Tips for Cleaning Silver: Understanding Silver & Jewelry Care
When it Comes to Cleaning Your Silver, It's Better to Be Safe Than Sorry
Generally speaking it is good to avoid scrubbing silver with abrasive materials or scrubbing too hard. Silver can scratch and wear away. Always be gentle with your silver - it's better to have tarnish take a little longer to remove than have your silver removed along with it!
Silver cleaners and polishers you can buy in most do-it-yourself, home goods, or grocery stores are created to be safe for your silver. However, silver comes in many forms. First find out whether your silver is silver plate, solid sterling, oxidized, or lacquered. Read labels and make sure to buy a cleaner or polisher that is indicated for your type of silver. For jewelry, you might want to find a jewelry-specific silver cleaner.
If you're in a pinch and out of silver polish, you can use a common household item to clean your silver: toothpaste. Cover your silver in toothpaste and use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub with a little water, until you've created a froth. Rinse thoroughly. Another common household substance that may be used is baking soda-blend water and baking soda into a paste and apply to your silver and rub carefully, then rinse.
If you aren't sure what kind of silver you have or how best to clean it, ask an expert. You might find experts at home decor shops or jewelry stores.
Published by Dina Ely
Writer of everything from feminism to New Age, rock n' roll to PR, astronomy for kids to soccer, and alternative health to video games (life is education, why set limits?). Also anxperienced (10 years) edito... View profile
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- You can use toothpaste or baking soda to clean your silver.
- Read labels on silver polish to make sure it's safe for your silver.
- Rubber, vinegar, and acidic juices can corrode your silver.
9 Comments
Post a CommentI like using half Mr. Clean and water with a small amount of ammonia to clean fine jewelry. This is what many jewelry stores use in their ultrasonic and is safe for all types of jewelry. I soak the jewelry for 15 seconds then rinse with water and dry.
<a href="http://blog.finejewelryfashion.com/jewelry-tips/how-to-clean-fine-jewelry-steps-for-cleaning-at-home/">How to Clean Fine Jewelry </a>
http://blog.finejewelryfashion.com/jewelry-tips/how-to-clean-fine-jewelry-steps-for-cleaning-at-home/
I would use caution when using toothpaste. I have seen Youtube videos where inexpensive costume jewelry was cleaned using toothpaste, but toothpaste is abrasive and may not work well with sterling silver that has a high polish. I have used Hagerty sterling silver cleaner and Sparkle Sparkle sterling silver cleaner. Another cleaning solution is to make a solution of half Mr. Clean and water with a small amount of ammonia. This is used by many jewelry stores and is safe with all types of jewelry. The water and baking soda paste mix is great for removing tarnish from sterling silver jewelry. Always rinse with water and dry after cleaning. The full article about cleaning fine jewelry can be found here <a href="http://blog.finejewelryfashion.com/jewelry-tips/how-to-clean-fine-jewelry-steps-for-cleaning-at-home/">How to Clean Fine Jewelry </a>
I just ordered another 1/2 gallon of SilverMate silver cleaner so I can have my silver cleaned and polished waaaay before Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
Wow! I guess everyone agrees the best silver cleaner is Silvermate!
I have tried every silver cleaner and process I could find to clean silver in my restaurant and the best silver cleaner, by far, is Silvermate. It cleans and polishes in a few seconds without any rubbing because it is a non-hazardous liquid.
Toothpaste does work but it did scratch my silver necklace. I bought Silvermate online and it IS easy and requires no rubbing. Thanks Jack
thanks for the info about Silvermate! That is the ONLY silver cleaner i will ever use again!
Silver can be damaged by aluminum foil and baking soda because it is removing silver from your silver pieces. I have tried alot of home made cleaners and some worked and some didn't. When i buy silver cleaner, i buy a liquid silver cleaner called Silvermate. It is non-toxic and only takes about 20-25 seconds to completely clean and polish silver.
Modern toothpastes contain fluoride that can irrevocably damage gemstones, gold, and silver jewelry. Avoid using fluorinated toothpaste as an abrasive cleaner with jewelry.