Most wearers of silver jewellery polish their pieces with toothpaste when they start looking dull. They squirt the paste on to the jewellery, rub it in with their fingers, and then wash it well under running water. It comes out shining and smells deliciously minty when worn.
Some others prefer to use tomato ketchup. They put a dab of ketchup on a paper towel, and rub the tarnished pieces with the towel. If the pieces are extra black, they wrap them in the ketchup-covered paper and let them sit for 15 minutes. When the time is up, they remove the silver articles from the paper, wipe them with a soft cloth and then rinse them clean. The ketchup users claims their method works better, but they admit that the pieces emerging from the other method smell better.
But there’s a third—more elaborate—method on which all parties are sold. This works best for bigger pieces of silver, like a bowl or candle stand.
You need four things for this: a pan, water, aluminium foil and baking soda. Place the foil at the bottom of the pan and fill it with enough water to cover whatever silver item you want to clean, measuring out the water in cups. Bring the water to a boil and then add one tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water that you’ve poured into the pan. Then, slowly slip your silver item into the pan, ensuring that it touches the foil. Let it sit for two to 10 minutes, depending on the level of tarnish, and then remove it from the water with tongs. Voila. Prepare to be dazzled.
