In contrast to wiping down countertops or vacuuming the floor, cleaning your jewelry, especially those silver pieces that tarnish so easily, might not be on your priority list. This often-neglected cleaning project is simple to do, even though things we wear every day, such as silver earrings you never take off or a go-to necklace, don’t always tarnish fast. Pieces that are frequently worn typically need only occasional polishing.
Silver jewelry in boxes or trays that have gotten dark due to exposure and inactivity may need a more thorough cleaning. Learn how to remove tarnish and restore the shine from silver jewelry with simple DIY methods.
How to Clean Silver Jewelry
Gentle cleaning is key to clean is a soft, lustrous metal silver. A mixture of warm water and mild dishwashing soap, or even baby shampoo, should be enough to clean most everyday jewelry. This method also works great to clean gold jewelry.
- Take some warm water and add a few drops of liquid dish soap. Swirl until bubbles form.
- Saturate jewelry in this solution for up to 10 minutes.
- Use a soft-bristle brush, like a toothbrush, to clean any gaps.
- Rinse jewelry in warm water.
- To dry, gently rub jewelry with a microfiber towel or a silver cloth.
Fine silver jewelry with diamonds or other adorable gemstones can often be washed with soap and water. Yet, think about expressing to a jeweler before cleaning valuables or having the piece professionally cleaned to be safe.
How to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry
Most likely, the silver jewelry in your jewelry box is sterling silver instead of pure silver. Generally, sterling silver contains about 7.5% copper, making it stronger than pure 99.9% silver (which is difficult to obtain) but also more prone to tarnishing. (Copper tarnishes sterling silver jewelry the most.)
In order to know whether your jewelry is sterling silver or silver-plated, check the marking that says sterling, S/S, or Sterling 9.25, 925/1000. In case of the absence of these markings, it’s probably silver-plated.
If soap and water do not work well, you can try other cleaning methods for silver that employ common pantry and household staples, including toothpaste, baking soda, olive oil, white vinegar, lemon juice, and, salt.
Clean Sterling Silver with Baking Soda
Make a paste by mixing two parts baking soda with one part water, then gently rub the paste onto the jewelry. Leave some time to let the paste dry completely to remove the tarnish. Gently rub with a soft cloth or microfiber towel. You can also follow a similar process using cornstarch.
Mix Lemon and Olive Oil
Make a solution of 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 tsp. olive oil. Dip a neat cloth in the solution and gently rub the silver until it glows. Rinse and dry.
Combine Vinegar and Baking Soda
Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbsp. baking soda, then let your silver jewelry saturate in the mixture for up to three hours before polishing and rinsing.
Clean Silver Jewelry with Toothpaste
A small amount of diluted toothpaste and a soft-bristle brush can do wonders for cleaning sterling silver jewelry. Just make sure the toothpaste is not a whitening formula, and don’t use this method on anything silver-plated.
How to Clean Silver Chains
Necklaces and bracelets made from silver tarnish easily from contact with lotions, perfumes, and perspiration, making them delicate pieces that require special care. As with silver flatware, you can clean chains with the same method used for silverware.
The tarnish on silver is often done with silver sulfide, a compound created with the reaction between sulfur and silver. This cleaning process uses aluminum foil to drag the sulfur atoms away from the silver in order to make the piece flash. Note that this strategy is effective, but it will release an unpleasant smell into the environment. In a detail:
- Take a large piece of aluminum foil and line it up on the surface of a bowl
- Fill the pan with boiling hot water.
- Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 cup baking soda to the water and stir. Bubbles will form.
- Place silver jewelry in the mixture and mix very gently, make sure not to hit the pieces together or even don’t touch the sides of the bowl.
- Let sit for up to 5 minutes.
- Empty and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.
How to Prevent Tarnish on Silvery Jewelry
Prevention is the key to tarnish-free silver jewelry. Although silver can’t be protected from air, heat, or moisture, you can do your best to limit exposure.
First, collect all your silver jewelry, and store it in soft, anti-tarnish bags in a cool, dark place. Adding a packet of charcoal, a piece of chalk or even silica gel to the bags will help remove moisture. That is why jewelers say not to keep the jewelry left in the bathroom. Remove, earrings, rings, and other silver pieces before swimming, showering, or doing dishes, and make sure to put your jewelry on last after all your lotions and perfumes have had time to sink in.
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At GetNameNecklace, our priority is to make long-lasting silver plated and sterling silver jewelry that does not require polishing, tarnishing, or even cleaning. Because the manufacturing process also makes a difference. Explore now! As we have a wide variety of silver jewelry.
