I realized when I began the process today that the Heaton silver is at least 100 years old! I have always been a firm believer in using the good stuff, seeing no point in keeping the silver packed away and only used on special occasions. Every day of our 43 years of marriage we used the Heaton silver at meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. All but the knives went into the dishwasher, but that meant a few extra times that polishing was needed.
It used to be that a whole afternoon could be whittled away standing by the kitchen sink, using the gunky silver polish paste and smelling the noxious fumes. I learned that the homemade method was far more palatable, even eco-friendly.
POLISHING SILVER THE ECO-FRIENDLY WAY
Note: In my usual fashion, I measure nothing.
- Begin by putting water on to boil. You will need enough to completely submerge the silver.
- Line your sink or a dishpan with tin foil, shiny side up (you can overlap this)
- Lay out your silver so that it touches the tinfoil, but is not touching other pieces
- Cover the pieces with a good dusting of baking soda and then salt
- Cover the pieces with boiling water
Once you pour on the water you will see a bit of bubbling and fizzing. Let it sit for a few minutes. Drain. Fill the sink or dishpan with soapy water, wash and rinse. Dry and remove any lingering tarnish with a soft cloth.
Quick, easy and effective... the holy grail of natural silver polish!