There are several ways to complete the task with materials that are already in your possession, whether you’re polishing up your family’s ancestral silver for a large dinner party or recovering a particular score from an antique market.
Keep the helpful tips below at the ready for cleaning all kinds of silver, including candlesticks, tea trays, and silver jewellery. Here is a helpful general rule to remember when cleaning your silver, regardless of the technique you select: Do a spot test on a discrete area before treating the entire piece of silver if it is priceless, emotional, or an antique, just to be safe.
Sterling silver oxidises or tarnishes when exposed to air, resulting in discolouration and a loss of brilliance. Avoiding abrasion is the secret to cleaning silver without harming it. It’s not a good idea to clean silver with abrasive substances like chlorine bleach or to store it with rubber bands and newspaper.
If you’re not dealing with products that are severely tarnished, but rather with items that just look dull and a touch lacklustre, think about switching from harsh polish to this soapy hot water solution.
Just combine some dish soap with warm water and dunk a microfiber cloth in it.
Then use the soapy towel to rub the silver item, whether it is jewellery or cutlery.
Use cold water to rinse it.
Dry with a soft, clean towel.
Buffing with a soft cloth specially made for silver.
Tip: Never put your silver in the dishwasher.
Aluminum foil and baking soda
One of the well-liked and simple methods for cleaning silver jewellery is this. Now, you can use this really straightforward procedure to undo the impact if your silver jewellery starts to become yellow or black. You can complete the task with supplies you already have at home; you don’t need to purchase any pricey materials. This low-cost, simple procedure will clean your jewellery within 30 to 3 minutes even in the worst tarnish circumstances (depending on the state of your silver).
Salt and Lemon bath
This technique is mostly utilised every day to clean the idols and puja items. To use this approach, simply set the tarnished bracelet in a dish with 3 teaspoons of salt, hot water, and lemon juice, and let it sit there for 5 minutes. Once finished, take off and gently rub. You’ll be able to get rid of the tarnish by doing this.
Ketchup
To clean silverware at home, you can also use ketchup. Only a small amount of ketchup needs to be squeezed onto a paper towel before being gently rubbed over the tarnished regions. Let the ketchup sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then massage with a soft cloth and rinse the silver if it isn’t becoming more shiny. You can use a toothbrush to clean in between the crevices of objects that have rough detailing, such as candlesticks or elegant silverware, while using this technique to them.
Washing detergent
Another traditional and well-liked method for removing tarnish is laundry detergent. The silver jewellery needs to be placed inside a bowl of hot water together with one tiny cup of detergent. Remove it and massage with a cloth after 5 to 7 minutes. A frothy substance is produced when the water and laundry detergent interact. It will dispel the gloom and clear any grime or crud off the jewellery, and the best thing is that it smells wonderful!
Toothpaste
One of the simple DIY silver cleaning techniques is toothpaste. Simply apply toothpaste in a pea-sized amount to a dish and massage it in circular motions onto the jewellery or silverware to shine and remove tarnish.
Vinegar
Your tarnished silver is only one of the numerous things vinegar, water, and baking soda can be used for. Simply combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda in a dish of warm water to utilise this method. Give the silver two to three hours to soak. Then, give it a cold water rinse and let it air dry.
A hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizers are the item that are most readily accessible due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. However, hand sanitizer is an excellent method for cleaning filth, tarnish, and dirt off silver in addition to fighting germs. Apply a few drops to a dry cloth, then start polishing the silver.
Hope it helps!