I'm hoping someone can help me understand what with wrong. I tried to Polish my silver using the method mentioned all over the net, using aluminum foil, baking soda, hot water, and a little salt. It was stressed on the Internet that the water had to be very hot. So, maybe to my detriment, I had the idea to do this in a skillet on the stove so I can keep the water hot. (Especially since I had so many pieces to do) It seemed to be working well for a while, and I added more baking soda and foil. After a while, this white, powdery buildup was on the cooktop and under the skillet, due to some splashing during the process, sort of looked like battery acid corrosion. (luckily, the cooktop was salvaged after scraping it off and using water. ) I am hoping someone can tell me what I did wrong and what this white stuff was. I didn't think about the nonstick skillet reacting in the mix. Do you think this was the issue? Any ideas on how to restore the pan and silver pieces that seem to have a dull white stain on them? I hope I didn't permanently ruin my silver. 
