Cleaning Sterling Silver

By Jirasak Phuriphanvichai


Silver is a beautiful and lovely metal, and its soft texture adds to its beauty, weather it is a utensil, or jewelry. However silver is more fragile compared to other commonly used metals. It gets scratched, tarnishes and stains quickly. It is not possible for us to go to a silver smith regularly to get our silverware cleaned. So here are some Tips we can follow to avoid Stains and to clean the silver items.
Enemy of Silver:
Tarnish is silver's enemy. Silver tarnishes when it's exposed to air and certain chemicals. Outside of regular cleaning, you can keep silver tarnish free by following these general rules of thumb:
NEVER let silver come in contact with rubber. This includes dish mats, placemats, silver wear holders, and rubber bands. Rubber contains sulfur, which will cause your silver to corrode.
Do not allow stainless steel flatware to come in contact with fine silver or silver plated flatware. When the two metals touch, silver becomes damaged and stained. Avoid cleaning or washing different metals together in same place.
Avoid leaving fine silver with food for long time. Avoid Leaving flatware with serving dishes containing mustard or eggs. The sulfur in these foods will corrode silver.
USING silver prevents tarnish. The more you use and handle your silver flatware, the less chance there'll be for tarnish to buildup. So, don't hide your good silver away for safe keeping!
Silver Cleaning Solution of your own:
When silver oxidizes, it tarnishes. Tarnish dips work to repair and remove tarnish from quality silver. Most commercial dips are used when heavy, dark colored tarnish cannot be removed with traditional pastes or polishes. Chemical dips are wiped on silver with cotton balls and specialized applicators, and then submerged in a chemical makeup of acid and a complexing agent. You can make your own chemical dip by following these instructions: 1. a sink full of hot steaming water.
2. Mixture of 2 table spoon salt and 2 table spoon of baking soda.
3. Adding the mixture to the hot water in the sink.
4. Dip the silver items. Most tarnish will dissolve. leave them to stay for up to 10 minutes to get rid of stubborn stains.
5. Rinse well.
6. Dry.
7. Store your silver correctly. Other than frequent cleaning, the best way to preserve your silver is to store it correctly. Make sure all pieces are completely dry before storing it. For silverware, wrap each piece in tissue paper or anti-tarnish paper. You can also wrap pieces in flannel (special flannels are made just for this purpose). Seal the wrapped silver pieces in an airtight plastic bag. Whether you put away your silver in a bag or you put it in a display case, a canister of silica gel placed nearby can help reduce humidity and ward off tarnish. Never store silver where it can contact rubber, stainless steel, or paint.
For more information about Cleaning Silver, please visit Cleaning Silver
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