Put a sheet of aluminum foil in boiling water

The idea of putting aluminum foil in boiling water is often shared online in life hack videos or cleaning tips, sometimes with exaggerated claims. Let’s break it down realistically.

✅ What Actually Happens When You Put Aluminum Foil in Boiling Water?
There are a few common reasons people do this:

🧼 1. Cleaning Silverware (Electrochemical Reaction)
This is the real and scientifically sound reason you might see aluminum foil in hot water:

What you need: Aluminum foil, baking soda, salt, boiling water, and tarnished silver.

Why it works: The hot water and baking soda cause a chemical reaction between the silver and aluminum, which removes tarnish (silver sulfide) and restores shine.

The science: It’s a redox reaction where aluminum donates electrons to the tarnished silver.

🧽 2. Loosening Stuck-On Food in Pots