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.
Pour ½ cup of white vinegar into a bowl, and add two tablespoons of baking soda. As the mixture froths up, pop in your silver jewelry and let it sit for two to three hours. Remove from the mixture, rinse, dry, and slip your shimmering jewelry on!
Tarnish can be removed from silver mechanically with a polish, chemically with a dip, or electrochemically. This Note describes these three methods for removing tarnish from silver, and explains how to store and display silver objects.
Quickly restore your jewelry or tableware with vinegar, water and baking soda. This cleaning agent is a great option for many things, including your tarnished silver. Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of lukewarm water. Let the silver soak for two to three hours.
The key to effective cleaning of antique silver is regular care. Dust your items regularly with a soft brush. You can also gently rub with a soft cloth to remove fingerprints and light dirt. Silver can be washed in hot soapy water.
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.
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.
Vinegar. If your sterling silver jewelry or silverware has lost its shine and luster, try soaking it in a solution of ½ cup of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Allow it to sit for two or three hours, and then remove it and rinse with cold water.
Use the multipurpose WD-40
Spray it on the silver jewelry and use a clean microfiber cloth to polish it in a circular motion. You will slowly see the tarnish disappear. WD-40 is an excellent cleaning agent that you can use to clean and shine your jewelry and several other items.
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.
To remove heavy tarnish, soak your jewelry in a solution of ½ cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Keep your silver pieces in the solution for two to three hours. Rinse and dry your jewelry.
Another great way to clean your sterling silver jewelry is with Windex. Yes… Windex. You can either spray the Windex directly on the item to be cleaned or on a soft-bristled toothbrush or soft cloth.
The vinegar will remove heavy tarnish, and the bicarbonate of soda will lightly buff your silver to a wonderful shine! We hope these tips on how to clean silver at home help you remove tarnish and bring the shine back to your silver jewellery and tableware.
"In general, a few drops of good old Dawn dish soap in warm, not hot, water will do the trick to keep most gold and silver jewelry clean. Let your pieces soak for about five minutes in the solution and rinse in lukewarm water. Then place them on an untreated microfiber cloth to buff dry," says Levitt.
Fill an aluminum pan (or one lined with aluminum foil) with hot water. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup salt, and stir to dissolve. Working in a ventilated area, submerge the silver pieces in the solution. A chemical reaction will occur, removing the tarnish.
Use a soft cloth or cotton ball and pour lemon juice on it. Then dip it in the ash and start rubbing your silver clean. Once your silver is tarnish free, rinse it and dry it.
Polishing Silver
The most common is using a soft towel and a silver polish cream like Hagerty's or Miror.
To polish silver jewelry, Lieblich says to use a silver polishing cloth and rub back and forth gently until the tarnish is removed. "Some pieces of silver jewelry are patterned in such a way where a small amount of tarnish is best left on it as it adds depth to the design," she notes.
Sterling silver is a beautiful precious metal that is a favorite for many. However, without proper care, sterling silver can tarnish over time. Silver in its purest form does not tarnish. But pure silver is very brittle and can't be used for jewelry alone.
Sterling silver tarnishes when exposed to salty air, chlorine, sulfur, humidity, perspiration, cosmetics, household bleach and other strong chemicals.
When silver is exposed to sulfur-containing gases in the air, it discolours and then darkens as it reacts with the gas to form a surface layer of tarnish.