More Tips On How To Clean Silver
It does pay in dividends of beauty to spend the time necessary for cleaning silver. The pieces should be cleaned and polished after each and every use. For items that are silver plated, a process where a base metal is used to fashion the piece with an overcoat of silver to finish, there is a danger of over polishing if the item is cleaned too often. Over polishing will eventually wear away the coat of silver. Sterling silver is much more durable, and benefits from frequent polishing.
Common types of products used for cleaning silver are in foam form. After lightly wetting the silver piece with plain water, apply the foam with either a soft sponge or a soft brush made of horsehair. A light touch is needed; no vigorous scrubbing or rubbing that could actually damage the surface. Using a circular motion, massage the foam onto the surface. Use a soft flannel cloth to dry and buff the item. It is important to avoid abrasives, either in the cleaners or from dirt picked up on the buffing cloth; if dirt is present on the cloth while drying, replace the cloth with a clean one.
Many people enjoy saving coins, and among these coins there are bound to be a few pieces of silver. The rules for silver cleaning do not apply to cleaning coins. The coins can actually lose value after being cleaned, since most people believe that they would be cleaned in the same methods of silverware and hollowware. Only professionals should attempt to clean silver coins, and often they will not do anything more than a mild, soft cleaning. People who have silver coins in their collections should leave them precisely as they are, with no cleaning, no buffing and no polishing whatsoever.
More important than information of how to clean silverware and hollowware is how NOT to clean the pieces. There are many home remedies out there utilizing materials that will harm the silver pieces should they be used, thus diminishing both their beauty and their value. Cleaning methods to avoid include:
●Cleaning silver items with toothpaste
●Cleaning items with a paste composed of baking soda and water
●Using a combination of aluminum foil, baking soda and water
●Using an old toothbrush to clean intricate patterns or plain silver surfaces
●Using paper toweling to dry and buff silver pieces
●Using miracle “dips” advertised to instantly restore heavily tarnished silver pieces
Incorporating any of these processes or materials in the cleaning procedures for your silver pieces will certainly cause irreparable damage to them. Again, the oxidized coloration that elaborates the patterns engraved on the silver is meant to be there. Using toothpaste or baking soda, which are abrasives, will mar the surfaces by causing minute scratches in the silver, opening the road to damaging corrosion. While many “do it yourselfers” tout the method of soaking silver pieces in a solution of baking soda and hot water on a surface of aluminum foil, this method will remove the lovely oxide coating applied by the manufacturer of the silver to enhance the patterns. Once removed, it cannot be replaced.
For those who truly love their silver pieces, the task of cleaning silver and polishing is a labor of love. It can be a tedious process, especially if the pieces are often used, but the reward of the sparkling silver sheen showing the fruits of your labor and impresses your guests will make every loving rub worth the effort.