Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-01-30
A Quick Method Of Cleaning Silver
without Rubbing.

Wbe@sV.e sAeOOe.O'
An easy and effective method Of olean-
| ing furnished silverware by boiling n
soda and salt solution in contact with
clean piece Of aluminium or zinc ID recon-
mended to housewives BY the o. 8. De.
partment Of Agriculture ~ result OF
studies made By its specialists In homo
economics. The necessary procedure IL
90 simple thatit may be followed sue
cessfully In practically any home.
The cleaning system known a. the
electrolytic method has been recognized
for several years.
WHAT THE ELEcTRoLYT1c METHOD Is
The tarnish which occurs on silver is
not due to oxidation, but 10 dependent
entirely upon the action of sulphur. In
most cases the source of the sulphur
causing tarnish is rubber, wool, foods
like eggs, and the sulphur In the air due
to burning illuminating gas and coal.
The electrolytic cleaning method de-
ponds on the facts that this tarnish OF
silver sulphide IL slightly soluble IN the
hot solution employed, and that 1t 10
broken down chemically and its silver
content redeposited on the ware when
the proper electrical conditions prevail.
The presence of both the silver and the
aluminium or zinc In the hot solution
provides the necessary electrical condi-
lions. Under this method, therefore,
practically all the silver in the tarnish is
returned to the object being cleaned.
When silver polishes are used, on the
other hand, all the silver in combination
in tho tarnish 10 removed.
METHODS RECOMMENDED
In the cleaning method recommended
by the Department the necessary mate
rails are q graniteware cooking utensil
deep enough to allow the silverware to
be covered by the solution; q clean piece
of aluminium or zinc preferably the
former) and baking or washing soda.
The solution, consisting Ut teaspoonful
of baking or washing soda and q like
amount of table salt to each quart OF
water, lie brought to a boil in q granite.
ware or enameled utensil. A sheet OF
aluminum or clean zinc is dropped In.
The furnished silverware is then i'm
mersed In the solution 80 that it is In
contact with the sheet of aluminium or
zinc. The tarnish should disappear In Q
few seconds. The silver object should
then be removed. from the solution,
rinsed and dried with soft cloth.
Aluminium is much more satisfactory
than zinc for use In this cleaning process
since it does not become coated with
layer of carbonates which would inter-
fere with the chemical reaction. Zinc
does form carbonates and, If used, must
be cleaned frequently in dilute hydro
chloric acid. A small sheet of aluminium
may be purchased especially for silver
cleaning purposes or piece of an old
aluminium utensil we'll cleaned may be
used. Utensils which would later be
used in cooking operations should never
De employed in cleaning silverware by
the electrolytic method. II very large
pieces of silver are to be cleaned and Q
container Is required larger than can be
placed conveniently on the stove, the
hot solution may be poured into such q
vessel and the silver object then i'm
mersed. The method Is most effective,
however, when the solution boils during
the cleaning process.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The electrolytic method gives the
cleaned silver satiny finish after sever
al cleauings. II a FURNISHED surface Ia
desired, the silver must frequently be
polished lightly with some abrasive pol
ishing material such as powdered whit
| ing. The study made by the Depart
ment specialists included q comparison
of the amount of silver lost when the
whole tarnish was removed by polishing
and when the electrolytio. method was
used. 1t was found that when whiting
paste was used as an abrasive, spoons
lost nearly 0.0l of gram Of silver each,
approximately twenty-five times as
much as when the "handmade" electro
Ilytic method was employed.