How to Clean Gold & Silver

Proper care of silver and gold will help them last a long time.

Silver and gold are both types of metals used for a variety of home accents and jewelry, among other things. While silver and gold are both metals, they have different needs when it comes to care and cleaning. Gold tarnishes, over time, as a result of exposure to natural body oils, while natural body oils help silver to remain tarnish-free. Commercial products exist to clean both gold and silver but you can use your own home remedies to keep your gold and silver clean and free of tarnish.

Things You'll Need

• White toothpaste
• Cotton cloths
• 2 tbsp. table salt
• Aluminum foil
• Mild hand dish washing detergent
• Old toothbrush
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Bowl

Instructions

How To Clean Silver

1. 

   White toothpaste helps remove dirt and tarnish on silver items.

   Apply a small amount of white toothpaste to a damp, cotton cloth. Rub the white toothpaste back and forth over the tarnished area of your silver. As the tarnish transfers to the cotton cloth, move to a clean spot on the cloth, add a little more toothpaste and continue to rub the silver.

2. Rinse your silverware with warm water and dry with a clean cotton cloth.

3. Tackle persistent tarnish and dirt on your silverware with a homemade silver dip. Fill your sink with hot water and add 2 tbsp. of table salt, stirring the salt in with your hands until it dissolves. Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of the sink, ensuring it covers the entire bottom.

4. Pour one or two drops of mild hand dish washing liquid on an old toothbrush and lightly scrub each piece of silver prior to placing it in your silver dip solution. Rinse the dish washing detergent off the silver and lay the silver directly on the aluminum foil in the sink.

5. Soak your tarnished silver in the silver dip solution for an hour. The salt solution will dissolve tarnish as the silver soaks. If tarnish remains after an hour, allow the silver to soak for one more hour.

6. Rinse your silver with warm water and dry with a clean, cotton towel. Lay the silver on another clean towel and allow to air dry to ensure there's no moisture left that can cause tarnish.

How To Clean Gold

1. Soak tarnished gold in undiluted isopropyl alcohol for five to seven hours. For small pieces of gold jewelry, fill a bowl with the alcohol and fill a sink for larger gold pieces.

2. Remove your gold from the isopropyl alcohol and rinse with warm water. Dry with a clean, cotton cloth.

3. Drop two to three drops of mild hand dish washing detergent onto an old toothbrush and scrub the detergent into persistent tarnish areas on your gold. Use your old toothbrush to get hard-to-reach grooves and crevices to ensure the removal of tiny particles of dirt.

4. Wash away the detergent from your gold with warm water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Allow your gold to lie on a towel for 24 hours to ensure it's completely dry before storing it away.

Tips & Warnings

• Soak gold and silver jewelry in one cup of warm water with 1 tsp. of mild hand dish washing detergent once every week or two to keep it clean and prevent tarnish. Always wash the two metals separately.

• Baking soda is recommended to clean silver but can chemically react with the silver finish, causing a strong, unpleasant odor.

References

• I Love India: How To Clean Silverware
• Mrs. Clean USA: Jewelry Cleaning Tips
• I Love India: Home Remedy for Tarnished Gold