How to Clean Silver-Plated Items With Household Ingredients

Restore shine with pantry items like baking soda and salt

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 15 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins - 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $0-5

Knowing how to clean silver-plated items keeps them from becoming tarnished and dull. There are many commercial products to clean silver and silver-plated items but you can also use safe and natural products such as baking soda and salt, for example.

When cleaning silver-plated items, it is important to avoid excessive polishing as it can wear down the finish. It is also recommended to clean silver immediately after use, especially if it has come into contact with certain foods, to prevent sulfur buildup and tarnishing.

Use the following steps to clean your silver plate naturally.

Silver vs. Silver-Plated

Before you begin to clean silver, evaluate whether the item is solid silver or silver plate. Hold up a magnet to the item. A silver-plated item is made up of other metals and it will be magnetic. If it's an old piece, check with a local antique dealer to determine its value and to see whether you should leave the item in its as-is condition should you plan to sell it.

tarnished silver plated flatware

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Tip

Toothpaste is a mild abrasive, often made with baking soda, that can double as a cleaning remedy for many items, including jewelry and silverware. Use other items to successfully polish silver, such as vinegar, lemon juice, and ketchup. Each has weak acids that can eliminate tarnish.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Bucket, washtub, or baking dish
  • Pot to boil water
  • Tongs

Materials

  • Aluminum foil
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Soft rag

Instructions

How to Clean Silver-Plated Items With Baking Soda and Salt

To clean silver plate, immerse and soak the item in a foil-lined container filled with boiling water, salt, and baking soda and watch the tarnish disappear.

materials for cleaning tarnished silver

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  1. Assess the Silver Item

    Decide how much of the tarnish you want to remove. Restoring silver, even silver-plating, is a hotly debated topic in the antique market. Some people think polishing causes damage and reduces the value, while others want the item to look as new as possible. Some leave only a portion of the tarnish intact to show character. 

    If you aren't planning on reselling the silver-plated object any time soon, then how you restore it is entirely up to your discretion.

    examining tarnished silver

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  2. Mix the Cleaning Solution

    Combine 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of baking soda for every gallon of water used. Pick a bucket or tub that is large enough for the silver to lay flat and be covered in the liquid.

    gathering silver-cleaning supplies

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  3. Line a Bucket With Aluminum Foil

    Place a few sheets of aluminum foil on the bottom of your container, and make sure that the shiny side is facing up. For this process to work, you'll need the silver to be directly touching the foil.

    lining a vessel with aluminum foil

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  4. Sprinkle Salt and Baking Soda on Foil

    Sprinkle equal parts salt and baking soda on top of the aluminum foil.

    adding salt and baking soda to foil

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  5. Add Boiling Water

    Pour boiling water carefully into the container. Make sure the bucket you're using is deep enough to withstand the fizzing that occurs when the water hits the baking soda and salt. Boil enough water to cover the items you will be cleaning.

    Warning

    Stand back when pouring because the steam could potentially scald your skin and the smell will not be pleasant.

    adding boiling water to the foil

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  6. Allow Silver to Soak

    Place the silver-plated item in the container using tongs. The tarnish may start to dissolve immediately but if not, add more salt, baking soda, or water, and ensure the aluminum foil is in direct contact with the silver item. Let the silver soak for up to 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the hot mixture with tongs, and wipe with a soft rag. If tarnish remains, soak the item longer.

    Tip

    Some darker spots might be the base metal showing through the silver plating. This is common on older pieces where the silver plating has been worn down over time by polishing.

    letting the silver soak

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

  7. Rinse and Dry

    Rinse the item thoroughly with clean water to remove leftover salt and baking soda residue. Dry with a soft rag, making sure there is no moisture left, which could also cause the silver to tarnish again rather quickly.

    letting the silver items dry

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Additional Tips to Clean Silver-Plated Items

  • Lemon: Lemon juice removes water spots from silver-plated items. Dip a microfiber cloth in lemon juice and wipe off tarnish and water spots.
  • Vinegar: This is the best method for removing a moderate amount of tarnish in minutes. Submerge your item in undiluted white vinegar and let it sit there for 15 minutes (for light tarnish) up to a couple of hours (for heavier tarnish). Rinse in plain water and dry the silver-plated piece.
  • Ketchup: This ingredient is good for polishing silver plate to a shine. Squeeze ketchup onto a microfiber rag, gently polish the silver plate, and then buff the ketchup off with a clean rag.
  • Toothpaste: Regular white, non-gel toothpaste shines silver plate. Squeeze a bit onto a microfiber cloth, gently rub it onto the silver plate, and buff it out with a clean cloth.
  • Baking soda and aluminum foil: This is the best method for cleaning large silver-plated pieces. Wrap the item in foil before submerging it into boiling water and baking soda. Put the shiny side of the foil towards the item and the dull side showing. Put the item in the tub, pour boiling water on it, then add 1 cup of baking soda. Let the item remain for 30 minutes, remove with tongs, unwrap when cool, and the tarnish should be gone. Buff dry.

How to Store Silver-Plated Items

Store silver-plated items as you would any silver item so that it can remain moisture-free. Store it in a drawer or container lined with a tarnish-resistant fabric, silver cloth, acid-free tissue paper, or unbleached cotton muslin.

Place the wrapped item into a cotton or anti-tarnish bag. Avoid storing silver plate in plastic because of potentially trapped moisture. If you desire, place a plain white piece of chalk in the bag to further absorb any minuscule amounts of moisture.

FAQ
  • Can silver-plated items be restored?

    Silver plating can be restored by re-plating the item by removing the old coating and adding a new silver layer. Contact a silver restoration service to handle the job.

  • How do you clean silver plate that has turned black?

    Clean off the black tarnish from silver plate with a heavy paste of baking soda and water. Rub the paste on the item, leave it for up to 10 minutes, then rinse with a damp cloth with cool water and buff dry.

  • Can you clean silver plate with Coca-Cola?

    Carefully clean silver plate with Coca-Cola by letting a small piece soak in the liquid for just a minute or so until you see the tarnish disappear. The acid in the liquid cuts through the tarnish.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Antique Silver. The British Antique Dealers' Association.

  2. Burns and Scalds. United Kingdom National Health Service.

  3. Collecting Guide: How to care for silver. Christie's.