How To Clean Tarnished Silver

Silver is a precious metal, and its glimmer is what makes it unique among other metals. Silver is also a pretty delicate metal when compared to metals such as gold, platinum, etc .Silver can quickly develop scratches or stains over a period of time thereby destroying its look completely. Silver starts developing a dark black coating, as a result of chemical reactions between silver and the environment. It is indeed frustrating to see silver jewelry and utensils going bad this way. Like any other metal, silverware and jewelry also needs to be cleaned regularly in order to maintain its luster. Most people who have tarnished silverware or jewelry at home tend to keep them locked up and forgotten for a long time. However, tarnished silver can be very easily cleaned at home and you will be surprised to know that it actually does not take that long and can be cleaned using basic materials you have at home. To learn how to clean tarnished silver at home, read the section that follows.

Tips On Cleaning Tarnished Silver

First, wash your silverware or pieces of silver jewelry with soap water to remove dust and oil from the surface of the metal.
Once done with washing, streak a pan with aluminum foil and add enough water into the pan. Use a large pot that will hold enough water to entirely submerge the piece.
Now, put one or two tablespoons of baking soda in the pan and wait till it dissolves completely. Once done, switch on the burner underneath the pan and let the water come to a boil.
As soon as the water starts to boil, you can remove the pan from the heat and submerge the silverware or piece of silver jewelry into it. Make sure that the white metal is in direct contact with the aluminum foil. The whole process can take several minutes, but it shouldn’t be long before you start to see tiny yellow or black flakes in the water. Here, the baking soda and water separates the sulfur from the silver and transfers it to the aluminum foil. The aluminum foil sucks the sulfur from the metal thus rendering the silver clean and sparkling once again.
Once done with the above mentioned process, you will have to properly wash the silverware or jewelry piece in clean water to remove any traces of baking soda. Once done with the washing, dry it with a soft and clean cloth. You will find that you can take off more blotches by rubbing the remaining dark spots with the cloth.
If your silverware or jewelry is severely tarnished, you can follow the same method or process several times till all the dirt and grime go away. If even after this your silverware remains tarnished, you can go ahead and buy a natural silver tarnish cleaner from a store.
Remember never to spill dry detergents on silver flatware as it may cause dark spots to form. In addition, washing both silverware and stainless steel flatware in the same dish washer may cause permanent damages such as scratches, because both the metals will be in constant contact with each other in the cleaning process.

Try these trouble-free tips to keep your silverware and jewelry tarnish free and sparkling always.

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