6 Toothpaste This is a classic, easy DIY silver cleaning recipe. Use non-gel and non-abrasive toothpaste. Squeeze a small amount of it on a soft cloth or paper handkerchief. Rub onto the jewellery or silverware with circular motions to polish it and clean off the tarnish.
Clean Silver with Toothpaste
Yep, the same thing you use to polish your pearly whites can polish your silver!
Aluminum foil is a safe and effective method for cleaning silver when paired with baking soda. This helps remove the sulfuric compounds that form tarnish. However, never rub or wipe silver items with aluminum foil, which can scratch the surface.
Choose a plain, solid-colored toothpaste with no baking soda, tartar control, or whitening agents. These "extras" are too abrasive and can scratch your jewelry. At the same time, however, you'll want to avoid using gel toothpaste because it isn't abrasive enough to remove tarnish. Dampen the silver with some water.
Colgate toothpaste powder:
This is one of the best methods to clean your silver jewellery at home, simply rinse the piece of jewellery you wish to clean with water and sprinkle some colgate powder on it. Continue to scrub the jewellery gently. Once done just rinse and wipe the residue off with a cloth.
"In general, a few drops of good old Dawn dish soap in warm, not hot, water will do the trick to keep most gold and silver jewelry clean. Let your pieces soak for about five minutes in the solution and rinse in lukewarm water. Then place them on an untreated microfiber cloth to buff dry," says Levitt.
Use non-gel and non-abrasive toothpaste.
Leave it for 5 minutes and then rinse off the toothpaste with water. After this procedure the silver is clean and shiny as new.
Another great way to clean your sterling silver jewelry is with Windex. Yes… Windex. You can either spray the Windex directly on the item to be cleaned or on a soft-bristled toothbrush or soft cloth.
Mix two parts baking soda with one part water to make a paste, then gently rub the mixture onto the jewelry. Let the paste dry completely to remove the tarnish.
For silver that is heavily tarnished, mix a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Wet the silver and apply the cleaner with a soft, lint-free cloth (not paper towels). Work the paste into the crevices, turning the cloth as it gets gray. Rinse and buff dry.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
For silverware, jewelry, and other small silver items, soak them in a glass bowl with a half-cup of distilled white vinegar and two tablespoons of baking soda. Let the silver soak for three hours, rinse the items, and dry and polish them with a microfiber cloth.
Apple Cider vinegar is even great to use for polishing silver, bronze and copper. For sanitizing and reusing jars, so that they don't end up in a landfill, disinfect with a 1 to 1 ratio of vinegar and warm soapy water and scrub well.
If you need clean silver now, pour lemon juice over the tarnished pieces. Polish with a soft, clean cotton cloth. The acid begins cleaning as soon as it hits the silver's surface. Rubbing it around only strengthens its cleaning power.
Toothpaste contains hydrated silica which is an abrasive and surface stain remover. Here's a silver ring that my friend made. It's very tarnished... Squeeze out a little bit of toothpaste.
Colgate, #1 Dentist Recommended Brand1
Its unique dual-action formula contains the same whitening ingredient that dentists use to remove deep-set stains and dark surface stains for up to three shades whiter teeth**. It's your secret weapon to a winning smile.
Silver nanoparticles are proven to have antibacterial properties, reducing the risk of gum disease and bad breath caused by bacteria in the mouth. Its distribution in toothpaste remains largely limited to manufacturers based in Asia, though such products can be purchased online.
Silver becomes black because of hydrogen sulfide (sulfur), a substance that occurs in the air. When silver comes into contact with it, a chemical reaction takes place and a black layer is formed. Silver oxidizes faster in places with a lot of light and high humidity.
Apply a dollop of toothpaste to your piece of silver. I used about as much as I would on my teeth, however, if you are working on a larger piece you might need to use more. Add just a bit of water to your brush and go to town!
Surprisingly, hand sanitizer works perfectly as a silver polisher. Unlike the soaking methods, you will need to do the scrubbing (or rubbing in this case). Grab a small clean cloth and squirt in a few drops of hand sanitizer and polish your silver clean.
Simply pour the coke into a bowl and submerge your silver into it. The acid in the coke will quickly remove the tarnish. Keep an eye on it – just a few minutes should be enough. Rinse with warm water and dry carefully with a soft cloth.
You can easily clean silver with aluminum foil, baking soda and hot water. This method uses electrolytic action instead of chemical-polish abrasion and removes the tarnish from oxidized silver without removing any of the underlying metal. This is great for heavily tarnished silver.
If you leave it in over the recommended amount of time, it won't harm your jewelry, however if a chemical reaction does occur that discolors your jewelry, use a polishing cloth to remove the color and restore the original color.