This silver jewelry cleaner is so simple to make and works on the toughest tarnish. I have found the best silver cleaning secret ever!
I have a small round sterling silver jewelry box means to world to me. It was the last present my Mom gave me before she passed away. I keep it on my dresser and use it to hold by wedding rings and other earrings I wear daily. The top of the box is engraved with an inspiring quote. I am not sure who spoke these words but they struck a cord with my Mom and I love looking at this every day.
Unfortunately, like anything sterling silver, the box becomes tarnished over time. I have tried everything to keep this beautiful box clean – from polish cleaners to special sterling silver cleaning cloths. I tested a few techniques I found online and most of then fell flat. All except this one!
Nothing, I mean NOTHING, works like this sterling silver jewelry cleaner secret I found over at My Clean Space. She has found the magic silver cleaning combination and my jewelry box has never looked better.
This is what I started with… I know…it’s bad.
Now to the magic silver cleaning combination. The things you need for this silver jewelry cleaner are simple and you probably have them in your kitchen this very second.
Here’s What You’ll Need for Silver Jewelry Cleaner:
1 cup of boiling water
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up
Bowl – I used a smaller Pyrex bowl but you could you a larger bowl or bucket if needed
Microfiber cloth
Directions:
Remember this is for silver only!
Start by boiling the water. I just put mine in the microwave but you could certainly use a tea kettle. While the water is simmering, line your bowl with the tinfoil, shiny side facing up. Next, add the salt and baking soda to bowl. Slowly add the vinegar (because of the fizz) and mix everything together. Stir until the salt and baking soda are completely dissolved.
Next, add the boiling water to your bowl and gently lower your pieces of silver into the bowl. Now just let it sit and watch the magic happen. You can turn your silver pieces over using tongs to ensure that both sides are exposed to the tinfoil. The soaking time will vary depending on how badly your silver pieces are tarnished.
This silvery jewelry cleaner worked lightening fast. It literally took less than 30 seconds for the top of my jewelry box to look like this…
Remove each piece carefully from the bowl. Your pieces will be hot so use caution. Using your microfiber or polishing cloth, gently buff your silver pieces. If the tarnish wasn’t removed at soaking, this gentle buffing will remove any remaining tarnish and restore that shine!
Please note, I DID NOT test this silver jewelry cleaner on any silver that contained gems or stones. I would proceed with at your own risk and do some testing first.
I think the result are amazing…
This was such an fast, easy and inexpensive way to clean my silver and is the only way to go. Enjoy the tip and happy cleaning!
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Would this work as well on old, tarnished silverware?
Thanks for asking Nancy! I have only used this method on my sterling silver jewelry and jewelry box. I can’t speak to how it works on silverware. I would test an area first. Now it’s important to use caution when cleaning old silverware that has patina on it. Patina is different from tarnish and is actually very desirable on antique flatware. Here is a link that describes the difference: http://silvercollect.org/how-to-articles/is-it-patina-or-tarnish . Sometimes when you are trying to preserve a characteristic such as patina, the old fashioned elbow grease method of cleaning is best. Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve done this but WITHOUT the salt and vinegar, and got great results……what does the salt & vinegar do that the formula without these two ingredients would not:? just wonderin’..!!
Great question Ben. Now I am no expert but from what I understand, the salt component along with the foil helps in the process of reversing the tarnish. This might help… “Tarnish happens when the surface of silver combines with sulfur and turns into silver sulfide, which is black. When silver sulfide reacts with aluminum in a salt solution, the chemical reaction between the substances turns the silver sulfide back to silver.” You can read more here…hope this helps answer your question! http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Your-Silver-Jewelry You’ve peaked my curiosity…I am definitely going to try your version without the salt and vinegar and see how it goes. Thanks Ben.
Do you need to change out the foil if you are doing several batches?
It all depends on how many pieces you are cleaning. You’ll know it’s time to replace the foil with a fresh piece when the cleaning process isn’t as effective. HOpe this helps! Thanks for checking out ezebreezy.com!