how to keep your silver shining

The holidays are quickly approaching and we’re already making our to do list. If the silver is going to make an appearance it's going to need polished. And if we’re ordering an organic heritage turkey, well, then we surely don’t want to be polishing the silverware with harmful chemicals! So when the time comes, what all natural silver polishing recipe will get the job done?

First up, the methods. Click through for each of the how-to/tutorial details of each of the natural home remedies we tested:After testing banana peels, ketchup, toothpaste and aluminum foil we are ready to crown our victor.

While every method worked (to be honest, ketchup barely made the cut) the combo of aluminum foil and baking soda (plus a few other key ingredients) was our clear winner. It takes hardly any time at all, is a little like magic and can tackle some really heavily tarnished pieces.

What You Need

Materials

Aluminum foil

Glass dish or aluminum baking dish

1 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/2 cup white vinegar

Rag for polishing

Bring the water to a boil. When combined with the other ingredients the water will activate the baking soda and start the process of transferring the tarnish to the foil.

Add the dry ingredients into the pan and slowly pour in the vinegar. You will cause a slight reaction, so pour carefully! It is possible to clean your silver without adding vinegar, but the vinegar will dramatically speed up the process.

Pour in the boiling water and then place the silver into your pan, making sure each piece is touching the foil. Try not to let any of the pieces overlap. This should only take about 30 seconds but if you have heavily tarnished pieces you may need to let them soak a few minutes longer.

Use tongs to remove the silverware and work off any remaining spots by buffing with a rag. Then, look deep into your shiny silver and admire the smartypants that brought it back to its original glory