How to Polish Silver Without Silver Paste or Scrubbing

If you have silver that needs to be polished, but you don’t want to spend a ton of time polishing and buffing then have we got a method for you. We’re calling this one the “lazy man’s silver polish” because once you make up the mixture, you leave it to soak, stirring the mix up a bit as you go. And, unlike harsh chemicals which can smell bad, this recipe is made using simple ingredients you already have on hand.

The man behind the YouTube channel, NZ Coins, shared a really easy method for polishing silver- no scrubbing or wiping needed. You start by lining a bowl with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Then you add three simple ingredients to the bowl: salt, baking soda, and hot water.

Then you’ll need to let the silver items sit in the mixture. You can actually watch them change color from being dull, tarnished grey to brilliant silver. This method works best if the items are touching the foil, so some agitation might be needed to keep the process going. After a few minutes, you’ll see just how much brighter the items are! The final step is to give them a good hand washing with soap and water and then to dry them.

This method can also be used for silver jewelry and other small items, but won’t work as well on larger items like teapots or serving trays simply because you’d need a huge bucket and whole lot of aluminum foil. However, for the most common of silver polishing needs this process works really well.

Have a look at how to do your silver polishing the easy way in the video below.