Recently I wanted to clean a few pairs of silver
earrings. With limited space in an
RV I had not brought along a jar of silver polish. What to do?
Well, after some research I discovered that the solution was really
quite easy using items I already had on hand that are always available
in the RV: Water, Aluminum Foil,
Salt and Baking Soda.
I took a pan and heated up some water to almost a boiling
temperature on the range. Then I
added a sheet of aluminum foil to the bottom of the pan. Don’t worry about trimming the
foil. Just fold it so you can get
it to about the size of the bottom of the pan you are using. Carefully push the foil down to the
bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to avoid burning your fingers in the
hot water. Finally, add a couple
of tablespoons of both baking soda and salt, stirring them into the water until
dissolved.
You are now ready to clean your silver. Place the silver pieces (earrings,
flatware, necklace or whatever items you are working with) into the water. Let them sit for several minutes until the
tarnish disappears. You may have
to wait longer depending upon the amount of tarnish to be removed and in some
cases repeat the process one more time.
(For larger pieces, use an 8”x8” or larger baking pan, cover the bottom
with aluminum foil, pour your heated water into the pan with the dissolved salt
and baking soda. Again place your
silver pieces into the water until clean.)
Remove the cleaned pieces from the water, rinse them and pat
dry with a dishtowel. Presto! Your silver is clean and you did not
have to buy any special products to do the job. This is a “Simple Solution for the simple lifestyle of traveling
in an RV.”
P.S. I have
also learned that you can place your silver pieces into 7-up if they are mildly
tarnished. Again, wait for the
liquid to work its magic, rinse, dry and enjoy your silver, but toss the 7-up!
I’ve been waiting for Mom to get me a silver dish for my cat
food. I’d really enjoy the
elegance of eating from a silver plate.
She bought me stainless steel bowls and a plate for the trip with rubber
bottoms so they don’t slide all over the floor when we are going down the
road. Well, I can pretend, can’t
I?
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