For some pieces, polishing the silver is as simple as a quick rub with a polishing cloth. Other items might need a more thorough polish with polishing cream.
For silver that is dull, filmy, or not yet discolored, mix a few drops of mild dish soap with warm water and dip in a soft cloth. Rub the item, then rinse in cool water and buff with a cloth until dry.
All you need to clean and polish silver are microfiber cloths and some silver cleaner. A microfiber cloth is safe for jewelry, candlesticks, plates, and other silver. Use a dry cloth to lightly dust your silver before you clean it, as dust can scratch the finish and the soft metal if you rub too hard.
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.
A great metal cleaner deserves an equally great cloth: Goddard's Silver Polishing Cloth. This cloth is 100% English cotton fabric. It is soft, non-abrasive, and won't damage delicate items and fixtures, augmenting the care provided by Goddard's line of metal cleaners.
Rub a thin layer of a low-abrasive, low-ammonia liquid or paste polish, like 3M's Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, onto the piece with a dry cloth, cotton balls, or the sponge that comes with the product. Avoid paper towels, which can be abrasive. Instead of a circular motion, rub the item with small up-and-down strokes.
Clean Silver with Dish Soap and Water
Cleaning silver with harsh abrasive products like chlorine bleach, or storing it using rubber bands and newspaper, is a no-no.
Restore Shine with Toothpaste: Cleaning silver with toothpaste can produce sparkling results. Dilute toothpaste with a little water, polish the silver with a soft cloth, and rinse.
Best wipe-on, wash-off polish
“Use paste polish with a rag or sponge,” Nelson says. “Use warm water and be sure to rinse to remove all the polish from the crevices. Paste polish will be easier to use if silver is dark. Do not use a liquid cleaner as it take the background oxidation out of the pattern.”
How long will the polishing cloth last? Average household use is about two years. A polishing cloth can be black with tarnish and still be effective. A good rule of thumb: when they have a lot pills (like on a sweater), it's time for a new one.
Here's how to clean silver and make it look its best
Sponges and microfiber are perfect for this task. If wearing gloves, now's the time to put them on. Add a small drop of gentle dish soap to a sponge or soft cloth that's been dampened with warm water, and gently buff your silver to clean the surface.
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.
This is key: warm water + baking soda + aluminum foil = a chemical reaction that causes the silver sulfide (tarnish) to change back into silver, freeing the sulfur atoms to migrate and attach instead to the aluminum foil.
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.
Silver can take two months or two years to tarnish. Silver tarnishes faster the longer it is exposed to the air, humidity, pollution, and chemical substances. Also, the speed in which silver tarnishes depends on how much sulfur-containing gases are in the air. But, it is essential to remember that it is not permanent.
This reaction dulls or discolors the metal, but fortunately, the corrosion doesn't harm the underlying sterling and can be cleaned by polishing. Humidity, salty air, chlorine, perspiration, and household bleach and chemicals can tarnish your sterling silver.
Silver is a common metal used in jewelry or dinnerware. If you don't have any chemical cleaner, you can use Coca-Cola, or Coke, as a simple cleaning substitute for sterling or plated silver. The acid in Coke works to cut through any grime or rust on the silver's surface.
Polishing Silver
The most common is using a soft towel and a silver polish cream like Hagerty's or Miror. Another option is to line a ceramic or glass (never metal) dish with aluminium foil. In a separate bowl, mix together one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of baking soda, and half a cup of white vinegar.
Polishing silver is done to remove tarnish and shine silver pieces and should only be done a few times in the lifetime of a piece. This is because every time silver is polished, metal is removed from the piece.