How to Take Care of Silver ?

by Amna Bouzid

First, you can avoid tarnishing your silver jewelry by wearing it often. The oils from your skin help clean silver and maintain its shine.

But you should also avoid letting your jewelry come into contact with chemical cleaning products, chlorinated water, cosmetic lotions, hairspray, and perfume. All of these can increase the incidence of tarnishing.

Exposure to the air can also tarnish your silver, so it’s best to store your jewelry in airtight plastic bags sealed with anti-tarnish tape. But don’t store more than one piece in the same bag as they can scratch each other. You can also place a piece of chalk or activated charcoal or a container of silica gel in the storage area to reduce humidity and minimize the tarnishing.

And if your silver has already tarnished or blackened in areas, here are some tips for cleaning it:

  • Sodium Bicarbonate: Using an old toothbrush (with relatively soft bristles) dipped in a solution consisting of a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, gently brush the affected part of the jewelry.
  • Cold Ash: Cold ashes is a great product for cleaning silver.
  • Lemon: Dip a soft toothbrush in lemon juice and rub the surface of your silver product.
  • Toothpaste: Clean your silver jewelry with a rag or a toothbrush dipped in toothpaste.
  • Olive Oil and Lemon Juice: Mix a half cup of lemon juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl large enough to hold the cleaning solution and a microfiber rag. Soak the rag in the solution and wring it out so that it stop dripping, then polish the silver, and rinse and dry the piece.
  • Spirit Vinegar and Sodium Bicarbonate: Use this cleaning solution to remove tarnishing so heavy that you can’t polish your silver. Soak your tarnished silver piece in a solution of a half cup of spirit vinegar and two tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate for two to three hours, then rinse and dry the piece.

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