How To Clean Silver Jewlery At Home

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Does fancy jewelry always need fancy cleaners to get their sparkle back? Not quite. Today, there are easy to do home remedies that can make your precious jewelry ornaments shine back again.

One such item in focus is silver jewelry. If not worn frequently, it can lead to an unattractive layer of tarnish on the silver ornaments that can affect its wearability.

How does Silver Tarnish happen?

It’s very simple actually. Silver reacts with hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the air that leads to tarnish build-up on the silver surface. Tarnish is in fact a thin, corrosive layer that affects the silver’s surface only, unlike rust that eats away the metal.

[Also Read: How to Wear Silver Bangle Bracelets]

Silver tarnish is dull gray or black to look at and is less likely to form on silver jewelry that is worn on a regular basis. So try to wear your precious silver ornaments more rather than see them wear away.

Learn how to clean silver jewelry

Well the process is quite simple and straightforward, but precautions need to be taken. When the silver piece is of high value, it makes sense to go to a professional and expert jewelry cleaner to get the piece cleaned. But if there are wearers who would want to clean their jewelry at home, there are a number of methods available which can bring back the silver shine. Here are some tips on how to clean silver jewellery at home:

Toothpaste

Grab a tube of white toothpaste (not red coloured one or the one that has gels or whitening agents). Put a blob of the paste to a damp sponge and apply it on the silver jewelry. If any scratches appear in the cleaning process, then stop immediately and rinse the toothpaste. If not, then keep applying the toothpaste until the entire silver jewelry piece has got cleaned. Rinse with warm water and dry it with a piece of cloth.

Baking Soda

Remember, we posted an article on baking soda as beauty product? Well, here is another use. Practice the trick of using baking soda for cleaning and maintenance of silver jewelry only when the area on your ornament is heavily tarnished. In order to do it, add few drops of water to 2 tbsp baking soda and mix it thoroughly. Add warm water to the mixture from time to time to get the required consistency. Use the same formula of applying the paste on a damp cloth or swab and apply it gently on silver jewelry. Now rinse it off and dry with a soft cloth.

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Aluminum Foil

Get hold of aluminum foil and cut it in such a way that it should be able to fit into a container large enough to accommodate the silver jewelry. Now add 1 tbsp baking soda and 1 tbsp table salt to hot water and keep stirring until the contents have dissolved to perfection.

[Also Read:  DIY Jewellery Box]

Place the silver jewelry onto the aluminum foil in the container and add the hot water solution (made from baking soda, table salt and water). You will find the silver tarnish vanish away as a result of the chemical reaction generated from combining silver, aluminium, salt and baking soda present in the water. Now remove the jewelry from the container, rinse it under warm, running water and pat it dry.

Apart from the above home remedies, the safest way to clean silver jewelry is to use silver cleaner bought off the shelf. This applies particularly with heirloom jewelry and one that has fine engraving or intricate designs.

There are some jewelry wearers, who go for eco-friendly alternatives while cleaning their jewelry. However, this should be done with care as they have abrasive elements.

[Also Read: Antique Silver Ring Designs]

Try these everyday items, most of which you probably already have in the house and see your silver ornaments shine through.