Do you have silver jewelry that has lost its shine? It is certainly possible to clean it. Here is how to clean silver and jewelry that contains it.
Caring for Silver Jewelry: Dos and Don’ts
| Best practices
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What to avoid doing |
- Always take care to store your jewelry in their original boxes, which will protect them from scratches, among other things.
- Have your jewelry professionally cleaned regularly.
- Clean your jewelry with lukewarm water and a soft cloth.
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- Never clean your jewelry with a hard-bristled toothbrush, as this can scratch it!
- Avoid using chemicals with stripping properties, which can alter the shine of the metal.
- Avoid sleeping with your jewelry on, and don't clean with it on. Household products accelerate the oxidation of the metal.
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15 Tips for Cleaning Your Silver Jewelry
1 - Baking soda
Clean your silver jewelry with baking soda, sprinkled on a soft-bristled toothbrush. Gently scrub your jewelry, then rinse it with clean water before wiping it with a soft cloth. Baking soda deoxidizes blackened silver jewelry without damaging it.
2 - White vinegar
Just like baking soda, white vinegar is useful for removing oxidation from silver jewelry. Here, use a glass filled with white vinegar in which you will soak your silver jewelry for two hours. Rinse them and wipe them with a soft cloth.
3 - Lemon
Lemon juice is ideal for removing black marks from silver jewelry. Here, it is advisable to rub the jewelry with a soft-bristled toothbrush, soaked in lemon juice. Then rinse with clean water, and dry with a chamois or a soft cloth. Baking soda, vinegar and lemon can be used together to clean silver.
4 - Toothpaste
Toothpaste is effective in removing black marks and stains from silver jewelry caused by oxidation because it is not too aggressive. Simply put some on a toothbrush and rub the jewelry with it. Rinse and wipe the jewelry with a dry cloth.
5 - Ash to clean silver
Cold ash will make your silver jewelry shine. Place some ash on a cotton pad previously soaked in vinegar before rubbing the metal. Finally, rinse the jewelry and wipe it with a soft cloth.
6 - Salt water on silver jewelry
Salt is ideal for removing oxidation from jewelry. To benefit from its effects, soak the jewelry in a container of salt water for about twenty seconds. Then place the jewelry on a sheet of aluminum foil, which will hold the oxidation. Finally, simply wipe your jewelry with a soft cloth.
7 - Aluminum foil
As explained in the previous tip, aluminum foil is able to retain the oxidation of jewelry when combined with salt. Here, you have to wrap the jewelry in aluminum foil, in which you also place a pinch of coarse salt. Close the paper, then place it in a pan of hot water that you boil for about ten minutes. Let it cool, remove the jewelry from the paper then rinse and dry it.
8 - Clean silver with beer
Beer is very effective in removing oxidation from silver jewelry. Here, fill a small container with beer and soak your jewelry overnight. The next day, rinse your jewelry with warm water and dry it with a chamois leather.
9 - Sodas
Sodas will allow you to remove oxidation from silver, but also to make it shine. The trick is to soak your silver jewelry overnight in a container containing soda. Then, rinse them the next day and wipe them gently.
10 - Breadcrumbs
Using bread crumbs on silver jewelry will make it shine, but it won't remove oxidation stains. The trick is simple: just rub bread crumbs on your jewelry to make it shine.
11 - Powdered milk
Mix half a cup of instant milk powder with a tablespoon of lemon juice and one and a half cups of water. Soak your jewelry in the mixture overnight, then rinse it in the morning with cold water. Then wipe it with a cloth.
12 - Meudon white
Meudon white is perfect for making jewelry shine perfectly. Mix water with two tablespoons of Meudon white to form a paste. Then, use this paste and a cotton pad to rub the silver and make it shine.
13 - The potato
Use the filtered potato cooking water to soak your silver jewelry overnight. The potato cooking water will then allow your silver jewelry to regain its shine.
14 - Ketchup to clean silver
A ketchup and vinegar solution is a good way to polish silver. Ketchup increases the acidity of the cleaning solution, making it more effective. So, mix half a cup of white vinegar with half a cup of ketchup. Soak your jewelry in the mixture for five to ten minutes and then remove it. Using a toothbrush soaked in the mixture, scrub the jewelry until all the oxidation is gone. Finally, use warm water to rinse and a cloth to dry the silver.
15 - Pickle vinegar
Pickle vinegar is very effective for cleaning silverware and jewelry. It attacks oxidation as well as dirt. Very powerful, this product is only combined with distilled water. Vinegar is added to water and salt, not the other way around. In a large pot not intended for food preparation, add a cup of distilled water, a teaspoon of sea salt and then a half cup of white vinegar. Protect your face from possible splashes and heat the pot until almost boiling. Then add your silver jewelry and soak it in this mixture until it is clean. Rinse and dry it.
