No matter how carefully you look after your silver items, they will eventually tarnish. Here are seven easy ways to clean silver at home.
Silver jewelry, idols, and utensils often become dull and lose their shine over time due to tarnish, which is caused by a chemical reaction between silver and sulfur in the air. To keep your silver looking its best, it’s important to clean and maintain it regularly. Luckily, cleaning silver doesn’t have to be a chore. Using simple household items like salt and baking soda, you can easily remove tarnish from your silver items.
Here are some easy and affordable methods to remove tarnish, polish, and clean silver items. Regardless of the cleaning technique you use, there’s a useful tip to keep in mind: If the silver piece is valuable or antique, always do a spot test on a hidden area before cleaning the whole item to ensure it’s safe.
Here are some reliable home remedies to clean silver and bring back its shine. Take a look.
Baking soda and aluminum foil
This is a popular and easy way to clean silver jewelry. If your silver turns yellow or black, you can reverse this using simple household items. Even in cases of severe tarnish, this affordable method can clean your jewelry in just 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on how tarnished your silver is.
First, boil enough water to fill your bowl. Then, line the bowl with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda for each cup of water to the bowl, and it will start to bubble.
Immediately place the silver jewelry in the bowl, making sure it touches the aluminum foil—this contact is crucial for the chemical reaction needed to remove tarnish. Leave the jewelry in the solution for 2-5 minutes, or up to 10 minutes for heavily tarnished pieces.
Finally, carefully remove the jewelry, rinse it under cool water, and dry it with a clean cloth. You’ll be amazed by the results!
Lemon and Salt bath
This method is commonly used to clean idols and puja utensils regularly. To try it, simply squeeze a lemon into a bowl, add 3 tablespoons of salt and some hot water, then place the tarnished bracelet in the mixture for 5 minutes. After that, remove the bracelet and gently rub it with a soft cloth to remove any tarnish.
Note: Using a white silver cleaning cloth can make lifting the tarnish easier. Regular cloths may require more effort and might not yield perfect results.
Ketchup
Ketchup can be an effective cleaner for silver items at home. Just squeeze a small amount onto a paper towel and gently rub it over the tarnished areas. If the silver doesn’t start to shine, let the ketchup sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Afterward, rub it off with a soft cloth and rinse thoroughly. For silver items with intricate details, like candlesticks or ornate silverware, using a toothbrush can help clean hard-to-reach crevices.
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent is an old and effective remedy for removing tarnish from silver. Simply pour a small cup of detergent into a bowl of hot water and submerge your silver jewelry in it. Let it sit for 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the jewelry and rub it with a cloth. The laundry detergent reacts with the water to create a foamy solution that lifts tarnish and cleans away dirt or grime from the jewelry—and as a bonus, it leaves a pleasant scent!
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a simple DIY method for cleaning silver. Just apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste onto a dish, then use it to rub the jewelry or silverware with circular motions to polish and remove tarnish. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then rinse off the toothpaste with water. After this process, your silver item will be clean and shiny.
Vinegar
Vinegar, water, and baking soda make a powerful combination for cleaning many things, including tarnished silver. To use this method, mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of lukewarm water. Allow the silver to soak for two to three hours. Afterward, rinse it with cold water and let it dry. This mixture is effective at restoring the shine to your silver items.
Hand Sanitizer
During the current health situation, hand sanitizers are readily available and can also be used to clean dirt, grime, and tarnish from silver. Just squeeze a few drops onto a dry cloth and begin to polish the silver.
Silver tarnishes when exposed to air and light, but there are ways to slow down this process. Applying a thin layer of hair conditioner on your silver can act as a protective barrier. Alternatively, storing your silver in an anti-tarnish bag made from tarnish-resistant silversmiths’ cloth, or creating your own DIY storage solution, can help preserve its shine.