Silver trays can look gorgeous. The finely etched pattern makes them the centerpiece of almost any table setting. But what do you do when these silver trays get tarnished? You can either run out and buy expensive silver cleaning products, or you can use a few things you likely already have in your own kitchen. Silver trays dealers around the world use these little DIY tips and tricks to keep their silver looking great without spending a lot of money.

Dish Soap

You may be able to remove some light tarnish simply by dipping the tray into warm (not hot) water combined with standard dish soap. You only need a few drops, so don’t go overboard or you may risk damaging the tray. Make sure that the soap is fully diluted in the water, too. Then dip your tray in, pull it out, and dry it off with a soft cloth.

Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda

One of the easiest methods for cleaning antique silver plated trays involves four basic ingredients from your kitchen. All you need is a tablespoon of baking soda, a tablespoon of salt, a sheet of aluminum foil, and two cups boiling water. Line a pot, baking dish, or even your sink with the aluminum foil. Mix in the baking soda, salt, and hot water. Then add in your silver tray. Let it sit for a minute or two, then carefully pull it out with kitchen tongs. A very large amount, if not all, of the tarnish will have transferred from the tray to the aluminum foil!

Ketchup

While some people aren’t as fond of this method, others swear by ketchup. Just squirt some of this condiment onto a paper towel and gently rub at the tarnished areas of your antique sterling silver trays. You might be surprised at how much of the tarnish comes off! For trays that are heavily tarnished, you can leave the ketchup on for about 15 minutes. You can also use a soft bristle toothbrush to clean tarnish out of crevices. Rinse the tray off with warm water and dry with a soft cloth once you’ve got the tarnish off.

Cornstarch

Another common kitchen ingredient you can use to clean tarnished silver trays is cornstarch. Mix a little cornstarch with water to create a paste. Then apply that paste to the tarnished area and let it sit until it’s dry. Once it is, rub it off with a towel or cheesecloth. If you don’t have any cornstarch handy, you can use cream of tartar.

Lemon-Lime Soda

Another common item you can use to clean your items before showing them to potential silver trays buyers is any type of lemon-lime soda. You can let your trays sit in a bowl of this soda for about an hour. Then remove the tray and rinse it clean. A good amount of the tarnish will rinse right off. Pat the tray dry with a soft cloth and you’re ready to sell it.

When you start looking for antique buyers for your silver, you’re likely to come across some people who offer to purchase your items sight unseen. If pushed, they may admit to buying silver by the ounce simply to melt it down. These companies often advertise that they buy gold, silver, and other specialty metals to recycle them. They will buy your family silver flatware along with silver coins, jewelry, and much more. They don’t really care what state it’s in, they simply want to melt it down and sell it as silver.

That might seem like a great deal. After all, you don’t have to do any research on the items. You just take in the family silver and walk out with a nice amount of money. But there are some reasons why these smelters may not be the best deal for you. In fact, they may turn your family treasures into trash.

They Don’t Care About the Pieces

If you’re selling to antique silver collectors, they’re going to value the age and rarity of the pieces. You’re likely to get more money for older items, especially if they’re items that the collectors have been looking for or that complete their sets. With smelters, that’s not the case. They don’t care if something is hundreds of years old or if it was made yesterday. If you’re offering them something that’s sterling silver (at least 92.5% pure silver), that’s all they care about. They pay the same no matter how old or how rare the item is.

They Don’t Look at History

That can be disastrous if you’ve got a rare piece that’s worth much more than the silver it’s made from. You could get a lot of money from the right collector. There’s also the fact that you may have a piece of history that is quite rare. In some cases, a museum may pay a nice amount for your silver. It’s always best that you do some research and learn about the history of the pieces you have before selling to smelters. Otherwise, you could not only accidentally lose a good amount of money, but you could also help destroy something that’s priceless.

They Don’t Pay Well

If you search for the best place to sell antiques, you won’t find smelters on the list. That’s because they don’t pay that well. That’s because they will likely resell any silver they buy from you after the melt it down. This means they have to have some room in the price to make a profit. If you’re looking to get top dollar for your silver, smelters and anyone else who plans on reselling the silver later is not the place to go.

If you know the silver items you have aren’t worth very much, smelters may offer you the best price you’re going to find. However, make certain that you’ve done some research on the items and even had them appraised by a silver expert first. The last thing you want to do is sell valuable silver items to a smelter for next to nothing.

When selling sterling silver to a buyer takes effort and time to get most of it. Everything starts with finding a trusted dealer who can offer you an accurate, honest, and reliable deal. It can be sometimes daunting, especially when you’re a newbie. And for professionals, it’s just like winning the game again & again.

Beginners out there, there’s no need to worry and feel stuck in your thoughts of identifying the right ones. To make your search end right at one place, we’ve created this blog post. It contains helpful information about how to find reputed sterling silver buyers near you…

Let’s complete the reading part as soon as possible, and bring such practices into action in the waking world…

#1. Customer experience matters the most!

When you’re searching digitally or offline about any services, you always check for customer feedback & reviews. It gives a big sign whether the company can be trusted or not. You got to know about its red and green flag. Right? Similarly, when you’re searching for a reliable local silver buyer, you need to do the same. Get clear clarification before you decide to deal with him/her.

#2. Communication reveals deepest facts

When dealing with a silverware buyer, keeping your perks straight is the only way to achieve your aim. When you sell your valuable object online, you don’t need to stop by their shop, you can just make a phone call & directly keep your word. Additionally, you need to talk about everything that increases the chances of the buyer to prove his/her reputation.

#3. Must-have Experience & Certification

The third most important trait of sterling silver flatware shops is their experience in their expertise and whether they are certified or not. Examine their professionalism with years of experience. Check whether the shop is certified A+ from BBB (Better Business Bureau). Such qualities when fulfilled, you are going to deal with the right buyer.

#4. Best price guaranteed!

You already know that your sterling silverware is actually a valuable object. And, of course you need top price for it. Remember that, look for such buyers who offer great prices for your great valuables. You can ask the dealer what prices they can offer & also take 2-3 silver appraisal to get confirmation about sterling silver flatware accurate value.

Final Verdict!

Make decisions wisely! Afterall, it’s about your precious silverware and money. However, above-mentioned facts need to be fulfilled by buyers out there in order to attract customers. Do your research and never miss a chance to get above your expectations.

Additionally, If searching for “who buys sterling silver near me,” let us introduce ourselves, we are the right silver buyers for you! We are Florida’s largest and most trusted dealers who buy silverware and offer great-great prices. Get in touch with us now!