Silver Jewelry Cleaning Tips

With time, silver and sterling silver jewelry tends to get tarnished and the build-up of tarnish makes it appear black. Tarnishing occurs due to climatic conditions and also due to the silver coming in contact with certain chemicals.

The materials that cause silver tarnishing include eggs, rubber bands, wood, onions, etc., and hence, the fact remains that avoiding its tarnishing is nearly impossible and the only way to get rid of it is to clean it as soon as the tarnish starts to build up.

There are several methods that can be adopted to clean silver jewelry. However, while selecting the method you must take into consideration the degree to which the jewelry has been tarnished. You can make use of either commercially available silver cleaning products or you can prepare a cleaning solution at home and use it to remove the tarnish.

There are a lot of commercial products available which include silver jewelry wipes, soap, polish, silver jewelry dip, ultra-sonic cleaner, etc. If the jewelry has been tarnished to a large extent and appears very close to the color black, then it is best to use the ultra-sonic silver jewelry cleaner along with the sonic cleaning liquids to remove the tarnish. Other products can be used for regular cleaning or for a mild to medium tarnish.

Materials Required

• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup liquid dish soap
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Water
• Aluminum foil
• A large pot
• Towel
• Strainer

Method
Line the inside of a large pot with the aluminum foil on all sides as well as the bottom. Mix the salt, liquid dish soap and baking soda in half gallon of water and pour it into the pot. Then, place the silver jewelry in the solution and place the pot on low heat for a few minutes.

Turn off the burner and let the jewelry sit in the solution for a few more minutes. Strain out the solution from the pot using a strainer and rinse the jewelry under cold running water. Make sure you wash off the solution well, especially the salt. Next, place the jewelry on a clean, soft towel to dry. Dispose off the aluminum foil carefully.

Usage of white toothpaste can also give excellent results. To begin with, you will need to dampen the jewelry to be cleaned. Then, take a generous amount of white toothpaste and apply it to an old soft toothbrush. Gently brush the toothpaste on the silver for a minute or two, rinse it, and dry with a clean and soft towel.

You should be very careful with the stones in the jewelry while cleaning it. Make sure you store your silver jewelry in jewelry boxes rather than storing them in paper, cotton, or unlined wooden boxes. Most importantly, remember to clean the tarnish on a regular basis.