Ambitiously Lazy

Cleaning tarnished silver can be such a drag, as can any kind of cleaning. It's gross - rags, black stuff, and schmenky, stinky silver polish. Eww...so what's a girl (or guy) to do?

There's an easier way. We can let a little natural chemistry (not of the sexual kind!) do the work for us. For those of us who struggled in high school chemistry, we can finally say we're putting the knowledge to practical use.

What you need:

- tarnished silver item

- 1 cup boiling water

- 1 tbsp. salt

- 1 tbsp. baking soda

- 1/2 cup vinegar

- aluminum foil

- bowl

- cleaning cloth

Here's my tarnished silver cup/vase thing ($2.99 @ Sally Ann - I once bought one new at a design shop and paid $10):

What to do:

1. While the water is boiling, line the bowl with foil, ensuring it's shiny side up

2. Add the salt and baking soda and then pour in the vinegar. Admire the chemical reaction and consider how chemistry savvy you are.

3. Stir it gently to make sure the salt and soda have dissolved.

4. Pour in the hot water, add your silver item, and let it sit a bit for a couple minutes.

5. Flip the item over (ensuring not to burn your fingers and be required to scream about how cleaning silver sucks) a few times so all silver surfaces are exposed to the magic chemistry treatment.

6. It will let off a bit of a weird odour, which means it's working and the tarnish is loosening. After 5 minutes, test rub the surface of your silver to see if the tarnish budges. If it does, you're on to the next step. If not, let it soak a little more then try again.

7. Wipe/polish the item with your cloth to get all the tarnish off.

When you're done, you're going to want to wash your hands to get the black and the weird smell off. And also, if you're a germaphobe like me, you just beed to wash your hands.

When you're done, admire your handiwork and brag a little about your chemistry skills. It's that easy!

Tah Dahhhhh!!!!