How to Polish Your Silver with Toothpaste

Ever have that little dab left in the tube of toothpaste on your counter? Don't throw it away. Put it to use by polishing your silver with it. That's right use your toothpaste to clean your silver. The holidays are coming up and everyone wants their table to look its best. When you pull out the silverware this year don't buy expensive and even hazardous polishing agents. I found that in a pinch just plain old white toothpaste and a damp towel will do the trick.

We were having a prince and princess theme day at work and the girls were wearing tiaras. I didn't want to go spend money on something I was only going wear for one day and never use again. So I pulled out the one I wore at my wedding. Oh boy was it grossly tarnished. It was the morning of and I had forgotten to look at it the night before to see if it needed cleaning. Took one look at that tiara as was like oh well not wearing this thing to work. I didn't have time to spend on trying to clean it. Then I remembered hearing something about cleaning with toothpaste so I thought I would give it a shot. I used just plain crest anti-cavity toothpaste.

Rubbed a little dab on the band and wiped clean with an old wet towel to test it. Wow it really worked. The area was just as shiny as of it were brand new. I finished off the rest of the band and stones and gave a good rinse. The tiara looked great and was clean in no time. The stones were even sparkly again from the toothpaste bath. I was ready to go to work and had a great tiara to wear. Who knew toothpaste would be good for cleaning your teeth and your silver. Everyone at work complimented me on how great it looked.

Try toothpaste on your small jewelry items like rings and pendants with a toothbrush. I would definitely use an old toothbrush since the tarnish will come off on the brush. Don't use your current toothbrush. Make sure to close your sink drain if cleaning over your sink to reduce the risk of losing your jewelry down the drain. If the tarnish is really bad you may want to let it sit for a few minutes before wiping clean. When you dust off the silverware and dishes this year I would definitely give toothpaste a shot. Try toothpaste with baking soda for really tough jobs like serving dishes. Just be careful you don't want to use anything that will leave scratches. Your silver will look like you spent hours polishing. It will be your little secret that you didn't. I hope this tip helps make it a little easier this holiday season.