Follow these easy and simple steps to clean silver at home.
Keeping your silver in tip-top shape can be easy when using the proper materials at home. There are many silver items you may have at home that can use a bit of cleaning, including jewelry, coins, candlesticks, lamps, antiques, and silver dining sets like serveware, dinnerware, silverware, and drinkware. Phosphor Rings
Most silver items are made using sterling silver, a silver alloy containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. “Alloying this small amount of other metal with the silver greatly increases the strength and durability of the silver, but it also greatly increases its susceptibility to tarnish,” explains Emily Hill, co-founder of AL&EM Fine and Permanent Jewelry, based in Charleston, South Carolina. “Because of this, some silver items may need to be cleaned often.” Learning to clean your silver at home will make maintaining your silver items much easier and more convenient.
While many silver items at home can be cleaned with baking soda, there are a few that shouldn’t. “Rare silver antiques should not be cleaned with baking soda, at least without consulting an expert first,” says Alex Klaes, co-founder of AL&EM Fine and Permanent Jewelry. “These pieces could be very valuable and cleaning them may actually lower their value.” These collectibles develop unique discolorations, known as a patina, over long periods of time. This patina is an extremely desirable trait to some collectors, as it highlights the piece’s authenticity and age. Hill advises to ask a professional with expertise in the specific type of silver antique you have before cleaning.
Below, Hill and Klaes give us the rundown on how to properly clean your silver pieces at home with baking soda.
-Baking soda -Hot water -Soft cloth -Large container to hold silver item
(Note: This method is best for larger silver items that are too big to be soaked).
-Baking Soda -Vinegar -Salt -Hot water -Soft cloth -Large container to hold silver item
-Baking soda -Aluminum foil -Hot water -Soft cloth -Large container to hold silver item
This will depend on several factors, including how it is stored and what it is exposed to. “Storing your silver in anti-tarnish cloth will greatly reduce the speed at which your silver will tarnish, so it will need to be cleaned far less often,” explains Klaes. “Exposure to sulfur will tarnish your silver quickly, so avoid rubber bands or other rubber products.” Proper storage and treatment will reduce how often you should clean your silver.
Silver tarnish is caused by oxidation collecting on the surface of the metal, resulting in a dull dark gray or black appearance. “Tarnish is easy to spot so you can easily know to clean it whenever you see tarnish develop,” explains Hill. “Some silver decor items may look more aesthetically pleasing with a patina, so these won’t need to be cleaned.” Other items such as silver dining sets should be cleaned before and after each use and kept tarnish-free.
354 355 363 You can damage silver by cleaning it with strong chemical cleaners, according to Hill. “These cleaners are often labeled as silver polish or silver cleaner—they are extremely effective at removing tarnish, but their strong ingredients can actually dull the mirror-like polished surface,” she says. “Do not scrub silver with any abrasive cleaning tool such as a wire brush, steel wool, etc.” These will damage your silver and leave heavy scratches. Silver-plated items should be cleaned very gently, as strong cleaning agents can remove the silver plating.