If you own an entire collection of silver, or even just a few choice pieces, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s gotten a bit tarnished at one point or another. That tinned look and uninvited coating definitely has no place on a piece meant to be a shining moment on the table. No need to worry… instead of looking at your silverware situation as a setback, take it as an opportunity to get schooled on how to clean silver, including a shortcut that does some of the work for you, plus some steps you can take to make sure excessive tarnish never happens again.
How Tarnish Happens
You may have heard that silver becomes tarnished because of oxygen exposure, which is not the whole story. What IS true is that tarnish largely occurs because of hydrogen sulfide in the air. There was a time when removing that tarnish was taxing, but luckily times have changed for the better. The tarnish removal process is much easier than what you might imagine, and you probably already have everything you need in your home to get started.
Let The Cleaning Begin!
Before we dig into how to shine up that silver, let’s first debunk some techniques for cleaning silver that won’t get you any closer to getting the job done.
- Put away the ketchup (yes, that was once a recommendation).
- Don’t use your regular dish detergent (it won’t work).
- Save the toothpaste for your teeth (the abrasive nature can damage silver).
- Keep your silver out of the oven (baking your silver won’t do anything but make it hot).
- Don’t soak it in an aluminum pan with hot water and baking soda (it’ll give your silver the appearance of aluminum—Yikes!)
Instead, use this handy guide for how to clean silver and your pieces will be mirror-like in no time.
Polish Your Silver Posh
Whether your silver is an heirloom or not, it’s a precious material that you don’t want to take chances with. To ensure we located the most accurate way to clean silver, we went right to the source for all things silver, Jill Waddell, who is the Head of the Silver department at Christie’s Auctions. When it comes to sprucing up your vintage silver, Jill recommends one product and one product only: Hagerty’s Silver Foam.
Among the first things you might notice when opening a tub of Hagerty’s is that it’s not actually a foam, but a polish. Don’t be alarmed! The foaming part comes into play once you start working up a lather.
To begin, scoop up some of the polish with a soft sponge or the foam pad included in your tub. Get it sudsy and then work it into your silver. So you don’t work up a sweat, let the polish sit for a few minutes, first. Take special care to apply a thicker layer of polish to areas with more tarnish. After letting things steep for a few minutes, it’s time to get scrubbing. Worth noting is that some silver pieces will need virtually no scrubbing, while others might require serious elbow grease. Use circular motions to cut through the discoloration quicker. Once you have your silver shining again, rinse your piece in lukewarm water to wash off any excess cleaner. Dry your pieces with a soft cloth, and voila, you have sparkling silver in the house!
Maintaining the Look
Once you have your silver shining, the last thing you want is tarnish creeping in again. To keep tarnish at bay, it’s worth taking note of the actions which can cause tarnish. In most cases, tarnish typically comes down to storage. Read on for some simple dos and don’ts for keeping that silver shining like new
- Don’t store silver near vents and windows. Air flow will actually make your silver tarnish faster. To protect it, seek out storage bags and boxes that are specially made for storing silver. These flannel lined bags help to absorb moisture and you’ll find that most are treated with chemicals to prevent tarnishing. You’ll also need to make sure your storage space is free from humidity and high heat conditions.
- Don’t wrap it in plastic. It can be tempting to wrap your newly shined silver in plastic wrap to prevent smudges, but plastic actually breaks down over time and erodes and stains at the points where it touches silver.
- Don’t wash your silver in the dishwasher. Hand-washing is the only way to go, as dishwasher detergents will corrode your silver and only make the polishing job harder.
- Do try to avoid using your silver with acidic foods like citrus juices and vinegar, as well as those foods containing sulfur, such as mustard, onions, garlic, and eggs.
- Do place a little something inside your silver storage bag or box to help absorb moisture. A piece of chalk will do the trick, as will those “do not eat” packets that you’ll find in shoe boxes and vitamin bottles.
- Don’t be afraid to use your silver. You have it, so enjoy it often! Believe it or not, the oils in our skin actually help reduce tarnish. So if the notion strikes, break that silver out!
The Tarnish Takeaway
There doesn’t have to be a special event or a holiday to put silverware to good use, so make it readily available year-round (especially since you’re now an expert in how to clean silver!). You still may need to take the above steps now and then, but if you’re eventually going to clean and polish your silver anyway, you might as well enjoy it between those random maintenance sessions.
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Written by Diane Trim. Lead Photo by Emily Scott @EmtheGem
