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This guide is purely for cleaning silver with no doodahs, no thingymajiggs and no twizzily bits. Just silver. If you clean your doohdahs, thingymajiggs and twizzily bits using this guide, they are likely to be damaged, and you never want a damaged doodah. Oh, and by doodahs, thingymajiggs, and twizzily bits, we mean stones, beads, glass and crystals - but you knew that.
Polishing and cleaning silver is a difficult task, and doing it wrong can be very damaging to your jewellery. If you have any doubts on the quality of your silver, whether it is rhodium plated or silver plated, or whether the stones can be dipped in polish, then I suggest that you don't clean them youself, and instead have a professional clean them. Otherwise, your necklace can become damaged, and the stones can lose their settings. It's unwise to clean a silver necklace with stones in them as the glue used to hold them in their setting can melt, leading to the demise of your jewellery.
There are many ways to clean silver, ranging from specialised silver polish and cloths, to cleaning them with a few household objects. I shall note them both down here, so if you can't be bothered to find any silver polish, scroll down to clean with baking soda and aluminium foil!
The Way with the Polish
To wash silver, you need a few things:
- a silver polishing cloth
- and silver polishing dip
- and sometimes a toothbrush
There are many types of silver, so there are equally just as many ways of cleaning them. So if you know what you've got, then get down to it!
Just Plain Ol' Silver - no plating, no stones, no nothing.
It's simple to clean plain silver necklaces, really, and all you need out of the three items listed above is... well, all of them for this. If the silver is particularly tarnished, then you'll need the dip to polish it up well, and the toothbrush can be used to scrub away the plaque! Be careful with the toothbrush though, because it can remove oxidisation - the black bits on your silver. If oxidised silver is your cup of tea, then I wouldn't scrub them.
Again, another warning - don't use this method if you have stones attached to your silver, as it can damage the setting and ruin your jewellery.
So, simply dip the silver into the polish, which can be found in many jewellers, swish-swash it around a little to make sure that it gets in every nook and cranny, and rinse it thoroughly! Make sure that this step is completed, because if left on there, the polish can prove to be corrosive, and it's bye-bye silver!
If the silver is still tarnished in places, then dip it back in and take a soft-bristled tooth brush to it, and gently work around the affected place. As I've said, this can be damaging to oxidised silver, so it's best not to use it there. Rinse it thoroughly again, and you're done!
Give it a quick wipe with a silver polishing cloth (which are sold here on the website!), and you'll have a sparkling piece of silver, as good as new!
So You Say Your Silver's Got Rhodium Plating, eh?
Not a problem! Rhodium plating doesn't ever really tarnish, but it does sometimes aquire a nasty film of dust and other gunk, so it's always worth just giving it a polish with the silver polishing cloth, and you can wash it in warm, soapy water if it's bad. Just make sure to dry it completely before you wipe away the dirt and grime. If it is very bad, then there's nothing to stop you using the silver dip polish just to give it that extra shine.
The Way of the Bicarbinate (or Baking) Soda
This is pretty simple, and in some ways a lot cheaper. If you really care for your silver, however (especially if it's an old family heirloom), then it's probably safer for you to clean with proper silver polish and coated polishing cloth - or, better yet, have a professional clean them for you. That way you're assured of a high standard of cleaning, and if they mess it up, you can always sue them!
Step One - cover the bottom of a glass heat proof dish and place a piece of aluminium foil, shiny side up, inside it. Gently place your silver in the dish.
Step Two - add a heaped tablespoon of bicarbinate of soda (or baking soda, but for goodness sake, do not use baking powder!), and slowly pour boiling water over it until it covers the piece. The tarnish should gradually collect on the foil, leaving the sterling silver sparkling!
Step Three - take the sterling silver out and rinse it thoroughly, then give it a nice polish with a coated silver polishing cloth, which, as I've said, can be found on our website.
And you're done! Hopefully you're now left with sparkling silver jewellery!
Just remember to keep your jewellery properly, to reduce it's chances of tarnishing. And always remember that if you are unsure about whether the silver is plated or not, or whether you can wash the stones in the silver polish or not, do not do it! Seek out the help of a professional jewellery cleaner!
DISCLAIMER: Here at Dragonflies, we do recommend that you should give all precious metals to a professional jeweller to clean, and this guide should only be used if you are certain that the silver is sterling silver. If you are unsure, you should not use this guide. If your jewellery is not simply a silver chain, but has pendants, stones, glass beads, pearls, opals, amber, and other soft or hard precious gems, stones and metals, than it is again recommended that you do not use this guide. This warning has also been given in the guide itself. We do not accept any responsibilty for damaged jewellery as we have explained the dangers of not using the guide correctly, or by using it with silver that is not plated, or with a piece of jewellery that has stones, metals or gems.
