shine on, baby

let me straighten some things out: i love sterling silver jewelry. i do not love the tarnish that usually accompanies sterling silver jewelry.

i especially like shiny silver. to get that brand new fresh and bright sterling silver shine, i tried powders and scrubs yet nothing seemed to work. sound familiar? finally i had to resort to this toxic rotten egg smelling sterling silver dip that i purchased at some jewelry repair shop. the dip was much easier than the polish cloths which seem to absolutely dehydrate my fingers leaving them befit for someone more along the lines of the cryptkeeper. plus the dip could get into those little tiny places, like in between links and such. but the smell of past-their-prime eggs combined with the probable toxicity of this silver dip prompted me to look elsewhere. not to mention the husband was always saying that the smell of the dip was literally killing him as he walked around the house with his hands clutched to his throat.

today, i googled "eco-friendly sterling silver cleaner" and immediately was presented with approximately 157,000 entries for getting one's sterling silver items clean the green way. awesome. and now the hubster would not feign dying from the smell of the silver dip.

i decided to try the baking soda cleaner being that i had all the ingredients in house: baking soda, alumininum foil, boiling hot water and a pot or shallow dish which meant that i could have sparkly new silver within (hopefully) a few minutes. and those of you who know me, know i am one for immediate gratification.

here's the details: boil water on stove. cut piece of foil large enough to cover the bottom of either your pot or shallow glass dish. place sterling silver items onto foil being careful not lay pieces over one another. sprinkle on a healthy dose of baking powder over pieces then pour boiling water into your pot or dish. the baking soda will bubble and within just minutes, you will witness your sterling silver returning to it's original store bought shininess. rinse with cool water and dry thoroughly with a towel.

and since i've recently turned into my grandmother, i have taken to storing my just cleaned-like-new sparkly sterling silver in these plastic stackable towers, since dust and air promote tarnishing. plus i can now admire all my shiny things in one compact place.

grandma genevieve would be so proud.