Toothpaste contains abrasive particles that can polish off tarnish. These same particles can scratch silver up as well. In particular, you should avoid using toothpaste on sterling silver, highly-polished silver, or anything that is silver-plated. These items are very soft and can be easily damaged by the toothpaste.
It is a common myth that toothpaste is a good way to clean your jewellery. This is actually false. Toothpaste can damage your diamonds, gemstones, gold and silver.
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. Leave it for 5 minutes and then rinse off the toothpaste with water.
Toothpaste should NEVER be used as a silver polish. Some toothpastes contain baking soda or other ingredients which are much too abrasive; even trace amounts can cause serious damage. Use polishes that are specifically formulated to remove tarnish from silver.
Toothpaste is one of the easy DIY silver cleaning methods. Just take a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on a dish and rub onto the jewellery or silverware with circular motions to polish it and clean off the tarnish. Leave it for 5 minutes and then rinse off the toothpaste with water.
Clean Silver with Ammonia
Consider your flatware or other silver pieces restored when you use ammonia to brighten its luster. Simply combine 1 cup of warm water and 1/2 cup of clear ammonia in a bowl to soak your silver for 10 minutes. Once you remove the silver from the homemade solution, gently dry it clean.
In a small bowl, stir a couple drops of mild dish soap into warm water to create suds. Let your silver jewelry sit in the solution for about five minutes. Use a soft toothbrush to gentle scrub away tarnish from any crevices in the jewelry. Rinse each piece in a bowl of clean, warm water.
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.
CLEANING SILVER JEWELRY WITH OLIVE OIL+LEMON JUICE:
This can help restore the natural shine and luster of your silver pieces. Secondly, lemon juice contains natural acids, such as citric acid, which have mild cleaning properties. These acids can help break down and remove tarnish, a common issue with silver jewelry.
"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.
Final Verdict. Our top pick is Goddard's Silver Polish Foam for its overall cleaning power that works on a variety of silver items. We also like that it's a long-lasting product that removes tarnish and leaves silver sparkling.
Cleaning silver with a combination of aluminum foil, baking soda, and salt typically does the trick for both small and large silver pieces.
Avoid contact with sulphur-heavy items and foods. Rubber gloves and bands, wool and elastic items contain higher levels of sulphur and tarnish sterling silver faster. In addition, eggs, salad dressings and onions also speed up the tarnishing process.
Herman says you can remove light tarnish using one "handy" household item: hand sanitizer! This everyday product is a good first mode of attack before resorting to silver polish. "Hand sanitizer will remove some minor polish and grime, though it will leave a little residue," he says.
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.
Silver is a common metal used in jewelry or dinnerware. If you don't have any chemical cleaner, you can use Coca-Cola, or Coke, as a simple cleaning substitute for sterling or plated silver. The acid in Coke works to cut through any grime or rust on the silver's surface.
925 silver, often referred to as sterling silver, is, in fact, real silver though it is an alloy rather than pure silver. 925 silver means your item is 92.5% silver and 7.5% another metal, such as copper. This means that your 925 silver is valuable and can be sold.
While 925 silver can touch water, we promise fast contact with hot water once or twice won't significantly harm the sparkle of your items; however, too much or prolonged exposure (like in a steamy shower) can eventually cause your silver pieces to appear dull and lifeless over time.