How to Polish Antique Silver Plate

To keep your antique silver plate pieces looking nice, you must periodically polish them. Silver tarnishes over time. A silver item that appears yellow or black has tarnished and needs to be polished. The first time you polish a tarnished piece, it will probably take a lot of elbow grease. Keeping the items looking nice with more frequent polishing will make the job much easier.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soft-bristled toothbrush
• Silver polish
• Soft cotton cloths
• Mild dish soap

1. Rinse your antique silver plate in hot water first to remove any surface dirt. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to get dirt out of crevices.

2. Apply a generous coat of silver polish to the entire piece. Follow the directions on the silver polish you are using; some polishes require time to sit for a few minutes before removing.

3. Use a sponge or a soft cloth and gently rub in a circular motion over a small area of the piece until the tarnish is removed. Rinse the sponge or cloth frequently. Continue until the whole piece of silver plate has been polished.

4. Wash the piece in hot water and a mild dish soap to remove any remaining silver polish residue. Again, use the soft-bristled brush to get polish out of crevices, if necessary.

5. Dry and buff the silver plate with a very soft cotton cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Properly storing your antique silver plate will slow down the rate of tarnish. Store pieces in flannel bags that are treated for tarnish resistance. These can be found at most jewelry and department stores. Flatware should be stored in wood boxes that are lined with tarnish-proof felt.
• If displaying antique silver plate pieces, avoid areas that are damp or humid. Moisture will accelerate the rate of tarnish.
• Silver is a soft metal and scratches easily. Never use abrasive cleansers, steel wool or hard-bristled brushes when cleaning or polishing it.

[skaizun]

on 6/27/2008 (continued)
mother's badly tarnished 8-piece silver service set; the luster (not to mention her smile!) was worth every minute of effort. Always wear gloves (I use ordinary dish gloves), as the water and polish might dry out or damage your skin and nails. If you're not up to it, then take the item to a jeweler or similar professional.

[skaizun]

on 6/27/2008 (continued)
mother's badly tarnished 8-piece silver service set; the luster (not to mention her smile!) was worth every minute of effort. Always wear gloves (I use ordinary dish gloves), as the water and polish might dry out or damage your skin and nails. If you're not up to it, then take the item to a jeweler or similar professional.

[skaizun]

on 6/27/2008 (continued)
mother's badly tarnished 8-piece silver service set; the luster (not to mention her smile!) was worth every minute of effort. Always wear gloves (I use ordinary dish gloves), as the water and polish might dry out or damage your skin and nails. If you're not up to it, then take the item to a jeweler or similar professional.

[skaizun]

on 6/27/2008 (continued)
ain" of the item (something of a judgement call), then lift the cleaning utensil, and move back to the starting point, repeating as needed. This will avoid "arcing" and other unsightly remnants that circular patterns might leave (knives are "sharpened" in the same manner: single direction strokes).

4) Non-phosphor soaps and liquids are the only ones that should be used, if any. Even the mildest and natural dish soaps might contain abrasives, perfumes, etc, that could dull the shine, and which might actually corrode metals. Generally speaking, all you need is plain, hot water (preferably filtered, because tap water could contain trace metals; distilled and spring water may contain trace metals as well; these are also good reasons to avoid soaking fine metals in any kind of water).


Quality polishing isn't an easy task. It took me nearly six hours to carefully clean my

[skaizun]

on 6/27/2008 Respectfully, most of the steps, above, may actually damage silver and silver-plated items.

1) Toothbrushes typically use nylon or similar plastic-like bristles which might scratch soft metals. A natural, soft-bristled, finger-tip/nail cleaning or moustache brush, often sold in dollar, drug, or department stores, is much better. Natural cotton (swabs or balls) or chamois cloths are even better.

2) Polishes should always be used sparingly. Excessive polish can etch and erode metals, and become trapped in recesses, leaving a dull, white, ugly, hazy finish. Polish one small spot at a time (about 1" square, depending on the size of the item, of course). Rinse and dry the area as soon as you have removed the tarnish, blemishes, whatever (also see #4, below).

3) Metals should be cleaned in a single, straight direction, starting from one end to the other, preferably in the general "gr