First let me tell you about this super awesome thrift store we have not far from my house! It has THE best deals! On Mondays the entire store is half off and anything 10 days and older is 75% off! That makes for some good deals!
That is where I found this beauty! Now, I am not 100% sure that it is real silver but it looks just as pretty and cleans us just the same. Let’s pretend like it is and no one will ever know the difference okay? (Except for maybe some of you experts out there!)
This poor thing was in pretty bad shape. You can see the inside of the tray is really worn and what you can’t see is the outside of the tray under the lip is really nasty! After a little research I knew just what needed to be done to return this girl to her beautiful self!
Oh! Did I mention I bought it for $3? Yep!
To naturally and frugally polish silver you are going to need 5 things:
A tub or sink big enough to submerge your silver
Water (hot!)
½ cup Baking Soda
½ cup Salt
Aluminum Foil
If you don’t already have all this stuff at home it shouldn’t cost you more than one buck to buy the baking soda and salt.
So to get your silver shinning again all you need to do is to cover the bottom of your tub with aluminum foil.
Then fill with enough hot (really hot) water to completely cover the piece you are trying to clean up. Mix in the salt and baking soda. Stir it around until dissolved. Now submerge your silver and let sit for a good 5-10 minutes.
Once you give your piece a good soaking take it out and with a damp rag start to buff out any yucky spots. This tray has so much detail along the rim that I actually took out an old soft bristle toothbrush and lightly brushed along the edges. Can you see all that nasty grime coming off? Nasty!
Rinse off with clean water to see if you missed any spots. Depending on how much help your silver needs you might need to repeat this process a few times. I ended up doing it about three times and called it good. Once you get it where you want it to be lightly polish your silver with a soft dry towel or rag.
I didn’t get the inside base of my platter to look exactly how I would like. But I was happy with how much better it looked!
Look how much happier this tray looks! Shiny! I see this piece in many centerpieces and at many parties in the future!
Don’t forget to check out my Link Parties page to see where I go to share ideas and for inspiration.
Ann-Marie
February 23, 2015 at 6:55 pmIt looks great! Wow what a transformation. Gorgeous tray.
Brittany Cooper
February 25, 2015 at 6:25 amThanks Ann-Marie! I was super excited when I spotted it at the thrift store!
Jenny
February 26, 2015 at 8:37 pmI have a cabinet full of tarnished silver, that really should be made shiny again and displayed! I will definitely have to try your method. It looks faster and easier than traditional polishing! Thanks for sharing!
Brittany Cooper
March 11, 2015 at 7:27 amWhat I really love about this is that you don’t have to use any harsh or smelly chemicals. It works fast too! Thanks for stopping by Jenny!
Dianna Klein
February 26, 2016 at 4:59 amI have a silver frame, which is from a long time ago, but it’s still very beautiful, I just need to clean it. Thanks for the receipt, I will try to polish it today and hopefully will get brighter and cleaner! Best regards
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