How to Clean Silver in Your Home!

Posted on 21/01/2015

Whether it’s silver jewellery that you wear every day, or if it’s silver cutlery that you use only on special occasions, silver items are going to become tarnished over time, no matter what you do! You can end up spending a fortune on silver cleaning products, but why waste your money when you can use every day household items? If your silver has seen better days, and if you want to clean it to get the same results as professional cleaners without it costing you the earth then just follow these simple and efficient silver cleaning tips!
1)    Finding the right materials and supplies.
There are lots of options for you to choose from if you’re looking for effective silver cleaning products. There are plenty of products available on the market that can help to remove tarnishing on your silver, but did you know that you can do just as good a job with items that you probably already have in your home? All you need for effective silver cleaning is a heat-proof glass dish, cooking foil, bicarbonate of soda and table salt!
2)    Cleaning silver jewellery.
Cleaning silver jewellery might seem as though it would be expensive, but you can easily say goodbye to tarnishing on your silver jewellery! Take a cup or shallow dish and fill with bicarbonate of soda. Slowly add warm water until a thick paste is created. Use this paste to coat your silver jewellery, or any items of silver that you have that can’t be soaked in boiling water. Leave the paste to sit for a few minutes, rinse clean with warm water, and then gently buff away the mixture using a soft and clean cloth. Any stains, marks or evidence of tarnishing will have disappeared!
3)    Cleaning other silver items.
If you have more robust items of silver in your home, such as cutlery, then you can always use boiling water to lift marks and tarnishing. Take your oven-proof dish and line the entirety of the bottom of it with your cooking foil. Add together a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda, a tablespoon of table salt and boiling water. Stir until the powders have dissolved, then immediately soak your silver items in the water. Make sure that your jewellery is fully soaked in the water, and that the tarnished sides are touching the foil. Leave to sit for as long as you feel necessary, then drain the bowl, rinse the silver and buff dry with a polishing cloth. This is a fantastic way to clean larger silver items, but try not to use this method for any silver that has decorations such as pearls or gemstones, as the water can dislodge, discolour or damage them.
4)    Professional silver cleaning.
If you have a lot of silver pieces in your home, or if you have antique items that you’re worried about cleaning then you might want to think about hiring professional cleaning contractors. Although not all cleaning companies offer silver cleaning services, there are probably some cleaning agencies in your area that can help you. It’s worth speaking to domestic cleaning companies that are local to you, to find out if they’re able to assist, or try contacting your local jewellers to see if they can recommend a jewellery or silver cleaning service for you and your belongings.