How to clean Silver the RIGHT way!

How to CLEAN your Heirloom Silver the RIGHT Way.

There are lots of ways to clean your silver, some are better than others and some are honestly terrible and will harm your precious heirloom. I am here to steer you to the right and safe method of cleaning and storing your precious silver. Whether it is Sterling or Plated Silver the method really is the same.

WHAT NOT TO DO!

I would like to point out that harsh chemicals are a definite NO when cleaning your silver. Products that have a, let us say nasty smell that makes you not want to open the bottle is the first sign to NOT use them.

There are also no shortcuts. I see all the time on social media people using boiled water and baking soda method. Although it looks great when you use this method it certainly looks like it magically turns tarnish into shiny, it can harm your silver and leave it with a white film afterwards, that you may not be able to remove. TOOTHPASTE, tomato ketchup as well as various others are not advisable, and ruin your precious silver.

HOW TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY!

You will need:

- a good pair of cleaning gloves to protect your hands

- soft cloths like fine microfibers or even softer

- Protective eye wear, we do not want to get chemicals in our eyes after all

What you need to do:

Before using any cleaning product, it is advisable to wash your silver in warm water with dish soap to remove any residue or dirt. Never leave your silver soaking in water too long though. Make sure you dry it all carefully and only with a soft cloth. Rough materials can leave very tiny scratch marks you want to avoid.

Your next step is applying the cleaning product. There are a number, of great products like WRIGHT’s Silver Polish or Weiman, both of which I personally use. This is not a SPONSORED article! As long, as your silver polish paste is gentle and does not scratch or remove silver of your item it is good.

Apply your cleaning product of choice and gently remove tarnish. When you have applied your product all over gently polish and then wash with warm soapy water and rinse well. This is when you see areas that may not have the wished result. All you really need to do is repeat the process until your precious silver heirloom sparkles again.

 

Don’t forget though to dry your silver with a soft, clean cloth and ensure it does not emerge in water overnight or for long periods of time. Keep it dry!

The trick is to store items that are not used often, the right way and AVOID tarnishing.

If you want to learn more about how to store the silver, you do not use daily stay tuned for my next article and follow along.

Your Antique Friend,

Claudia

XOXO

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