To clean tarnished silver, place the items in a glass dish, add a piece of aluminum foil, and cover with a quart of hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. A reaction between the foil and the silver will remove any tarnish. Don't use this process on raised designs, however. You'll lose the dark accents of the sculpture. An easy way to clean silver is with ordinary baking soda. Make a paste from 3 parts soda to 1 part water. Using a soft cloth, rub the paste gently on the silver surface. Tarnish will disappear rapidly. After rinsing, buff the silver with a soft cloth to bring up the shine.
To restore luster to a driedout emerald or jade, dip a toothpick in olive oil and gently rub it over the stone's surface. (Use this method only if the piece won't be resold, since the stone may darken.) An inexpensive way to clean gold is to mix 1 teaspoon of cigarette ash with enough water to form a paste. Rub the paste onto the surface of the gold with a soft cloth, rinse, and buff dry with a chamois. If no one in the house smokes, use baking soda instead of cigarette ash.
Always keep ivoiy objects where light can reach them, because steady darkness causes ivory to yellow. To clean a yellowing ivory object, cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt, and rub it over the ivory surface. When the surface is dry, wipe it with a damp cloth, then buff dry for bright finish. You can remove stubborn stains from ivoiy or plastic piano keys with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda, being careful not to let the soda fall between the keys. Wipe the keys off with another cloth, and buff them dry.
To restore luster to a driedout emerald or jade, dip a toothpick in olive oil and gently rub it over the stone's surface. (Use this method only if the piece won't be resold, since the stone may darken.) An inexpensive way to clean gold is to mix 1 teaspoon of cigarette ash with enough water to form a paste. Rub the paste onto the surface of the gold with a soft cloth, rinse, and buff dry with a chamois. If no one in the house smokes, use baking soda instead of cigarette ash.
Always keep ivoiy objects where light can reach them, because steady darkness causes ivory to yellow. To clean a yellowing ivory object, cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt, and rub it over the ivory surface. When the surface is dry, wipe it with a damp cloth, then buff dry for bright finish. You can remove stubborn stains from ivoiy or plastic piano keys with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda, being careful not to let the soda fall between the keys. Wipe the keys off with another cloth, and buff them dry.
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