silver cleaning cloth
This is how you can make tarnished pieces of silver jewelry shine again
Tarnished silver can be cleaned with a silver cleaning cloth
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Small amounts of hydrogen sulphide in the air cause silver to tarnish over time. At the latest when a thin black film appears on your piece of jewelry, it is time for a polish – for example with a silver cleaning cloth or tried and tested household remedies.
Tarnishing of silver cannot be avoided when it comes into contact with air (more precisely, the hydrogen sulphide it contains). In itself, the black coating is not too bad, but it spoils the shiny look of your jewelry. Since the discoloration cannot be removed with water or commercial cleaning agents, you have to resort to other methods – such as a silver bath, silver polish or a silver cleaning cloth. We’ll tell you the difference.
This is how you give your silver new shine again
At first glance it makes an impression silver polishing cloth like an ordinary cleaning rag made of cotton. But the difference lies in the details: the material actually contains a special active ingredient that can remove dark discolouration, tarnished areas and black deposits. It doesn’t matter whether you want to make jewelry or cutlery, trophies or coins, candlesticks or lamps, vases or brooches shine again. As long as these are made of silver (or silver-plated), you can use the cloth anywhere. It’s best to do this with care, as over-polishing and frequent polishing will not only remove discoloration, but also – with each application – a small percentage of the silver (or alloy). For this reason you should use the silver cleaning cloth carefully and gently polish the material with little pressure.
A notice: Removing the black deposits discolours it silver cleaning cloth over time – which is not a big deal, however, and should not have any impact on how it works. Important: You should not wash the materialotherwise it loses its cleaning effect.
Alternatives to the silver cleaning cloth
In addition to the classic silver cleaning cloth, there are other methods of removing unsightly deposits from your jewelry or other silver objects. The most well-known include silver polishing and the silver bath:
- In the silver polish it is a cleaning product that you can buy ready to use. Before use, the bottle must be shaken, then the agent is applied and rubbed in with a soft cloth. After a short exposure time, the polish only needs to be rinsed off with warm water and the silver left to dry.
- Would you rather have one Silberbad use, you only have to place your jewelery in the ready-to-use liquid and let it work for a short time, then rinse, dry and polish the material clean. The chemical composition of the bath makes this method suitable for filigree silver that has hard-to-reach places.
Clean silver: The best home remedies
If you do not want to use chemical cleaning agents, you can also use tried and tested household remedies:
- aluminum foil and salt
This is an electrochemical cleaning method. Proceed as follows: Mix five tablespoons of salt with one liter of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Then take the pot off the stove, add some aluminum foil and place the dirty silver on the foil (direct contact is important for the chemical reaction). After the bath, rinse the jewelry with clear water and polish it dry with a tea towel. - potatoes
You can use the potato method, especially for delicate pieces of jewellery, as it is less aggressive: Boil the tubers as usual and then add the silver to the still warm potato water. Alternatively, you can also use potato skins or the (raw) potato to polish your jewelry with the cut surface. Finally, the silver is rinsed under clear water until clean again and polished dry with a clean cloth. - lemon juice
An equally proven home remedy is the lemon: Mix the juice of two fruits with boiling water and place the tarnished silver in the solution for a few minutes. Then rinse the jewelery with clear water and dry it with a clean tea towel. It is important to know about this method that it is only suitable for insensitive pieces of jewellery. As an alternative to lemon juice, you can also use vinegar, which has a similar effect.
Another important note:
Delicate pieces of jewelery that are set with (semi-)precious stones or other natural materials such as pearls or amber should not be cleaned by hand. Better take the silver to a jeweler.
How to properly store your silver
As previously mentioned, tarnishing of silver over time is unavoidable unless you store your jewelry in an airtight container to avoid exposure to air. Sealable plastic bags are suitable for this. In addition, silver should always be stored dry in order to delay the tarnishing of the jewelery as long as possible. It is best to wrap valuable items in a dry cotton cloth to reduce air contact. And last but not least, it is also recommended to put a small piece of chalk in the container or plastic bag. It is said to keep the air dry and help silver tarnish more slowly.
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