When a piece of jewellery starts to look dull, it’s time for a clean. The good news is it’s actually quite easy to get rid of tarnish with items you likely have in your kitchen. While it is always a good idea to keep your jewellery in anti-tarnish bags between wearings, regularly cleaning your silver will help to prevent tarnishing and maintain that shiny sheen.
To remove tarnish from your jewellery, simply wash the piece in warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly. This is a great method to use for pieces that are only lightly tarnished, but will also work well on silver-plated jewellery.
If you want a more thorough clean, try using a solution of equal parts baking soda and vinegar to create a paste. Apply this to the tarnished piece and rub gently with a soft, lint free cloth until it is completely removed. This can be particularly effective on rings that may have gemstones or pearls in them, as the gentle rubbing action won’t damage the delicate stones.
If you have a more severe case of tarnish, hydrogen peroxide or Windex can also be useful in cleaning your silver. For the latter, simply add half a cup of hydrogen peroxide or Windex to a bowl and leave your jewellery in for about 20 minutes. After the jewellery has soaked, rinse with hot water and dry it with a lint-free cloth. Be sure to check that your jewellery is sterling silver before submerging it in water, as this will dissolve the silver plating and expose the base metal underneath. It is possible to tell if your jewellery is sterling silver by looking for a marking that says 925/1000, Sterling or S/S. Alternatively, you can test for silver-plate by using a magnet – pure silver is not magnetic, whereas silver-plated jewellery will stick to the magnet. how to clean silver jewellery
