Cleaning silver is not a hard task and the best thing is you can do it at home without needing to spend money on expensive silver polishes. This article will provide you with the proper ways to store and clean your silver plus informative tips on how to prevent tarnish.
How to store Silver:
1. Ensure that each piece of silver is totally dry before storing it.
2. Do not let stainless steel flatware have contact with fine silver or silver plated flatware. This is because silver becomes damaged and stained when the two metals touch. Never wash or store the two different metals in the same area.
3. Store all silver objects in an area where they can remain free of dust, surface-grim, and debris.
4. It is recommended to add silica gel to your storage drawer or cabinet to keep the humidity levels low in your storage area.
5. Also add a few capsules or small dish of activated charcoal in order to keep the storage area free of gases known to cause tarnish.
6. Silver must be placed on wood which is sealed with lacquer or polyurethane because this can help keep the silver tarnish-free.
7. Add a single piece of white chalk to the drawer or cabinet where your silver is stored because the chalk prevents tarnish.
Here are some simple at home products that you can use to polish your Silverware:
Using Vinegar:
Vinegar is one of the simplest and cheapest cleaning solutions available. It is non-toxic and it makes a great tool for eliminating tarnish from silver.
To clean silver using vinegar, add one teaspoon of salt to a cup of vinegar and let the salt be dissolved. If you are cleaning more silver, utilize larger quantities of vinegar and salt. Then add ¼ cup of flour to the vinegar and salt mixture to make a paste. Spread the vinegar and flour paste onto the silver items and let the paste to stay there for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse the paste off of the silver items with warm water. Finally, polish and dry the items with a dry soft cloth.
Using Baking Soda:
One of the most versatile at home products, Baking Soda is a simple and efficient cleaning solution which will remove tarnish from silver jewelry, plates or silverware in no time!
To clean silver jewelry using baking soda, put on a paste of baking soda and water on the silver materials you would want to clean. Then rub it mildly, rinse with water and polish dry with a clean cloth. For cleaning flatware, sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth and rub it on the silverware until tarnish disappears.
Using toothpaste:
Toothpaste is ideal to use in cleaning silver because its mild abrasive quality will not harm silver. It will get rid of the tarnish and bring back the shine of your silver items. However, please take note that you have to avoid toothpastes that have tartar-control or whitening powder because they may have chemicals that can harm your silver.
To clean silver, put toothpaste on the toothbrush and brush the silver with firm, quick strokes. Brush it under running water until you see that the tarnish is gone. Rinse the silver carefully and make sure that any toothpaste residue is removed. Gently dry the silver using a clean cloth and ensure that no moisture remains.
Other things to consider:
1. Do not let silver get in touch with rubber. Rubber contains sulfur which corrodes with silver and may become extremely etched that only a silversmith can fix the damage. Also avoid storage cabinets or chests with rubber seals, rubber floor coverings and rubber bands. Examples of things that have rubber are dishmats, placemats, and silverwear holders.
2. Never expose fine silver to foods for a long time. By no means should you leave flatware inside serving dishes containing eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, table salt, olives, salad dressing, vinegar and fruit juices. The sulfur found in these foods will most likely corrode silver; hence, serve these foods in china or glass containers.
3. Do not wear silver jewelry in swimming pools because the chlorine can destroy the silver in a short time.
4. Use silver more often because this prevents tarnish. Do not just hide your good silver for safe keeping; the more you use and handle your silver flatware, the less possibility there is for tarnish to build-up.
Maintaining Silverware at home can be time consuming and sometimes costly. However with the simple at home products, this job can be completed in allot less time. More and more research shows that the harsh chemicals in cleaning products can result to major health concerns for consumers as well as the environment; hence, using these natural cleaning solutions around the home can help you cut costs and need for commercial products.
For more Metal Working Tips and Metal Abrasives Products, visit Smith and ARROW Australia.
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