How to Clean and Polish Silver Jewelry at Home

Making your own polish provides a green method for silver cleaning.

Silver jewelry develops tarnish, a dull dark coating that detracts from your jewelry's usual shine. Preventing tarnish buildup makes the cleaning process simple and fast. Whether the jewelry needs a touch up or significant cleaning, learning the basics will prepare you to tackle the job. To clean and polish silver jewelry at home requires only basic supplies and household products. Cleaning your silver jewelry is a straightforward, nontoxic process. With the right items, you can clean silver jewelry quickly and confidently to keep it gleaming.

Things You'll Need

• Warm water
• Mild dish soap or liquid Castile soap
• 2 lint-free soft cloths, such as all-cotton T-shirt rags or microfiber cloths
• Baking soda

Instructions

1. Mix six drops of liquid soap such as Castile soap or mild dish washing soap in a 1/2 cup of warm water. Wet a soft cloth with the mixture and gently rub the silver jewelry.

2. Rub all of the surface area of the silver jewelry with the cloth. Rinse the jewelry with cool water. Polish the silver by buffing it with a dry lint-free cloth such as microfiber or all-cotton T-shirt material.

3. Mix equal parts of baking soda and warm water if any tarnish remains, or if the jewelry is heavily tarnished. Cleaning silver jewelry with the soap solution first reduces the risk of scratches from any debris that may be on the jewelry. Apply the baking soda paste with a clean lint-free cloth.

4. Rub the baking soda silver polish into grooves and textures on the silver jewelry and on tarnish-prone areas near stone settings and jewelry catches. Use a fresh area of the cloth on each part of the jewelry when you're cleaning large or highly tarnished items. This avoids rubbing the removed tarnish on the silver.

5. Rinse the silver jewelry with cool water when you've finished removing the tarnish. Use a dry lint-free cloth and buff the silver jewelry by rubbing it in short strokes with the cloth. This restores the luster of your silver jewelry.

Tips & Warnings

• Put your jewelry on last, if you use cosmetics, hair spray, fragrances or other products. This will help to protect your jewelry. Wearing your favorite silver items frequently helps to reduce tarnish buildup.

• Jewelry boxes with anti-tarnish lining help to prevent tarnish.

• Choose alternatives to commercial silver polish, which contains solvents. Solvents can harm your health and accidental ingestion can be fatal. Long-term exposure to products containing solvents may result in liver and kidney problems, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and cancer.

• Soaking silver jewelry can increase tarnish.

• Don't use scrub sponges, paper towels or abrasive cleansers on silver as these textures can leave permanent scratches in the metal.

References

• Good Housekeeping; Speed Clean Your Jewelry; Christina Peterson
• University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; Hazardous Household Substances: Alternatives That Are Relatively Free of Toxic Effects; Marie Hammer