Is it practical to learn how to remove tarnish from silver? Yes! Unlike dusting and mopping, cleaning your jewelry, especially silver pieces that tarnish quickly, is probably not at the top of your to-do list.
This simple cleaning task often gets put off because silver jewelry we regularly wear, like silver earrings we never take off or a favorite necklace, doesn’t permanently tarnish quickly.
Regular polishing is usually all that’s required of these frequently used items. However, fine silver jewelry collecting dust in a box or on a tray may benefit from a more thorough cleaning.
Dish Soap and Silver Jewelry Care
Add a few drops of dish soap to a sink full of hot water. Stir until foam forms. Submerge your sterling silver jewelry for five to ten minutes in the solution. You can use great methods to clean any old sterling silver beads, sterling silver findings, and 925 sterling silver charms in storage.
How To Remove Tarnish from Silver by Scrubbing?
To get into the tight spaces, use a toothbrush with soft bristles. Cleaning jewelry is as simple as rinsing it in warm water.
Use a microfiber towel or silver cloth to pat down the jewelry after drying. Never use paper towels, as they may leave scratches on your silver.
As a rule, you can use soap and water to clean your fine silver jewelry if it has diamonds or other precious gems set into it. However, it is recommended to consult a jeweler before DIY-ing the process.
Maintenance of Sterling Silver Jewelry
It’s more likely that sterling silver, rather than pure silver, was used to craft the silver jewelry you have stashed away. And that’s also precisely why it’s practical to know how to remove tarnish from silver.
Because of its slightly higher copper content (about 7.5% in most cases), sterling silver is more durable than pure 99.9% silver (which is highly uncommon) but also oxidizes more quickly. (Copper is the main reason why sterling silver erodes over time.)
Before proceeding with the cleaning process and mastering how to remove tarnish from silver, look for a stamp that says 9.25 or 9.25 on the clasp to determine if the piece of jewelry is genuine sterling silver or just silver-plated. The absence of these stamps indicates that the necklace or bracelet is likely silver-plated.
Besides water and mild dish soap, other everyday items such as toothpaste, salt, white vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and baking soda can clean silver.
How To Remove Tarnish from Silver By Polishing And Using Baking Soda
Get Pasty with It
To clean jewelry, make a paste of one part water and two parts baking soda, then gently rub it in. Let the paste dry completely if you want to get rid of the tarnish.
Dry Them All
Run water over it, then dry it with a microfiber towel. If you don’t have flour, cornstarch will work just as well.
Extra Natural Methods for Polishing Sterling
Lemon Juice + Olive Oil
Add one teaspoon of olive oil to half a cup of lemon juice. To restore the silver’s luster, soak a soft cloth in the cleaning agent and use it to buff the piece. Then, pat it dry.
Vinegar + Baking Soda
Mix Put your silver jewelry in a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for at least 2 hours before rinsing and polishing.
Toothpaste
Cleaning sterling silver jewelry is as simple as using toothpaste diluted with water and a soft bristle brush. Make sure it’s not a whitening toothpaste, and don’t try this with silverware.
Tips for Polishing Silver Jewelry
Gentle cleaning is done to avoid damaging any sterling silver pieces. Being gentle is a big part of mastering removing tarnish from silver.
If soap and water don’t get the job done, a clean toothbrush will do the trick for any stubborn stains or fingerprints on the ornamentation. To clean silver rings, you can use the same do-it-yourself methods described above.
Silver rings that also feature materials like turquoise, pearls, or other precious metals will require a different cleaning process than those with only silver. Some forms of cleaning may be too harsh for these.
Cleaning Silver Jewelry Chains
Because of their vulnerability to tarnishing, silver chains on necklaces and bracelets often require extra care. The good news is that cleaning chains entail the same process as cleaning silverware.
Usually, silver sulfide is the cause of the tarnish. You can remove the sulfur atoms from the silver using aluminum foil, restoring its luster. However, remember that while this method is effective, it may also leave a foul odor in its wake.
Amount of Preparation Materials
Aluminum foil can be used to cover an entire giant bowl or pan. Put some boiling water in the pot. Dissolve 1/4 cup baking soda and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt in the water. Some bubbles will form.
Avoid banging your silver jewelry against each other or the pan as you mix it in the solution. Instead, wait up to 5 minutes before touching.
Tarnish-free silver jewelry is possible with proper care and maintenance. You can’t keep air, heat, or moisture away from silver forever, but you can lessen its exposure to these elements as much as possible.
The first rule of silver jewelry storage is to keep it in a cool, dark place, in a soft, anti-tarnish bag. Humidity levels below 30 percent are ideal.
