a green gift?

Yesterday, I had to polish my sterling silver compote. I use this in the bathroom as a soap dish and was needing to photograph it for something. As I was polishing it, I thought I should show you how I polish silver. Then I thought that really isn't a gift idea....well, then I discussed it with myself and decided if you squint, stand on one leg, and hold your breath it could maybe be a green gift to you. Anyway, we try to avoid just about all chemicals in our house which means no silver polish. So, here's what I do and let me just say, it works. All you have to do is boil a big pan of water. Once it comes to a boil, drop in a piece of aluminum foil and pour in a tablespoon or two of baking soda. The amount just depends on how big of pan you have and how much silver you are polishing. Place your silver in with tongs. You may need to change out the piece of foil and add more baking soda. When the foil gets dark, just replace it. When you pull out the silver, rinse it and polish it with a dry cloth to remove the residue. Of course, be sure to thoroughly wash the pan when you are done.