Simply pour the coke into a bowl and submerge your silver into it. The acid in the coke will quickly remove the tarnish. Keep an eye on it – just a few minutes should be enough. Rinse with warm water and dry carefully with a soft cloth.
Let the silver soak for 1 hour.
The acid in the Coke will help loosen any grime and residue from the silver. If you want to leave the silver in the Coke to clean it longer, keep it submerged for up to 3 hours. Check on the silver every 30 minutes to see how clean it is.
Coins and jewelry that have started to gather an unsightly tarnish can be cleaned with nothing more than a can of Coke. If, for some reason, you care about how shiny your pocket change is, simply drop the grimy coins in a Coke bath and leave them overnight.
Clean Silver with Dish Soap and Water
The key to cleaning silver without damaging it is to avoid abrasion. Cleaning silver with harsh abrasive products like chlorine bleach, or storing it using rubber bands and newspaper, is a no-no.
Cleaning Silver With Coke
Coke is an ideal cleaning substitute for cleaning chemicals for both sterling and plated silver. The acids in the drink cut through grime or rust that has built up and can leave the pieces looking as good as new.
As we said, bicarbonate of soda is one of the greatest cleaning products to have in your home. If your silver jewellery has stubborn, built-up tarnish, make a thick paste from bicarbonate of soda and lukewarm water. Apply the paste to any tarnished spots and leave it for 3 minutes.
The copper reacts to moisture and sulfur in the air, causing the sterling silver tarnish. Silver tarnishes faster in areas with high humidity and air pollution. Chemicals like hairspray, perfume, deodorant, body lotion, bleach, etc., can speed up the tarnishing process.
A mild dish soap: The pros recommend using citrus-free and phosphate-free dish soaps like Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Cotton balls, pads, or swabs: These are best for applying hand sanitizer or polish to your silver to remove tarnish.
6 Toothpaste
This is a classic, easy DIY silver cleaning recipe. Use non-gel and non-abrasive toothpaste. Squeeze a small amount of it on a soft cloth or paper handkerchief. Rub onto the jewellery or silverware with circular motions to polish it and clean off the tarnish.
If you need clean silver now, pour lemon juice over the tarnished pieces. Polish with a soft, clean cotton cloth. The acid begins cleaning as soon as it hits the silver's surface. Rubbing it around only strengthens its cleaning power.
(The average pH of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other colas is 3.4.) Carbonation combined with the acid can dissolve the metal oxides and remove tarnish from copper, brass and other metal alloys. Citric acid is known to remove the stains. Phosphoric acid is commonly used for rust removal.
REMOVING STAINS
Coke has mythical cleaning properties. According to Good Housekeeping, Coke will remove blood stains, grease and gross odours from clothing. Just pour a can of the stuff in the wash and run the cycle as per usual - the Coke will lift out the stain and stink and wash away with it.
For silver that is heavily tarnished, mix a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Wet the silver and apply the cleaner with a soft, lint-free cloth (not paper towels). Work the paste into the crevices, turning the cloth as it gets gray. Rinse and buff dry.
Simply pour the coke into a bowl and submerge your silver into it. The acid in the coke will quickly remove the tarnish. Keep an eye on it – just a few minutes should be enough. Rinse with warm water and dry carefully with a soft cloth.
What Makes Coca-Cola Such an Effective Cleaner? Coca-Cola is carbonated, which allows it to dissolve with metal oxides and break up rust on a variety of metals and alloys. Phosphoric acid also gives it rust-busting power, while citric acid makes it an effective stain remover.
You can clean tarnished silver (even heavily tarnished pieces) with a simple homemade solution, and you likely already have all the ingredients that you need. Cleaning silver with a combination of aluminum foil, baking soda, and salt typically does the trick for both small and large silver pieces.
Combine Vinegar and Baking Soda: Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbsp. baking soda together, then let your silver jewelry soak in the mixture for two to three hours before rinsing and polishing.
Polishing Silver
The most common is using a soft towel and a silver polish cream like Hagerty's or Miror.
Humidity, salty air, chlorine, perspiration, and household bleach and chemicals can tarnish your sterling silver.
Anti-tarnish bags and polishing cloths can help minimalize the tarnish to your sterling silver jewelry. But, when the inevitable occurs and you notice your jewelry has darkened or become dull, there is GOOD NEWS! Tarnish is not permanent… AND it is easily removed!
What's the difference between sterling silver and silver? Sterling silver is an alloy made mostly of silver and a small percentage of copper and zinc to strengthen it. It can last a lifetime and be passed on for many generations if properly cared for. Silver is soft and not as durable as sterling silver.