How to Clean Silver Jewelry
Silver Jewelry has been a part of almost every woman’s wardrobe for centuries. Silver is elegant, beautiful and much more affordable than almost all other types of jewelry; hence, it is an obvious choice. However, the one problem with silver jewelry (including sterling silver) is that it reacts with the moisture in the air, and becomes tarnished by creating a layer of rust or oxidation. But if you know how to clean silver jewelry, it will only take a few minutes to clean all your precious jewelry and make them ready to be worn again with all their beauty.
How to Clean (Sterling) Silver Jewelry with Everyday Items
There are a few traditional methods used to clean sterling silver jewelry that require nothing more than everyday items you already have in your home. One of the oldest methods used to clean silver is simply using toothpaste. You just rub a small amount of toothpaste on your silver jewelry and the baking soda and salt content of the toothpaste helps removing the oxidation and the rust, making your tarnished silver shiny as new.
Another method is to use salt and water with an aluminum foil. You can also use baking soda instead of salt as baking soda contains natural salt and will serve to the same purpose. So, let us see how this simple yet effective method works. This is a method used even by those who trade in wholesale silver jewelry.
How to Clean Silver Jewelry with Salt and Aluminum
What you are going to need:
- Hot water: you can use hot water from your tap or boil enough water to sink all the silver jewelry that needs to be clean like sterling silver rings or charms
- Any kind of glass or plastic dish you can use to dip the silver in water
- Enough aluminum foil to cover the base and the edges of the dish
- Baking soda or salt.
First, line the aluminum foil on your dish covering the base and the edges; place your silver jewelry on the aluminum foil, making sure that they all are in contact with the foil; sprinkle salt or baking soda on all the silver jewelry placed on the dish; get enough hot water from your tap (or boil it) and pour it on the dish. Now all you have to do is to wait for a few minutes. The salt (or baking soda), water and aluminum will make it so that all the oxidation (the rust) will be drawn and attached to the aluminum foil that acts as if it was a magnet. Once the oxidized particles are attracted to the foil, you can take your silver jewelry out and wipe them. In nine cases out of ten, this will completely clean your silver jewelry. However, if the silver is too oxidized and tarnished, doing it once may not solve the problem. But you don’t need to worry as all you will need to do is just repeating this simple process once or twice more to clean even the most tarnished silver jewelry. So, this is how to clean silver jewelry. And if you want to keep your silver untarnished for the future, just make sure that you place them in plastic bags to prevent moisture from tarnishing them again.