What Are the Causes of a Tarnished Silver Plate?
Silver plate image by Dumitrescu Ciprian from Fotolia.com jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a06/rm/q2/causes-tarnished-silver-plate_-1.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Silver plates are prone to tarnish due to their inherent chemical makeup. Due to its chemical makeup, silver does not retain its original tone. Over time, it tarnishes to gray, dark gray and nearly black. Tarnish–the chemical discoloration of silver–is caused when compounds of sulfur present in the air and food react with the metal. Acidic Foods Acidic food can cause silver plates to tarnish. According to Linda Cobb in the book “How the Queen Cleans Everything,” mayonnaise, broccoli, salad dressing, tomatoes, onions, fish, egg yolk and mustard are some of the top offenders. According to Jeff Campbell in the book “Speed Cleaning,” tarnish is accelerated by eggs, salt and olives. Water and Humidity According to Ariana Klepac in the “The House Book,”
