There is this thing called a Silverstar that’s being advertised on TV-Shop (at least here in Norway, but I assume it’s sold in the US too). It’s this small silver-colored plate with holes in the shape of small stars in it. The advertisement shows someone putting it in the bottom of hot water and adding some salt. Then various very dirty silverware is put on top of it, and in a few seconds the part that is covered by water is completely clean.
They even say it contains no chemicals (what’s the definition of a chemical anyway?) and is even good for your hands! (:
So my question is, how on Earth does this thing work?
A few years ago, I remember seeing a product that was almost as you describe. It was a plate that you put in the bottom of a container, filled it with hot water, added baking soda (not salt), and then put in tarnished silverware (made of actual silver). The parts of the silverware touching the plate and submerged in the water were “magically” de-tarnished. Although they didn’t say so, the “magic plate” was merely a plate made of aluminum. The contact of the silverware with the aluminum while soaking in baking soda enabled a simple electrolytic reaction that stripped the oxygen off of the silverware (the tarnished part is oxidized silver) while leaving the silver where it is. Knowing this, you don’t need to use their “magic plate”. Aluminum foil should work just as well. Just make sure the silverware makes contact with the aluminum and the silverware is completely submerged. I don’t know if the presence of other metals interferes with the process, so use a glass or plastic container. How much baking soda should you use? I dunno, try it and see.
Yep all you need is some aluminum foil and hot water and baking soda. Washing soda works even better than baking soda. The hotter the water the faster it works.
The item just needs to touch the aluminum, it doesn’t need to be completely on it. And it does need to be completely submerged.
Thanks for the answers. But I’m wondering the details about the reaction that happens.
Also, totally unrelated, I’ve been wondering if aliminium foil is just very thin foils of pure aliminium, or if something else is added so that you can shape it so much without it breaking.