just have to mix one part of rubbing alcohol with four parts of water in your plastic bowl as your DIY cleaning solution.
Polish your silverware
Soak a clean cloth into the cleaning mixture until it gets damp. Polish your silverware thoroughly and work harder on the heavily stained areas until they are completely removed.
Rinse your silverware
You will see your silverware sparkling again after polishing them with rubbing alcohol. Dry them up with a microfiber cloth and store them safely until you need to use them again.
Cleaning with a toothpaste
Prepare your supplies
Surprisingly, you can use your favorite toothpaste to clean your beloved silverware. You don’t have to mix it with other home supplies, just use it as it is. If you have some organic toothpaste, that would be a much better option.
Polish your silverware
Put a little bit of your toothpaste on the microfiber cloth and gently polish your silverware. Don’t skip the tricky areas like the gap between your silver forks.
Rinse your silverware
Once you’re done polishing, rinse the items with hot water and use another clean microfiber cloth to dry them up.
Cleaning with vinegar
Line the baking pan
Next to baking soda, vinegar is the next most famous home supply that really helps with a lot of DIY cleaning tutorials. If you prefer to use vinegar to clean your silverware with vinegar, you can start by lining your baking pan with a layer of aluminum foil.
Boil the silverware
Add one part of white vinegar and four parts of water to the baking pan and boil it up. Drop your silverware and leave them for around 5 minutes.
Rinse the silverware
Remove your silverware from the pan carefully as they might be hot. Rinse them with warm water and dry them up with a clean microfiber towel.
Cleaning with laundry detergent
Gather your supplies
If you have some powdered laundry detergent, you can use it to clean your silverware.
- Line your plastic bowl with aluminum.
- Pour some hot water and a tablespoon of powdered laundry detergent.
Soak your silverware
Put your silverware in the cleaning mixture and let them sit for around one minute. This cleaning mixture is good to clean up the smudges and watermarks of silverware.
Rinse your silverware
Rinse the items with clean water and let them air dry. You actually don’t have to polish your silverware if you choose to use powdered laundry detergent.
(You may also like: 3 Easy Steps on How to Clean Wallpaper Using Home Supplies)
How to Keep Your Silverware Cleaner Longer
Storing your silverware properly is the key to keeping it clean longer. You can’t expect to have your silverware look shining all the time if you carelessly store them.
You can use a table napkin or microfiber cloth to wrap your silver pieces. It’s good to protect them from any harmful elements. It’s also highly recommended to wipe your silverware regularly prior to the deep cleaning steps above.
How often should you clean your silverware?
The rule of thumb is that you need to polish your silverware with the steps above once a year. It’s enough to keep their finishes look attractive.
However, if you often use them, you might need to polish them more frequently. It’s a good idea to polish your favorite silverware two to five times each year.
So those are some DIY ways that you can try to polish your silverware. They are so easy to get done and you can use the supplies that you might already have in your kitchen!
