How to Remove Tarnish from Your Silver Jewelry

This month we are going to cover a very practical, and simple, subject. And while it is simple, it is also very important: how to clean your silver jewelry. Now if you want to, you can go buy a jewelry cleaner solution and just be done with it, but often times they contain harsh toxic chemicals, and can take some silver off the jewelry along with the tarnish. Jewelry cleaners have improved in these areas now, but this will not be our focus. Instead, we will talk about some very DIY (do-it-yourself) ways to clean the tarnish off of your silver in a way that is fairly quick, easy, and inexpensive.

1. Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda Technique

First, there is the aluminum foil and baking soda technique. The advantage of this technique is that does virtually all of the polishing work for you; all you need to do is put the silver in the solution you are going to create, and the chemical reaction takes over from there. All you need is some aluminum foil, a plastic container or glass baking pan, and baking soda. So here’s how you do it:

• Take a plastic container, or even a glass baking pan, and line the inside of it with aluminum foil. Make sure the container is large enough to fit the items you want to clean. Put the foil with the shiny side up.
• Next, bring your water to a boil. The ratio you are looking for is 4 cups to every ¼ cup or baking soda.
• Fill the container up with the boiling water, and then add your baking soda. Again, a ¼ cup of baking soda for every 4 cups of water, so adjust that accordingly.
• Drop your silver into the solution. The water will begin to bubble, which is a natural chemical reaction. The solution is now removing the tarnish from the silver.
• After a few minutes, remove the silver item(s) carefully (it’s very hot) and then wipe away any remaining tarnish with a soft dry cloth.

That’s it! If you have a piece of jewelry that is badly tarnished, you will likely have to repeat this process more than once.

2. Toothpaste Technique

Secondly, we have the toothpaste method. Any fluoride toothpaste will work, but we would recommend using a plain white toothpaste rather than the ones that are blue or green, etc.

• Apply a little bit of toothpaste to the silver item with a clean cloth.
• If the item is a little bit more delicate, with harder areas to access, then apply a little bit of toothpaste to a clean soft-bristled toothbrush and apply the toothpaste in those hard to reach areas.
• Run the silver item(s) under warm water, and then dry them with a clean dry cloth.

That’s it for that one!

3. Polishing Cloth

Third, just use a polishing cloth. Polishing cloths are treated to clean most metals, including silver, gold, platinum, and others beyond that as well. A polishing cloth is the quickest and simplest way to clean up your silver, as it will clean the tarnish off your silver in a matter of seconds. 

• Just use the inside part (the white part) of the cloth to polish up the silver, and the outside part to buff it out.

Sometimes they aren’t as effective on items that are badly tarnished, but they will get the job done 95% of the time. They are cheap, and they last a long time too. Just make sure to not make the mistake of washing the cloth, as doing this washes out the treatment that makes the polishing possible. We happen to carry our own branded polishing cloths, and we use them all the time. 

Information from: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jun/07/how-to-polish-silver-the-green-way

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/allnatural-way-clean-...