Useful Tips

Clean silver without buying proprietory cleaners by putting a piece of aluminium foil into a saucepan or washing up bowl, adding a tablespoon or two of bicarbonate of soda and pouring in boiling or very hot water. Soak silver or EPNS for five minutes or so, rinse and dry. A reaction transfers ions from the foil to the tarnish and converts it back to silver. No scratches, no nasty smell, no surface removed by rubbing.

If the item is too big to submerge, turn it over and repeat.

To get sparkling stainless steel, wipe over the surface with a cotton pad or kitchen roll and baby oil (only a small amount) - then wipe dry with a clean piece; works every time and is smear free and a mirror reflection finish.

Vinegar is an excellent weedkiller (kills grass off too) and safer to use if you have pets.

Does it have to be baby oil? What about cooking oil?

Yes, anno it must be baby oil, from freshly squeezed babies.

Elegran
I was a bit sceptical about that one at first so I looked it up.
For anyone interested enough here is how it supposed to work chemically.

scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/tarnish.html

I must try this at home.

Scientific DD2 approved the chemistry*Nellie*. I think it must be the same process that you get with the bottles of silver dip, but don't know that for sure. I've tried it with a whole display cabinet of elderly silver and plate (mostly plate) - most of it came up brilliantly. Anything that was worn down to base metal only improved where there was some plating left, obviously. It got into corners of things with detailing that you normally would either leave black or fill with dried-on Silvo.

It loses power after you have done a few things, but only takes a few minutes to set up a new lot.

Next plan is to try it with silver jewellery.

I bought a metal 'plate' which you use with washing soda and hot water to clean silver, must work on the same principle, elegran.

That was what put me on the trail of this method. I had been turning out cupboards and had this pile of stuff needing cleaned but no silver cleaner on the house. DD2 had seen your metal plate in a catalogue somewhere but couldn't remember where, so I Googled it. The foil/bicarb method came up as well - much cheaper!

I do the same elegran, but with washing soda instead of bicarb.

With bicarb you can fish stuff out with your fingers if it is too fiddly for tongs. I wouldn't fancy doing that with washing soda.

I have a vague memory of it being done with foil milk-bottle tops once upon a time.

I've done it with washing soda which is easier to get in the quantities required. I wonder if I could use the bath for a silver tray (not plate) which is too big for the sink. Would it damage an acrylic bath?

Wouldn't have thought so, anno

Would it go into one of those Lakeland Plastics trays for soaking oven shelves?

I noticed today that M&S is selling large foil trays/baking "tins" for I think £1.99. Would that help?

That would work I think, Charleygirl.

I think I bought the original plate from Betterwear or a similar firm.

annodomini

Yes, it has to be baby oil - I've never tried cooking oil other than for cooking but I doubt it would work on anything for polishing or babies bottoms even!

To be honest, I'd be better putting on my Marigolds and attacking the silverware with silver polish. I used to have that job for my mum when I was a kid.

If the water is deep enough, maybe the tray can stand on end in it, then on the other end.

I don't know if baby oil cleans silveware - I've only ever tried it on stainless steel.

White toothpaste and an old toothbrush work well on silver jewellery. It doen't leave black in the recessess. Seems to last a long time too.

White toothpaste can, also, fill in small holes and cracks in walls.. Especially useful if you have a grandchild who like to put things on the wall with drawing pins.

Toothpaste's good for cleaning shower screens too - clears the water marks.

Dragonfly1 please excuse the ignorance, I have never heard of using toothpaste for this before but how exactly is it done?

Soggy cloth, blob of toothpaste; wipe it all over, rinse with clean cloth and water, dry/polish with either kitchen roll or a microfibre cloth. I use it in mirrors and windows too. Just make sure you rinse it off well before drying. Job done!