The Right Way to Clean and Polish All of Your Silver Pieces, From Flatware to Jewelry

Whether your favorite silver pieces are the intricate flatware you bring out for holidays, a gleaming serving platter passed down from your grandmother, or an everyday-wear necklace that's seen better days, keeping your items clean and polished is the best way to bring out their beauty. Over time, silver pieces are susceptible to tarnish, but you can restore their luster by perfecting your techniques for cleaning and polishing them (without leaving fingerprints or water spots). Using a few easy-to-find supplies and these expert tips, your silver will be restored to its original state in no time.

Why Silver Tarnishes

Silver is a precious metal that's used to create your favorite jewelry, cutlery, serving platters, candlesticks, and more. Contact with sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, in the air can cause silver to tarnish over time, giving your beloved pieces a dull, unfinished look. Unlike rust, tarnish—a thin layer of corrosion that forms over certain metals—is easy to remove.

Materials Needed

Make sure you have these materials on hand when cleaning your silver pieces.

• Sink or plastic dishpan
• Cotton towel(s)
• Nitrile gloves
• Water
• Cellulose sponge
• Natural dish soap
• Natural-bristle brush
• Crystal carnauba wax (for items with mixed materials)
• Polish
• Cotton balls or swabs
  

How to Care for Silver

If your serving pieces and flatware are lightly tarnished, try cleaning them before jumping straight to polishing. As a hard rule, silver should never be cleaned in the dishwasher—the machine's high heat and harsh chemicals will cause your once-reflective accessories to dull.

How to Clean Silver

To safely clean your silver pieces, use a plastic dishpan or line the sink with a towel—this prevents the silver from coming into contact with the sink's metal. "Use nitrile gloves, as this will prevent fingerprints from transferring to your silver and possibly creating an imprint," says Jeffrey Herman, founder of the Society of American Silversmiths.

1. Run the silver under warm water.
2. Use a cellulose sponge and citrus-free, phosphate-free dish soap and gently clean any tarnished areas. (Be careful using sponges that come with some silver polishes, as they can scratch your items.)
3. For any ornamental or hard-to-reach spots, use a natural-bristle brush, such as a horsehair or white china bristle brush.
4. If your piece has wooden handles or ivory insulators, coat them first with crystal carnauba wax and allow them to dry.
5. Once clean, immediately dry the silver with a cotton towel.
   

How to Polish Silver

Tarnish is a natural process that anyone who owns silver will encounter occasionally; luckily, it can be easily remedied with a simple, mild polish. "It's always best to spend more time polishing with a mild polish than less time with an abrasive one," Herman says. (He recommends using Herman's Simply Clean Collectors Silver Polish—his own brand—or Blitz Silver Shine Polish.) Be sure to keep your polish sealed when you're not using it.

1. Rinse your silver pieces with warm water and dish soap to rehydrate old polish and dry immediately.
2. Lay a cotton towel over your workspace so your silver doesn't get scratched while you work.
3. While wearing nitrile gloves, wipe away any remaining grime with hand sanitizer using cotton products, like cotton balls, makeup pads, or swabs.
4. If tarnish remains, then you can reach for the polish.
5. Apply your chosen polish to a cellulose sponge and rub it in a back-and-forth motion rather than circular.
6. If you find the sponge is taking longer than expected to remove tarnish, switch to a cotton ball or make-up pad, as they are both firmer and won't absorb the polish as easily.
7. After the tarnish is removed, make sure to clean excess polish off your piece. (Some polishes are rinse-only, and others may be allowed to dry and then buffed off. Read the label's instructions.)

How to Store Silver

Although silver can be used daily, there are a few steps you can take to ensure its longevity against tarnish.

• Protect with wax: Silver can be left out on your table, providing it's protected with a clear wax, says Herman. He recommends using non-toxic Meguiar's Quik Wax or Renaissance Wax, which he notes is more difficult to apply but just as effective.
• Clean displayed silver often: Using wax on your displayed silver will keep tarnish at bay for up to a year, but over time dust will degrade your pieces. "Remove this dust with a moist cotton towel and distilled water when you see a build-up, dry, then reapply the wax," Herman says.
• Remove yellowing: If you see any yellowing of silver, remove it with hand sanitizer or 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and then reapply the wax.
• Store flatware in a protective case: Store flatware in a chest or drawer lined with silver cloth and an anti-tarnish strip. "Keeping your silver covered with this cloth prevents tarnish-producing gasses from interacting with your silver," Herman says.
• Wrap for long-term storage: Wrapping silver in acid-free tissue and then placing it in a polyethylene bag with a non-toxic anti-tarnish strip to avoid grime for years to come, says Herman.

How to Care for Sterling Silver Jewelry

Whether you wear silver jewelry every day or have it tucked away somewhere, chances are you've dealt with it building up some tarnish and grime. Sterling silver tarnishes primarily by contact with sulfurous fumes in the air or in the dust that lands on your item. "The higher the humidity in the air, the faster the jewelry will tarnish," says Louise Lieblich, head of diamonds and jewelry at WP Diamonds.

How to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry

When handling jewelry, Lieblich recommends wearing cotton or vinyl gloves, as the oils, moisture, and salts in our fingers cause a chemical reaction that can darken and corrode the jewelry overtime.

1. Immerse sterling silver in a little warm water with a dab of dish soap.
2. Dry with a lint-free cloth.

How to Polish Sterling Silver Jewelry

Use a silver-polishing cloth and rub back and forth gently until the tarnish is removed, says Lieblich. "Some pieces of silver jewelry are patterned in such a way where a small amount of tarnish is best left on it as it adds depth to the design," she notes.

How to Store Sterling Silver Jewelry

Once clean and polished, store your jewelry in a felt lined dry box with a few silica gel packs. The packs will help keep the air dry and reduce tarnishing. "You can also wrap the items in silver polishing cloths or store them with anti-tarnish strips," Lieblich says.