How to Clean Your Silver Jewelry

Did you know that people love to wear jewelry as a way to express their personality? If you want to learn about jewelry cleaning to maintain your favorite fashion pieces, we can help.

In this guide, we’ll go over how to clean silver jewelry. You can keep your favorite silver jewelry in top shape.

Want to learn more? Keep reading.

DIY Cleaning Solutions for Silver Jewelry

Silver is a lustrous and soft metal. You’ll want to clean silver pieces gently.

Use baby shampoo with warm water, or you could also use mild dish soap. Clean your pieces daily with this mild cleaning solution.

First, you’ll want a bowl of warm water. Squeeze a few drops of shampoo or dish soap and mix until you see bubbles. Let the jewelry sit in the solution for 10 minutes.

You can use a soft toothbrush afterward to clean tiny cracks or crevices. Next, you’ll want to rinse your silver jewelry with warm water.

Dry your silver pieces with a microfiber cloth or a silver cloth. Don’t use paper towels. Paper towels could end up scratching the silver.

Fine silver jewelry with precious gems or diamonds could get cleaned with water and soap. You should check with a jeweler before washing any of your super valuable pieces.

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Want Tarnish-Free Jewelry?

You can prevent tarnish from appearing on your silver jewelry. You can’t protect silver from moisture, heat, or air completely, but you can limit the exposure.

Silver jewelry should get stored in anti-tarnish bags in a dark and cool place. Make sure the space isn’t humid.

Some people will also add silica gel, chalk, or a packet of charcoal to the bag. This will help remove moisture.

That’s why you shouldn’t leave jewelry in your bathroom. Remove silver pieces, earrings, and rings before you do dishes, go swimming, or shower.

Put your jewelry on after your lotions or perfumes sink into your skin. Wear your silver jewelry during the day and prevent tarnish.

What About Silver Chains?

Silver chains will end up tarnishing faster if they come into contact with sweat or lotions. Delicate bracelets or necklaces will need special cleaning care.

Tarnish on silver tends to be silver sulfide. Silver sulfide gets created when sulfur atoms combine with the silver.

First, you’ll need to line a pan with aluminum foil. Fill the pan with boiling water. Then, you’ll add two teaspoons of kosher salt and a quarter cup of baking soda.

Stir the ingredients in the water. You will notice bubbles forming. Put the silver jewelry in the solution. Mix the pieces with care.

Make sure you don’t hit the pieces against the sides of the pan or one another. Let the silver pieces sit in the solution for five minutes before removing them and drying them with a cloth.

How Should You Clean Your Rings?

Silver will look shiny when you wear it often. If you wear silver rings daily, they will maintain a level of sparkle. Yet if you store some rings in a jewelry box, you might need to clean them every so often.

If water and soap aren’t doing the job, you could try using a soft toothbrush. Use a toothbrush and work away at tarnished areas. You can use your cleaning methods from above.

You’ll also need to consider what else’s included in the silver ring. Are there gemstones, precious metals, or pearls? You’ll want to be careful if you have these extra pieces.

Baking soda could scratch soft metals. If the ring is valuable, you’ll want a professional to inspect the piece first.

What About Sterling Silver Jewelry?

A lot of jewelry that’s silver tends to get made of sterling silver instead of pure silver. The sterling silver piece will be a lot stronger than 100 percent silver. Yet, sterling silver tends to tarnish more quickly.

You can check the clasp of your jewelry piece to determine if it’s silver-plated or sterling silver. If your bracelet or necklace doesn’t have any markings, you can assume it’s silver-plated.

If the water and mild dish soap doesn’t work, you could also try these methods.

Baking Soda Paste

Create a paste from a small amount of water and baking soda. You’ll want to rub the paste on your jewelry piece. Then, you’ll rinse and dry the piece with a microfiber towel or a soft cloth.

You could also use the same method but use cornstarch instead of baking soda.

Try Mixing Olive Oil and Lemon

Next, you can mix one teaspoon of olive oil with half a cup of lemon juice.

Rub the sterling silver piece with a dipped cloth until you notice it’s shining again. Don’t forget to rinse the jewelry piece and let it dry.

Consider Using Toothpaste

Use a soft brush and a tiny amount of toothpaste. You don’t want to use a toothpaste that has a whitening formula. A white paste will help clean sterling silver jewelry.

Also, don’t use the toothpaste cleaning method on silver-plated pieces.

Now You Know How to Clean Silver Jewelry

We hope this guide on jewelry cleaning was helpful. Now that you know more about how to clean silver jewelry, start using these tips. You can prevent tarnish by wearing pieces daily.

Don’t store your jewelry in the bathroom. Wash some pieces with a mild solution of warm water and mild soap.

Are you looking for more helpful life tips? Check out our sections on beauty and fashion.