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The Kitchen Table

Silver Plated Cutlery

13 years ago

Another question. I have some silver plated cutlery that badly needs cleaning.
I remember many years ago my mother-in-law hearing about an easy way to do it. She put all of them in a kettle of hot water and it seems to me that I remember her putting some tin foil in with it. They came out just as nice as if she had spent hours polishing it.

Does this sound familiar to anyone, or do any of you have a clue what it might be that saved so much work? I'm wondering if she also added some baking soda. Wish I had paid more attention at the time. All Iknow is that it sounded weird but worked.

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Comments (7)

azzalea
13 years ago
DO NOT DO IT.

It's very damaging to silver--it eats off a layer of the silver. And especially with silverplate, you don't have a lot of extra silver to spare. Research it online and you'll see it's not recommended.
chisue
13 years ago
This sounds like 'reverse electroplating' -- the reverse of the process that put the silver ON your flatware in the first place.
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Good for you Susanka! If you don't love it, use it or it brings you happiness ... let it go! Holding onto stuff out of guilt is no good. I keep telling my mother this too. She has so many items that were my grandmother's or great-grandmother's. She doesn't use them and they take up valuable real-estate in her china cabinet. I think she's finally ready ... this winter we are going to work on purging and organizing together (fun mother/daughter project). Just for your future information. There is a company in the US called Replacements. If you send them a photo of your item they will try and track down the pattern info for you. They also buy items. They helped me with my Great-grandmother's silver plate (which I'll admit is in the original chest tucked away in my guest closet). I don't even like the pattern so it will be going this winter. I am learning to live with less. We really don't need so much stuff. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Replacements
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All are plated...The tray for sure electro plated and probably the rest too. The handle is wood and has been poorly treated. The PS is indeed Poole silver and does say sheffield....however Poole was not inbusiness when the good old Sheffield plate was made ( which is not often marked as such) so their shefield is simply electro plating over copper rather than nickle silver.....which means that when it wears off copper shows through no a white metal. What is the marking on the coffee pot? And what does the inside and bottom look like? And the inside of the lid? There is a possibility that could be Old Sheffield, or perhaps even Sterling.....but not likely. Have you looked for marks in odd places, like the inside of the lip on the lid and at the base of the spout?
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ivamae
Original Author
13 years ago
Guess I'll use elbow grease and do it the old way. Thanks.
joyfulguy
13 years ago
I assume that grease doesn't harm silver?

o j
chisue
13 years ago
I have to 'spell myself' with silver polishing. My hands get too sore otherwise. I use Goddard's Silver Foam -- goes on with a damp sponge; rinses off. I've put almost all of my silver pieces away in plastic, but still have a few favorites on display. Hang in there, Ivamae, but spread it out over some days, messy as it is.
jemdandy
13 years ago
Hot water with aluminum foil certainly is not reverse plating for silver. Aluminum foil is aluminum - no silver present in it.
joyfulguy
13 years ago
She wasn't looking for a way to put more silver on, for which the aluminum would be no help, for sure.

But just to clean it.

Some are suggesting that the action of the hot water with the aluminum might result in some of the silver being yanked off of the plated piece.

Don't want to steal anyone's thunder ... but we'd rather not have a view of (partially) unplated steel knives, forks and spoons to grace the table when guests visit, would we?

o j

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