Inherited Silver Deserves Your Attention – Just Like The People You Loved
Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Here’s how to easily transform those much loved (and heavily tarnished) pieces so you can cherish them once again, and remember the people who used them last.
I have some plain old silverware that I’ve had for years. Nothing special. Just utility. They’re fine. Now, for some odd reason, some forks and spoons have gone missing. This is normally not a problem, but it becomes sort of silly each Thanksgiving when we have the family over for dinner and someone has to eat with a salad fork. No one complains, but it does just look a bit goofy when the table is set.
So I started thinking maybe it was time to buy a new, maybe nicer set of silverware.
Enter my lovely niece Jessica and her blog LittleChoices.
Sitting down with my coffee this morning, I see an email alert that Jessica has written a new blog post. So, I click on to see what’s up. I start reading about Jessica’s resolution to make this Christmas a time for asking for (and giving) less stuff. She has started thinking some deep thoughts about clutter and consuming. Be sure to click on the link below and read the journey this incredible young woman is on, then come on back: LittleChoices – Confessions Of A Girl With Too Many Options
The idea of using what we have, donating what we don’t need, and buying from sources like Goodwill, the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, and other RRR (Reduce Reuse Recycle) is so appealing. I started thinking about my silverware again. Hey, maybe I should just go to one of those places and see what I can find!
Then it hit me. Wait a minute… I recall a blue bundle of silverware stuck in the back of my kitchen drawer, long forgotten it seems. I opened the drawer, and there it was. I put it on the counter and slowly unrolled it, and this is what I saw: 
What a pretty bundle! Now, the picture doesn’t show the extent of tarnish very well, nor does it show the lovely patterns, but, trust me, they are quite tarnished and quite beautiful. Such pretty detail. I’d forgotten how pretty they were.
We didn’t see this silverware often growing up because, as most homemakers did, Gramma and Mom put their “good silver” and china and crystal (if they had any) away. I remember going over to Gramma’s house and polishing the silver, only to have it returned to the cabinet for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
What you also won’t be able to tell very well is the weight of this stuff. It’s really much heavier than it looks. And, you can see the pattern on the front, but what’s interesting is how ornate the pieces are on the back. It’s also interesting that the pieces are not all the same pattern. There are several intriguing designs. I think they will mix and match perfectly well on my table!
Thanks to Jessica, I have the silverware I need to serve all my family for our big meals. It was a lovely reminder that the things we inherit, like silverware, are meant to enjoy and use. It’s a good way to honor the memory of our loved ones and share a few fun stories, too! Thank you, Jessica! The next time you visit, I’ll be sure to set the table with these treasures!
Now that I revived the silver, I had to figure out how to clean it. I remember Gramma’s silver polish and honestly, I wanted to stay away from it. This silver had seen its better days for sure and the standard silver polish or even one of those silver dips would remove even more silver (which is how silver polish works.)
The silver tarnish you see is silver sulfide, which darkens the silver on the surface. The silver can be returned to its former shine by removing the silver sulfide coating from the surface. You can do this with a polish, but that actually removes a thin layer of silver along with the silver sulfide – the tarnish. Since this silver was so old, I thought it wouldn’t have much silver to sacrifice.
So, instead, I did a little bit of science to reverse the chemical reaction and turn silver sulfide back into silver. Here’s what I did:
Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil, then take one more piece and crumple it on top to form a foil bed for the silverware. Arrange the silver over the foil.
Fill a 3 quart saucepan with 2 1/2 quarts of cold (I used filtered) water and bring it to a boil. The reason you don’t fill the saucepan full is because when you add the baking soda it will foam up and over if it’s too full.
When the water comes to a boil, remove from the stove and put in the sink. The reason you do this is, again, the water will foam up and possibly over. Add 1/4 cup or a little more of baking soda to the hot water, and yes, it will foam.
When it settles down a little, pour it over the silver in the baking pan and watch.
I can’t wait to put these pieces on the table at our next family dinner. Thanks Gramma and Mom… and Jessica for the reminder!
p.s. I tried a couple methods, one just with cold water poured in the aluminum foil lined baking pan, with baking soda sprinkled in. It didn’t work. You’ve got to boil the water and add the baking soda. And, of course, depending on how many pieces you’re treating, adjust your water/soda ratio.
p.p.s. And a little warning is in order – this process smells! Be sure to do it in a well ventilated kitchen, or outside, and don’t stand over it admiring your work unless you hold your breath. It produces some sort of gaseous odor that I wouldn’t recommend you stand around and sniff.
p.p.p.s. If you have any silver (or other) restoration stories to share, please leave a comment below. I love the company here in the blogosphere!
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Thank you for sharing that tip. I have a 16 piece set of sterling (inherited) and love the look, but dread the cleaning. I think I can get my husband to do that method. He is always asking how he can help..so boy is he going to get a big surprise this year!!! And it won’t even cost much money. About 80 cents for the baking soda, if that. I will explain to him how much money he is going to save. Boy, a win win for me on this one. Thanks Patti
Wow, Gretchen… a 16 piece set! Awesome. I’m glad you can give your Hubby something to do so he feels needed. 😉
With that many pieces it may take a bit more time, but if you have a bigger pan both to boil the water and to lay out the silver, it should cut the time down a little. They do say that the silver should be laid out with each piece touching the aluminum – something to do with the way the chemistry works – so you can’t put the pieces in a pile.
And do take my little warning serious. I actually got a little headache from the smell, so it’s really not good to hang your head over the pan admiring the magic (like I did!) I would just hold my breath the next time. I have a few more pieces to do (the knives and some more serving spoons) and I’m looking forward to watching them come to life!
Thanks, Gretchen, for stopping by and especially for commenting. You KNOW how much we love the company here in the blogosphere! 😀
When I got married, I specifically said NO SILVER. That is because my sister and I spent all the weeks leading up to Christmas and Easter polishing Mother’s myriad silver pieces.
My mother laughed, of course. And the first Christmas that my husband and I were married, she gave me a 6 place setting of lovely silver. The next year, she gave me 6 more. I hope I was gracious. I probably, being something of a butt sometimes, was not.
I put it away and of course, it tarnished like crazy. We never used it.
6 years and 2 little boys later, I was in a really depressed state of mind and Sharon, one of my kind, kind, kind older friends had come to see me. We were eating banana bread that she had baked on my mismatched ‘everyday’ china and crappy stainless steel silverware. She held up the fork and said “you know, I was all of 50 years old when I realized, who was I waiting for? My husband and I deserve to eat from the very best.” She said she gave away her everyday and pulled that wedding china (some from the original boxes of the wedding 30 years before!!!!!), the silver, and the crystal from the china cabinet and started to use it.
Sharon asked me if I had silver and I said yes but it was so tarnished and I didn’t want to polish it. Silly girl, said Sharon. If you use it, you seldom have to polish it. Let’s get it out, polish it, and then you can eat with it tonight! And we did! My mood immediately lifted, we laughed and chatted together, doing something.
My family eats on my wedding china every day. We do not use the crystal because it won’t fit in the dishwasher but everything else I got for my wedding is in full rotation. And yes, we have broken plates and silver spoons have vanished into the sand box or occasionally, I will find them in the silverware tray at work where my husband or I have taken them.
But they are USED and cherished. And yes, I have thanked my mama over and over again for my lovely, lovely silver.
After all, who is more important than my lovely husband, two teenage boys, or ME.
Thank you so much, Sylvia, for sharing your sweet story. Sweet and oh so familiar! I know that happens to so many of us.
As a matter of fact, just last year my husband and I started using the good china. It is circa 1960 – my husband shipped it home to his mother when he was stationed on Iwo Jima. It’s been in and out of use between that time and about 15 years ago when we packed it up and stuck it away.
We moved about 9 years ago and my daughter was storing many of our boxes, including the boxed up china. She finally got tired of shuffling those boxes around her garage and asked me to take them home. Well, since I had nowhere to put the boxes (and my husband was missing seeing the dishes for sentimental reasons) I thought I might as well just put them in our kitchen cupboards… and now we use that china every day.
Yes, I know exactly where you’re coming from. Why shouldn’t we eat off the “good china” and use the “good silver!”
So I say congratulations to you, Sylvia. Not only are you treating yourself and your family well, but you’re creating memories for your teenage boys. Years from now they’ll remember those meals with the fancy place settings and they’ll realize that family is as important as guests and should be treated as such.
Thank you for visiting me and especially for such a lovely comment. Please come by often. I love the company!
Since all we use are sporks, this is one problem I never have. 🙂
Oh, BB, you are too funny! My son-in-law has a titanium spork. Weird. But, he loves it.
Thanks for stopping by, Michele. I always appreciate YOU!
Once I have my silver all polished, after I’ve used it and washed it, I let it dry very well then store it in plastic bags with some aspirin tablets. The aspirin acts as a dessiccant or something, because the silver doesn’t tarnish or tarnishes much less (as it did when I saw a small hole in the bag some months later).
I don’t use my good china every day, but I do use it often, and used it for a party once we were hosting. A number of guests thought it was wonderful that we were using not only china but the “good china.” One guest asked wasn’t I afraid that something might get broken? I said that was always a possibility, but we were all adults, and most of us there imbibe responsibly if we imbibe at all, so I wasn’t too worried. What was the point of having it if we weren’t going to use it and enjoy it?
One of the highlights for many was washing the dishes! We didn’t have a dishwasher so always handwashed our dishes, but many of our guests had machines. While people were gabbing, I started washing the dishes, and several guests came into the kitchen wanting to help. We laughed and talked, so it made quick work, and the chief washer said he had forgotten how often in his childhood he and family members would laugh and talk as they washed dishes. He thought it a shame it’s a memory his kids won’t have as they’ve always had a dishwasher.
I forget where i first read the aspirin for silver idea. I tried it when i had expired aspirin i didn’t just want to toss, and figured it didn’t cost me anything to try it with the silver.
Thank you for sharing your tip, and your story, Megan. I wonder why aspirin works? Interesting. I’m going to try it.
I love your observation about hand-washing dishes, too. I grew up gathering after dinner with my sisters around a sink of soapy water, and the chatter during this time was priceless. Thank you for reminding me about that. And, yes, loading a dishwasher just doesn’t have the same appeal for some reason. I remember my Mom asking us three girls the nightly question; “wash, dry, or put away?” Good memories. And, when we gather now, even for big meals, we still hand-wash most of the dishes. And we still take turns – wash, dry, or put away.
Thanks again.
I remember doing dishes at my x mother in laws house during my high school years ’62 forward; it was such a lovely ritual at her house. Lots of really hot soapy water, good linen towels that she had ironed no less and then special places for every dish we put away. She def had kitchen finesse and it left me with fond memories all these years later.
ahhh… that sounds so sweet! Thank you for sharing your memories with us, Colette. I have to smile – IRONED towels? Wow! That’s awesome!
Thanks again, Colette. I really appreciate that you took the time to stop by, read, and comment. Very nice. 😀