Silver plate teapots are typically made of copper, nickel, or brass, and topped/polished with a thin layer of silver alloy or pure silver through electrolysis. They not only add a touch of class to any table but are also durable.
However, these teapots can lose their luster through the accumulation of dirt and tarnishes from regular usage. Also, when not stored right, they can form a dingy film that is caused by traces of sulfur in the air reacting with silver polish to produce silver sulfide.
You can maintain the shiny appearance of silver plate teapot by gently cleaning it using the right procedure. Read on our simplified procedure on how to clean silver plate teapot easily after every usage to keep them shiny and classy.
Silver Plate Teapot Regular Maintenance
Materials and Tools Needed for Regular Cleaning
- Gloves
- Plain water
- Soft sponge or cloth
- Acid-free liquid soap
Regular Cleaning Procedure
Step 1
Determine the type of silver plate your teapot has. Your teapot can have lacquered silver coating (clear protective coating), or non-lacquered. It is easy to know the type of silver coating your teapot has- use a tip of your fingernail to press your teapot in an inconspicuous location. If you leave a small mark, it is lacquered. If there is no mark left, it is a non-lacquered.
Step 2
In case you have a lacquered silver-plated teapot, use warm water from the tap to clean your teapot. If it is a non-lacquered teapot, use hot water to clean it. Allow your sink to be 3-quarter full.
Step 3
Add half teaspoon of acid-free liquid soap to your cleaning water. Avoid soaps that have citric acid or citric extracts, a common ingredient added to citrus-scented dish soap. Using soaps that have ingredients will cause a mild corrosive effect on your silver plate teapot over time. With your gloves on, stir the soap until it is completely dissolved.
Step 4
Submerge your teapot in the soap and wash thoroughly. You can allow your pot to stay in the water for 3-5 minutes to loosen up any dried up tea before you start cleaning it. To clean it, gently rub its entire surface using a dish sponge or soft cloth. DO NOT use steel wool or other abrasive utensil cleaners as they can scratch the silver polishing.
Step 5
Rinse your teapot thoroughly under warm water to wash off soaps, then wipe it down with a dry cloth. Don’t forget to polish it once in a while to restore its shiny, luster nature. We will talk about this later.
Related Article: How to Remove Tea Stains From Mugs and Cups?
Deep Cleaning Silver Plate Teapot
Your teapot needs to be cleaned thoroughly at least twice a year or whenever you start noticing the shadowy film on their surface.
Materials and Tools Needed for Deep Cleaning
- Baking soda
- Soft cloth
- Plain water
- Saucepan
- Aluminum foil
Deep Cleaning Procedure
Step 1
Boil four cups of water in a saucepan and add a quarter cup of baking soda. The will be bubbles as the baking soda dissolves.
Step 2
Put your silver plate teapot and aluminum foil in a sink and pour all the hot water with baking soda solution over the teapot. If the teapot is lacquered, wait until the water becomes warm to touch before pouring it in your sink- hot water can strip off the polish. Baking soda in the water will start to chemically react with the silver sulfide coating on your teapot. You should see the dark film diminish, depending on how intense the tarnish was. Leave the teapot in water for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Now use tongs to remove the silver-plated teapot and rinse it in warm water to wash away any remaining film. Wipe it down with a soft, dry cloth before storing it.
You can follow this method when removing stains on your teapot too.
Polishing Your Silver-Plate Teapot
After some time, your silver-coated teapot will begin to fade, but you can restore its sheen.
Here is what you need for polishing job
- Gloves
- Silver polish
- Soft cloth
- Anti-tarnish fabric lining
- Water
Polishing Procedure
Step 1
Wear your gloves and squeeze a dot of silver polish- either cream-based or paste, onto a soft, dry cloth and gently rub the paste over the entire outer surface of your clean silver-plated teapot in circular motions.
Step 2
Rinse the teapot with warm water to wash away all the excess polish, then dry the teapot immediately using a clean, soft cloth. Avoid air-drying as it can leave unsightly watermarks.
Step 3
Store your clean, polished silver-plated teapot in a kitchen drawer and cover it with anti-tarnish fabric lining. These fabrics absorbs sulfur in the air, thereby preventing any chemical reaction with the silver coating, which is known to cause tarnishes.
NOTE: Protect your hands when applying silver polish. Also, do not use home remedies such as lemon juice, ammonia, toothpaste as your polishing agents.
Bottom Line
As long as you take your time to clean your silver-plated teapots properly, they will remain in tip-top condition for years. We hope that you will not be scared of buying more silver plate teapots now that you know how to clean and polish them the right way.
Keep in mind that the longer your silver-plate teapot stores tea, the harder it is to clean. Therefore, avoid leaving tea remains overnight to avoid staining it
NOTE: Do not wash your polished silver-plate teapot in a hot dishwasher. Also, do not allow your silver-coated teapot to air-dry as this can cause corrosion and spotting. When storing your silver-coated teapot, do not use newspapers and rubber bands as they can cause irreversible black spotting because of chemicals in them
Want to add to your teaware collection? Browse our collection of beautiful silver plate teapots and other teaware to see different collections you may like.
Related Article: How to Clean a Tea Kettle (Inside and Outside)
