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| How to Clean Silver – How to Clean Easy |
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| Proven Techniques for Cleaning Silver Items |
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| Knowing how to makes all the difference in the world |
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| Silver properly cleaned and maintained should provide generations of use and enjoyment. Whether you are wishing to clean jewelry, collectibles or silver culinary utensils, there are a variety of ways to go about it. It all depends on who you talk to, how valuable the pieces are to you, the degree of tarnish to be removed and how much you deem reasonable as an expense to perform the task.
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| But before we delve into how to clean silver, an understanding of how silver is tarnished in the first place is beneficial. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as the old saying goes. This statement holds true for protecting the finish of silver items negating the need for frequent silver cleaning chores.
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| The most common misunderstanding consumers have about how silver is tarnished, is that it is caused by exposure to air. This leads to the practice of stowing silver pieces away in cupboards and boxes to be brought out for special occasions. The truth of the matter is that the more you use your silver, the less it will need to be cleaned to remove tarnish. Frequent use will establish a consistent silver-cleaning program that prevents tarnish from getting started in the first place.
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| The real culprit in tarnishing silver is exposure to sulphur. Trace amounts of sulphur can be found everywhere, including the air around us. This is particularly true in winter months because sulphur is a natural by-product of heating and cooking fuels. Sulphur is also found in many food items, peas in particular and may also be found in saps and acids of flowers as well as the salty oils of well-meaning hands. Other common sources of tarnish are wool, eggs, mayonnaise, onions, rubber bands and latex gloves to name a few. Humidity accelerates tarnishing as well. By taking prudent measures when handling, using and cleaning your silver articles, you can greatly reduce the build-up of tarnish.
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| There are many options open to consumers for the cleaning of their silver pieces. If you own high value or priceless sentimental pieces, it would be advisable to seek the services of a specialist in conserving silver. They have the skill, know-how and equipment to perform all levels of restoration.
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| But, if you are like most of us, you may have a silver service that needs attention or the odd piece here and there and will want to service them at home. Following you will find a few methods you can use at home to clean your silver yourself.
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| Use Your Silver Regularly:
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| This may be the easiest and most effective way to combat tarnish on silver. Pieces that are used and washed frequently will reduce the opportunity for tarnish to form. Some pieces, such as fork tines, will still tarnish in spite of your best efforts because they are in constant contact with food or some other source of sulphur.
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| Clean your silver promptly after each use and dry thoroughly.
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| When cleaning silver items after use, do each one individually by hand. This reduces the chances for scratching the surfaces, requiring professional repairs. Never clean silver in a dishwasher! There are several reasons for this:
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- A film from the detergent will build up causing the finish to dull.
- If some of the pieces are hollow, such as knife handles, the extreme heat of a dishwasher may cause them to burst due to pressure built up inside the hollowed out part.
- Dishwasher detergents are often too abrasive for cleaning silver and will cause damage to the finish requiring professional restoration.
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| Washing Silver Pieces:
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| Immediately after each use, clean your silver piece with hot, soapy water, making sure to dry it thoroughly. This will remove the agents present that initiate tarnish to begin with. This should be done not only with food service pieces but with decorative items as well. Remove all dirt, dust and grease that have built up on the surfaces of the piece.
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| Note: If the item to be cleaned has porous components like ivory insulators or wooded handles, soaking them is not advised. Instead use a mild detergent like hand sanitizer to clean the silver before tarnish removal and polishing.
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| Remove the Tarnish:
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| This can be accomplished by administering a tarnish removal agent: such as Tarn-X.
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| Apply the product to the surfaces of the pieces with a soft cloth and allow the chemical to do its magic. Avoid rubbing as this may cause damage and is not required for the product to work anyway. If the tarnish is heavy on the piece of silver you are cleaning, you may need to repeat this process several times. Don’t be alarmed by a chemical odor, as this is just the sulphur breaking down and coming free. Tarnish may also be removed by polishing but keep in mind that all polishes also remove some silver. This effectively shortens the life span of the piece over time.
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| When the tarnish has been removed to your satisfaction, rinse the piece in cold water. Using hot water may cause streaks to form. Again, dry the piece thoroughly when through rinsing.
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| Polish:
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| Carefully polish the piece with a silver glaze product. Be careful not to use a combination tarnish remover/polishing compound, as it may require excessive buffing and be too abrasive; damaging the piece of silver.
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| An Alternate Method:
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| Electrochemical reduction is a method of cleaning silver using a washing soda mixture and an aluminum plate. It is capable of removing light tarnishes only.
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| When silver is submerged in the washing soda solution, resting on an aluminum plate, tarnish is broken down and removed from the piece by an electrochemical action. There are several drawbacks to this process you may wish to consider.
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- Items are more easily scratched on the plate than by hand washing.
- Pieces cleaned this way typically tarnish quicker than ones cleaned by polishing.
- Fluid can seep into porous areas of the piece causing additional damage.
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| Although decidedly easier than washing, tarnish removal and polishing, this method is not recommended by silver cleaning specialists for the reasons cited above.
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| Thank you to Mike for this “How to Clean Silver’ article. |
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