How to Polish Silver and Not Ruin Your Mani

How many of us come home after a long week and think "Hot damn, I can't wait to get all sore and gross polishing silver all weekend!"

Yeah, that's what I thought.

So, when I saw Martha's method (it is always, Martha, isn't it?!?), I knew I had to give it a try. Aluminum + Baking Soda + Hot Water = One Unscathed Mani and more time to watch Bravo. 

Because I had big pieces to clean, I used large turkey roasting sized aluminum pans. If you are only doing flatware, you can definitely get something smaller.

So, here is where I altered Martha's method a bit....I lined mine with aluminum foil.  I found that the extra aluminum contact got way more of the sulfur oxide (tarnish) off than leaving it unlined. 

Add in about a cup or so of Baking Soda (or just open the box and pour a bunch in like I did without measuring or paying close attention.) 

Add your pieces you want to clean...

Then add boiling water to the pan and make sure to cover the items completely with the water.

This is when it will start bubbling and stinking. 

After about a minute, use tongs to remove the item from the hot water and it should be shiny and bright.  You may have to still use a little bit of polish to touch up some areas but depending on how tarnished it is, you should see a huge improvement. And in case you were wondering, my favorite polish is Peek. 

Here is a teapot where I did this method to one side and not the other.

Have yall ever tried this? Any other tips?!? I love my Peek but I may never polish silver the old way again after doing this!