Clean the silver of cutlery or personal accesories need not be an impossible mission. Although it is highly recommended go to a drugstore for advising on new products that facilitate the task in time and money, we can choose some natural tricks for home cleaning.

In www.sabercurioso.com tell us exactly why darkens the silver and what to do to restore its luster:

"The cutlery, jewelry and other silver objects darken over time and cleaning is necessary to return to retrieve the previous appearance. But is it not a noble metal? Would not that mean it does not react with other elements? How can rust? Indeed gold (Au), platinum (Pt) and silver (Ag) are called noble metals because of the little interaction they have with other substances, but that does not mean they do not react.

In the present case, the silver will not rust, does not react with oxygen (O2) in the air, it react with sulfur, which is in the atmosphere in the form of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gas from burning coal and oil. By reacting silver with sulfur it forms silver sulfide (Ag2S), which tarnishes silver. First the surface is covered with a yellowish brown dotted. It going to turn black over time and with the action of light, since the higher temperature facilitates the reaction.

The eggs, which contain a considerable amount of sulfur as part of the protein, eliminate the brightness of silver quickly. As a logical consequence of this we are faced with the need to clean the silver obscured by contacting the sulfur in the form of hydrogen sulfide.

There are many methods to do so, starting with the use of specific products for such a task and finishing with a mild abrasive such as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Through a series of chemical compounds that remove the layer of silver sulfide by various reactions and we can leave to experienced hands in their management. But there is an easy and efficient method that can be done with household items, namely:

1. cover with aluminum foil the inside of a container.

2. fill with hot water.

3. dissolve salt in water.

4. introduce cutlery or silverware.

The water temperature accelerates the reaction and the chlorine ions (Cl) of salt (NaCl) attack the aluminum surface allowing its oxidation. As a result, the sulfided silver was reduced to metallic silver (we wanted it) and sulfur is removed by returning to the air as hydrogen sulfide (perhaps it smells to boiled eggs) and the aluminum foil ... well ... to the garbage. Now, after waiting a few minutes, we can only dry the objects and give them with a soft cloth".