Bare silver is not a pleasant sight. You can clean silver jewelry with some home remedies. We list several tricks and give useful tips to help you get your favorite necklace, husband's earrings or friendship ring shiny again.
What you should consider when cleaning silver jewelry
There are numerous home remedies that are suitable for cleaning metal. However, you should only treat new silver with this, as you can damage antique jewelry.
Every piece of silver jewelryconsists of up to 80% fine silver and 20% other metals. For antique silver, this proportion can vary. In addition, different metals were added depending on the era. Some of them react very sensitively to certain chemicals or home remedies. At the end of the article we will give you special care tips for vintage jewelry.
Clean silver jewelry: Use aluminum foil
But first we will focus on silver jewelry that was made in the last 50 to 70 years. Aluminum foil is perfect for cleaning silver jewelry. There are several variants:
1. Aluminum foil and dishwashing liquid:This trick is perfect for bare silver jewelry. Line a bowl with aluminum foil and fill it with hot water. Add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to the water and stir the water until it dissolves. Place the jewelry in the water and leave it there for several minutes. Remove the jewelry with clean tongs (e.g. plastic grill tongs). Then place the jewelry pieces on a clean cotton cloth and let them dry.
2. Aluminum foil and baking powder or baking soda:Line a large pot with aluminum foil (with the shiny foil side facing up). Use glass or ceramic pots or bowls. Fill the container with water and add half a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Bring the water to a boil and add the silver. Leave the jewelry in the water for 15 seconds and then remove it with the tongs.Put the jewelryon kitchen paper and let it dry. If necessary, you can then repeat the process.
Get silver shiny again with ketchup
It may sound strange, but you can perfectly clean tarnished silver with ketchup. Put 1 drop of ketchup on kitchen paper and rub it onto the jewelry. If the silver has tarnished, apply the ketchup directly to the jewelry and leave it to work for a quarter of an hour.
Get black silver shiny again with white wine vinegar
Place the silver jewelry pieces in a bowl and pour white wine vinegar over them. Add 4 teaspoons of baking soda per 200 ml of white wine vinegar to the water. Leave the silver jewelry in the solution for about an hour. Then rinse them with cold water and place them on a clean cloth to dry.
Clean silver jewelry: Use rinse aid for polishing
You can also clean new silver jewelry with rinse aid. Simply spray it on the jewelry and wipe it with a clean cotton cloth. You can also use a toothbrush for ornaments and small details.
Use toothpaste to restore heavily tarnished silver to its former shine
Severely tarnished or discolored silver can also be cleaned with toothpaste for whitening teeth. Put a little toothpaste (not gel, not abrasive) on a cotton cloth and rub it onto the jewelry. Leave the toothpaste on for about 5 minutes, then rinse it off.
Get silver jewelry with gemstones looking beautiful again
You should clean jewelry that has gemstones very carefully. For example, an ammonia solution will get the metal sparkling clean, but it will damage the gemstones.
- Silver jewelry withhardGemstones are cleaned in a silver bath.
- Silver jewelry withsoftGemstones are cleaned with soapy water.
SCleaning antique silver
Use pH-neutral dishwashing detergent to remove deposits from antique silver and restore the metal to its former shine. Fill a plastic bowl with warm water, add several squirts of detergent to the water and stir until it dissolves completely. Then put the silver in the water and let it soak for 10 minutes. Then wipe it off with silver polishing gloves.
You can find silver cleaning products in stores. However, they are not suitable for antique jewelry because they are abrasive. It is much better to use a cotton cloth and try to treat the old silver as gently as possible.
Cleaning silver jewelry: If gold-plated silver tarnishes
Incidentally, gold-plated silver can also tarnish if the gold layer is removed with abrasive cleaning agents. Use mild dish soap, dissolve it in the water and add the gold-plated silver to the water. Allow the detergent to work for about 10 minutes, then carefully wipe the jewelry dry with a microfiber cloth. If this mild care does not solve the problem, then go to the juvelier. Otherwise you risk damaging the top gold protective layer.
