Wash your silver under warm water using a cellulose sponge (which isn't abrasive) and a mild dish soap (one that has a neutral pH and is free of phosphates), like citrus-free Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Rinse the silver with water, and dry it thoroughly with a clean cotton towel. Never let it drip-dry.
"In general, a few drops of good old Dawn dish soap in warm, not hot, water will do the trick to keep most gold and silver jewelry clean. Let your pieces soak for about five minutes in the solution and rinse in lukewarm water. Then place them on an untreated microfiber cloth to buff dry," says Levitt.
The best jewelry cleaner forsilver might surprise you: liquid dish soap. Mix a few drops with warm water and gently rub the silver to remove the tarnish. Then rinse with cold water and buff with a soft cloth. If your piece is heavily tarnished, try mixing three parts baking soda to one part water to make a paste.
Simply mix up a bit of dish soap with warm water and dip in a microfiber cloth. Then, rub the piece of silver – whether it's jewelry or silverware – with the soapy cloth. Rinse it with cold water. Dry with a soft, clean towel.
For silver that is dull, filmy, or not yet discolored, mix a few drops of mild dish soap with warm water and dip in a soft cloth. Rub the item, then rinse in cool water and buff with a cloth until dry. For silver that is heavily tarnished, mix a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water.
Boil four cups of water with one tablespoon of baking soda and a hand-sized piece of aluminum foil. Toss in your silver items and let them boil for about 10 seconds. You may let your silver boil a little longer if it's heavily tarnished. Remove your items with kitchen tongs, rinse them, and lay them on a towel to dry.
The Donowitses also recommend a cleaning foam: Hagerty Silver Foam. They describe it as “not abrasive” and “easy to use,” noting that it can be used on silver plated items. The foam comes with a sponge, which you wet, dip into the cleaner, apply to the item, and then rinse off and wipe dry.
Dawn dish soap is safe and effective at cleaning jewelry. Just add a few drops to a warm basin of water and let your jewelry soak for 15-30 minutes. Then remove it from the basin and gently brush with a clean, soft-bristled toothbrush to get grime out of the grooves. Finally, rinse and dry.
Washing your gold in warm water and dish soap is the best way to remove tarnish. As mentioned above, a jeweler can also do a great and safe job of removing tarnish. We also recommend getting a gold polishing cloth like this one.
Rubbing alcohol is one of the lesser-known silver cleaning solutions. It can be used to remove spots, smudges, or tarnishing. This is also a great way to disinfect sterling silver body jewelry. The chemicals in rubbing alcohol can be damaging to certain metals and gemstones like emeralds and opals.
However, it's important to avoid common cleaning mistakes, such as using boiling water, citric acid, soaps and detergents excessively, toothpaste, alcohol-based cleaners, and harsh paper for drying. These practices can potentially damage your silver jewelry instead of cleaning it.
Fill with enough boiling water to submerge your chain. Add 1 tbsp of bicarbonate of soda per 500ml water. Add your chain and leave to soak for up to 30 minutes. Remove from the bath, rinse away any residues and buff with a soft lint free cloth to remove any remaining tarnish.
Another great way to clean your sterling silver jewelry is with Windex. Yes… Windex. You can either spray the Windex directly on the item to be cleaned or on a soft-bristled toothbrush or soft cloth.
Put the silver items in a bowl of appropriate size and cover them with white distilled vinegar. Add baking soda into the bowl – the approximate proportions are 4 tablespoons of baking soda for every cup of vinegar. Leave the silver in the mixture for 1 hour. Rinse with clean water and dry well with soft cotton cloth.
Silver is a common metal used in jewelry or dinnerware. If you don't have any chemical cleaner, you can use Coca-Cola, or Coke, as a simple cleaning substitute for sterling or plated silver. The acid in Coke works to cut through any grime or rust on the silver's surface.
Use a mild phosphate-free and ammonia-free dishwashing detergent like Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (make sure it is citrus-free as well). Mix 1/4 tablespoon (3.7 ml) of soap with 1 cup (8.12 oz) of water. Mix until well-combined. Scrub your silver in a straight, back and forth motion.
Soak your tarnished jewelry in a ½ cup of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Warning: this mixture fizzes. Keep your sterling silver in this solution for two to three hours, rinse and dry.
We recommend mild dishwashing soap (like Dawn). It is important to avoid dishwasher detergent, which is too harsh and could damage your diamond. Follow these simple steps: In a small glass or cup (a shot glass works well) combine warm water and one drop of dish soap.
Gold jewelry can be cleaned with dish soap, ammonia glass cleaner, or even just hot water. As with silver, you can give it a good scrub when necessary, but be sure to use a soft toothbrush or other small brush designed specifically for jewelry.
Do: Dish Detergent and Warm Water. Although it may seem simple, the best homemade cleaner for diamond jewelry is a solution of dawn dish detergent and warm water. This solution is perfect for normal use which is expected for newer jewelry.
Here are examples of instructions given by silversmiths in the 17th and 18th centuries. 1737 - "Clean it now and then with only warm water and soap, with a Spunge, and then wash it with clean water, and dry it very well with a soft Linnen cloth, and keep it in a dry place, for the damp will spoyle it".
Polishing Silver
The most common is using a soft towel and a silver polish cream like Hagerty's or Miror. Another option is to line a ceramic or glass (never metal) dish with aluminium foil. In a separate bowl, mix together one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of baking soda, and half a cup of white vinegar.