How to Clean Silver Cutlery

Large flat glass dish suitable for accommodating the silver cutlery, 800-mL beaker, safety glasses, protective gloves. 

Tarnished silver cutlery, aluminum foil, 15 % soda solution (with respect to anhydrous soda), NaCl. 

The glass dish is lined with aluminum foil, on which the tarnished silver cutlery is placed. The soda solution is poured in and left to stand for a few minutes (not more than 10). The cutlery is now washed with distilled water it is completely clean and shiny. The same effect is obtained when table salt is poured on to the tarnished cutlery and the latter wrapped in aluminum foil and rubbed hard. 

In alkaline solution aluminum is a reducing agent with respect to water and the Ag ions present on the surface of the tarnished silverware it is itself oxidised to AP ions, which first form Al(OH)3 with the hydroxide ions of the soda solution. The uptake of a further OH ion gives the water-soluble [AI(OH)4] complex. The hydrogen set free reinforces the reduction process, so that the silver cutlery gets its former shine back. 

The contents of the cleaning bath are poured down the drain and the aluminum foil disposed of with the household waste. 

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