How To Clean Silver

Are you trying to stay away from chemical cleaning products? Here's how to clean silver naturally using something that you already have at home. You may be surprised to find out that you can clean all of your silver naturally and effectively using toothpaste. If you have every tried any other silverware cleaning products you may already know that they can sometimes have chemicals in them that will cause irritation to the skin and can actually be poisonous if a child or an animal accidentally ingests the liquid. Some of the silver cleaners available on the market are instant cleaners that you just dip your silver pieces into and then they come out shiny and new. They usually have a sponge within a container and there is a solution in the container that absorbs into the sponge to distribute it onto the silver. It's much like one of those nail polish remover canisters that you dip your finger nail into to remove the nail polish. Then there are products like Silvo which is a chemical cleaner that is also an irritant and a poison, plus it's flammable. You don't want these types of toxic cleaners, especially when there are alternative ways for cleaning silverware naturally.

So why does silver change colour anyway? The changing of colour on silver pieces is called tarnishing. Tarnishing is a process where the outer layer of precious metals like silver or copper begins to oxidate and corrode. While the whole piece of silver may look ruined, it's actually not. The layers beneath the tarnished layer are fine, and the corrosion helps to protect the deeper layers of the piece. To prevent tarnish, there is a coating that can be put onto silver that seals it from being affected by the air or moisture. But most often you'll just have to polish your silver regularly if you want to keep it looking nice and shiny. The good news is, you don't even have to use the chemical silver polishes, and you don't have to take your silver to be professionally cleaned either. All you need to clean your silver is some plain old toothpaste which you surely have already at home, and a nice soft rag to do the polishing. Just simply put a little bit of the toothpaste onto the piece of silver you want to polish, and use your rag to rub it in, going in circular motions. You'll see it starting to shine up just after a few minutes of polishing.

Once you're happy with your silver and see it looking shiny and new, simply rinse off the access toothpaste and dry the silver with a clean cloth. Once you've tried this on one piece of your silver you'll want to do it to all of your pieces. You can even use this on sterling silver jewelry in your collection to spruce it up and make it look brand new. It doesn't really matter the type of toothpaste you use, or if it's white or gel toothpaste, so whatever you have on hand will do just fine. Another natural item you can use to clean your silver is ketchup, which may sound a little gross, but it really does work. You just apply it the same way you would the toothpaste and polish it up. Baking soda also works when you mix it with boiling water in an aluminum pan with your silver pieces inside. The water, baking soda and the aluminum from the pan create the chemical reaction necessary to remove the tarnish. Enjoy these tips that help you with cleaning your silverware naturally.***