Cleaning and Care of Sterling Silver

This is a summary of some of my tips for the cleaning and caring for silver, regardless of which products you use.

On the subject of which silver product types are best, I will just say that I have a large range and that each have their own individual strengths and weaknesses and I use different products for different items.   

Tips

• Buy products meant for cleaning silver.  Do not be tempted to use any old universal cleaner you have lying around - it will not work and may damage your piece

• Wear waterproof gloves – I have the hands of a 120 year old women from not doing so!

• Tape over hallmarks before you begin – rub off the hallmarks and you decrease the value substantially

• If you are cleaning old silver for the first time wash it in warm soapy water first to remove the old caked on polish

• Use soft cloths or sponges to clean items

• Clean in a gentle circular motion

• Dry silver items thoroughly after any rinsing – water contains chlorine  which will discolour your silver

• After cleaning and drying, a gentle rub with a silver polishing cloth will prolong the time between polishes

• Salt corrodes all silver – empty salt out of cruets after use, even those with a liner as the salt can slip down under the liner

• Tarnish is the result of silver reacting with sulphur in the air or in foodstuffs – keep your silver away from anywhere where you are burning coal, gas, wood or oil. Also keep it away from eggs, fish, lemon juice and vinegar.  The kitchen is probably not the best place to store it!

• Protect your silver from the air generally if you do not have it on show – store it in tissue paper (preferably the sulphur free kind)

• Do not store in newspaper