There really isn’t much you can do about silver tarnishing. It’s just the nature of Silver. Silver metal reacts to chemicals. Whether it is chemicals in the air, or chemicals touching it. Silver reacts!
That’s why most Sterling Silver sold today is plated with a thin layer of metal protection. This process is called “Flashing”, and they use either Silver or Rhodium to coat the outside of the Rings or Jewelry to make them look Whiter, Brighter, and to keep the tarnishing down to a minimum. So until that plating wears off, your Silver will actually hold up pretty well.
Here’s a list of things that Silver has a bad reaction with: Wool, Rubber Bands, Latex Gloves, Oils from your Hands and Fingers, Ammonia, Chlorinated Water, Carpet Padding, Air Pollution, Perfumes, Hair Sprays, and believe it or not, some foods can even make Silver tarnish. Foods like: Onions, Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing, Eggs and Salty Foods. (Put down those Chips!)
In fact, just the humidity alone can cause Silver to corrode! It’s a never-ending battle.
The best way to store your Silver Jewelry is in individually sealed poly bags or zip lock bags. Store it with those cute little Silica Gel Packs and it’ll help remove any moisture from the air. It won’t keep your Jewelry from tarnishing, but it will delay the process.
Cleaning your Silver Jewelry
with warm water and drying it with a soft cloth after you wear it, will remove any oily residue and slow the process down as well. But, if you have old items that become black , here is the way to clean them :
All you’ll need it :
* Water.
* An aluminum plate.
* Baking soda.
* Tooth brush.
so let’s go to work !
Take the aluminum plate (make sure its clean) .
Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda into the aluminum plate.
Then pour some hot (but not boiling) water into the plate.
Stir the water with the baking soda until you get a nice tick mixture.
Now you can take the tooth brush and dip it with the mixture.
Start scrubbing the silver piece with the tooth brush until its clean.
Wash the silver items with water.
Live the silver piece on a clean paper until it dry.
Another way to do it :
Put the silver items into the aluminum plate .
Cover the silver jewelry with baking soda .
Pour hot water into the plate .
Move the silver items with a spoon or any other thing ( don’t forget the water is hot ) .
Live the silver items in the water for 2-3 minutes .
Take out the silver items and let it dry on a clean piece of paper .
I’ve tried the method with baking soda and toothpaste but the best one is to put a bit of a coke in a glass, or something else if the iten you want to clean does not fit into a glass, and just leave it there for a few hours. Simple.
The method of cleaning silver using soda and aluminium is actually a mild form of electro-stripping. Excessive use of this method will actually remove all the silver plating from a plated piece and cause and “orange peel” appearance on sterling silver and other silver alloys as the components of the alloy are removed at different rates. This method should only employed with great care.
I work with silver jewelry for the last 13 years (or more). Many of our clients ask us , how they can clean the jewelry that they have in their shops or how their end clients can clean the jewelry at home . So If you’ve ever worn silver jewelry, you know how tarnished / dirty or black they can get with time. it can get black in a very short time. Another problem with using silver polish to clean jewelry is that it can be hard clean all the nooks and crannies in your jewelry. so we are sharing here few nice and easy tips on how to clean silver at home .
There really isn’t much you can do about silver tarnishing. It’s just the nature of Silver. Silver metal reacts to chemicals. Whether it is chemicals in the air, or chemicals touching it. Silver reacts!
Toothpaste should NEVER be used as a silver polish. Some toothpastes contain baking soda or other ingredients which are much too abrasive; even trace amounts can cause serious damage. Use polishes that are specifically formulated to remove tarnish from silver.
The best inexpensive way is to add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of warm water softener powder or baking powder. Then pour some hot water onto the plate.
Stir to dissolve the powders. Now you can soak your silver jewels in the solution. Brush the jewels softly with an old tooth brush until thy are clean.
Under no circumstances should you combine salt, water and silver. Salt corrodes silver. That is why silver salt cellars are gilded or have a glass liner.
I have just read through this stream and noticed no one has mentioned Silver Dip. This is a liquid/solution in which you immerse silver. Being a liquid it gets to parts which paste type polishes cannot reach. However, it is not a polish, but a tarnish dispersant. You have to polish the pieces after use as it removes the shine. As with all chemical cleaners, it should be used carefully. A quick dip of a few seconds is usually sufficient to remove tarnish. Do not leave things soaking in it for long periods.
Ditto Paul’s sound advice on the dips. When the instructions say “a few seconds” they mean a few seconds. I have used it on some heavily tarnished sterling flatware and it did a decent job. Five seconds was sufficent, anything more left a chalky surface that required a lot of elbow grease to polish out. I would not use it on silverplated items as its so agressive it may remove the thin silver coating.
I’ve spent a few days polishing up some of our silver for a talk we are giving and used three or four different liquid and paste polishs and none of them stood out over the others. A horse hair brush is very handy for intricate stuff and won’t scratch the silver. For general polishing I use a pad of fake chamois - actually a thin dense foam - that I get at the auto parts store. Cut a pad about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long out of the sheet and fold it once, apply the polish to the damp pad and gently work on the tarnish. I then rinse well in warm soapy water using my brush or a washcloth, do a final rinse under tap water, let dry, then polish out with a soft rag.
We store silver we are not using in Zip Loc bags and drop a one inch square pad of 3M Tarnish prevention paper in the bag. Pretty much eliminates tarnish in storage. The bags are also available in very large sizes (11 gallon) for your big silver.
For bigger pieces, use baking soda and a clean, damp sponge. Make a paste of baking soda and water. Scoop the paste onto the sponge, and rub the paste into the silver. Rinse with hot water and polish dry with a soft, clean cloth.
You simply DON’T polish silver with baking soda and a toothbrush. Period. End of story. Read my Silver Care Guide: [url]http://www.hermansilver.com/care.htm[/url]. In fact, everyone coming to this forum should first review my instructions so this toothpaste subject won’t return.
Silver can become quickly tarnished, stained and scratched so cleaning your silver pieces can be a little tricky and extremely daunting, especially if it is your favourite bracelet or pendant! One of the good home remedy to clean your silver jewelry is to use the mundane toothpaste. Yes you can use a non abrasive tooth paste to bring back the shine on your silver pieces. You need to use a very soft bristled toothbrush to clean it. Once you have buffed it wash it clean with water. Wipe it dry and use the Sunshine cloth to dry it and buff it.
Please read the response above by Jeff Herman on the subject of toothpaste. Good quality silver polish does not cost the earth so why resort to these store cupboard solutions which could cause damage to your favourite pieces.
This is a tough crowd ;~) Everyone visiting this forum and looking for the best researched advice should high tail it to my Care of Silver page: hermansilver.com/care.htm.
