Silver Jewelry Cleaning Tips
The sparkling shine of silver jewelry is loved by all, but I'm sure you will agree with me if I say that maintaining the sparkling shine of silver is not all that easy. With time, silver and sterling silver jewelry tends to get tarnished and the build-up of tarnish makes it appear black. Tarnishing of silver jewelry occurs due to certain climatic conditions and also due to the silver coming in contact with certain chemicals that cause the tarnishing. The materials that cause silver tarnishing include eggs, rubber bands, wood, onions, etc. so, the fact remains that avoiding silver tarnishing is nearly impossible and the only way to get rid of it is to clean the silver jewelry as soon as the tarnish starts to build up.
Silver Jewelry Cleaning
There are several methods that can be adopted to clean silver jewelry. However, while selecting the method you must take into consideration the degree to which the jewelry has been tarnished. You can make use of either commercially available silver cleaning products or you can prepare a cleaning solution at home and use it to remove the tarnish.
Commercial Products for Cleaning Silver Jewelry
There are a lot of commercial products available which include silver jewelry wipes, soap, polish, silver jewelry dip, ultra-sonic cleaner, etc. If the silver jewelry has been tarnished to a large extent and appears very close to a black color, then it is best to use the ultra-sonic silver jewelry cleaner along with the sonic cleaning liquids to remove the tarnish. Other products can be used for regular cleaning or for a mild to medium tarnish.
Homemade Products Cleaning Solution
There are a number of homemade products that you could use for cleaning silver jewelry and these can be made easily by using simple ingredients. One such homemade jewelry cleaner recipe is mentioned below.
Materials Required
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup liquid dish soap
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- Water
- Aluminum foil
- A large pot
- Towel
- Strainer
Line the inside of a large pot with the aluminum foil on all sides as well as the bottom. Mix the salt, liquid dish soap and baking soda in half gallon of water and pour it into the pot. Then, place the silver jewelry in the solution and place the pot on low heat for a few minutes. Turn off the burner and let the jewelry sit in the solution for a few more minutes. Strain out the solution from the pot using a strainer and rinse the jewelry under cold running water. Make sure you wash off the solution well from the jewelry, especially the salt. Then, place the jewelry on a clean, soft towel to dry. Dispose off the aluminum foil carefully.
Toothpaste for Cleaning Silver Jewelry
Using white toothpaste for cleaning silver jewelry can give excellent results. Firstly, you will need to dampen the silver jewelry to be cleaned. Then, take a generous amount of white toothpaste and apply it to an old soft toothbrush. Gently brush the toothpaste onto the silver jewelry for a minute or two, then rinse it and dry with a clean, soft towel.
You will need to be very careful about the stones in the jewelry while cleaning it. Make sure you do not put any porous stones into the cleaning solution as it may damage the precious stones. Make sure you store your silver jewelry in jewelry boxes rather than storing them in paper, cotton or unlined wooden boxes. Most importantly, remember to clean the tarnish off on a regular basis to avoid too much of it building up on your silver jewelry.
