There’s nothing like the gleam of polished silver to add a sparkle to your home. But so many people don’t buy it or keep it because it needs to be cleaned regularly. It’s not hard, however, if you know the secrets. So I’ll share with you the best way I’ve found to clean silver and a few other tricks to keep it looking good longer.
First, What NOT To Do
So many times, over the years at my store, Consignments Ltd., I’ve had to turn back silver items that have been ruined by improper polishing or lack thereof. One lady attempted to polish an entire set of flatware, using a Brillo pad. I kid you not. Don’t do this! Her set was completely trashed because it was silver plated and she rubbed the plating off, right down to the copper. It would have been worse if it were a sterling set. Then it would only be good for scrap. I also do not recommend dipping silver in liquid polish. It works well, at first, but you lose silver content with every dipping. So read on for the best, because there is an easy, non-Brillo way to clean silver…
Silver Wipes: They Are A Life Changer
Over the holidays, Bruce and I did a good amount of silver polishing. If you think it took us hours to do all the silver flatware for Christmas dinner, you’d be wrong. I timed it for this article. We cleaned 42 pieces of flatware, a pair of salt and pepper tops, two trays and a gravy boat in under 12 minutes using Weiman Silver Wipes. They come in a tub and look a lot like baby wipes. You simply wipe your silver and off comes the tarnish. You can re-use the same wipe till it’s fairly soiled, so just put in back in the tub and use again and again until it’s really dirty.These wipes not only work on table and flatware, but they are great for jewelry too.
Keeping Silver Clean Is All About How You Store It And How Often You Use It
My parents kept their sterling flatware in a drawer in their kitchen. They used it every day. They almost never had to polish it because regular use keeps tarnish at bay. Silver tarnishes when it is exposed to sulfur-containing gases in the air. Tarnish is basically the surface layer of darkening as silver reacts with the gas. Using silver limits this exposure. Surprisingly, one thing that increases how quickly silver tarnishes is exposure to stainless steel. So never keep your silver in the same drawer with your stainless or wash it in the same load in the dishwasher. Further, because it’s gases in the air that cause tarnishing, you can seal clean silver in plastic bags to limit tarnish too. And some silver boxes (for storing flatware or jewelry) are lined with anti-tarnishing material. This helps as well.
So now you know the best way to clean silver. If you’ve got silver, get thee some Weiman’s and add some sparkle to your life. And if I’ve just inspired you to run out for some silver, don’t forget your local thrift or consignment shop, like Consignments Ltd., as they are great resources for silver of all types. For more on cleaning, check out my previous blogs like: Short List of The Best Cleaning Products and Make Your Kitchen Smell Good With These Tips.
Have a sparkling Sunday, my friends. Marianne
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