Sad Lookin’ Silver
We all have that tangled lump of silver jewelry sitting in a drawer, basket or box somewhere.
I recently came across mine and was slightly saddened to see how tarnished it had become after a few months out of circulation…
My pile included a Links of London charm, an old silver bracelet, a Tiffany ring, a few pairs of earrings, etc. I’ve also noticed that for whatever chemical reason, my body reacts to silver and blackens it after a few wears (I believe this has to do with the alkaline balance in my body – but I am sure someone smarter than I can correct me on that).
I kind of chuckle/snort/cry when I see silver polishing products.
They are so utterly expensive and don’t always work.
There’s got to be a better way.
Saddened that my silver jewelry didn’t look as beautiful as I wanted it to, I investigated the best, most effective way to clean silver that yielded exceptional results. I was so excited. I cleaned every piece of silver I could find in my house. It was amazing, I felt really accomplished. This doesn’t preclude other silver pieces, such as family heirlooms, silverware and service pieces, picture frames, coins, heck even silver bars. I tested a few techniques out but this one seems to be the magic combination. It can be used on all kinds of silver alloys, but cannot be used of other metals or costume jewelry. Silver only!
What you’ll need:
1) 1 cup of boiling water
2) 1 tablespoon baking soda
3) 1 tablespoon white salt
4) 1/2 cup white vinegar
5) 1 sheet of tinfoil, shiny side up
6) bowl (I used a soup bowl but you can use a larger bowl or even a bucket depending on how much silver you have)
7) Polishing cloth (I used a microfiber cloth).
What to do:
Prep it
Boil the water. While it’s simmering up, line the bottom of the bowl with the tinfoil, shiny side up. I literally covered the bowl with tinfoil. Then, add the salt and baking soda to the bottom of the bowl. Add the vinegar slowly (prepare for the fizz) and mix everything together to dissolve the salt and baking soda. You want all the granules to dissolve so that they don’t scratch your pieces (always thinking…).
Go Ahead & Wait
Add the boiling water to your bowl and then gently drop each piece of silver in the bowl. Just let it sit, the chemical reaction does all the work for you. If you wish, you can flip them over (like burgers on a Q) with salad tongs, just to ensure that both sides get exposure to the tinfoil.
Spit & Polish
Take each piece out carefully, being sure not to burn yourself, and buff it gently with your polishing cloth. You should start to see all the tarnish come off and all the original glory of your silver come back!
If you have charms or stones, you can try massaging good old ketchup onto the silver and rinsing it clean…I don’t think this mixture is OK for enamelled charms (although I did it on mine – I was willing to take the risk).
See what I mean?
So easy, so cheap and so incredibly effective! Enjoy this tip!
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Don’t forget that when you finally get your silver beautiful and shiny again that it is naked. It is subject to tarnish right away. Whenever my mother pulled out all the silver she would clean with Tarnex when it came out (I don’t recall if she did anything to remove the tarnish except the silver cream before that) and polish with Wright’s Silver Cream. That’s like waxing or polishing wood or anything else that needs protection. She also always kept the silver protected with special felt that protected from tarnish or sealed behind doors in the hutch. The sterling silverware was always in a chest lined with that special felt. I don’t know what it’s called but prevention is the key. Polish and protection from tarnish.
Thanks for sharing the informative article.
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Very informative post keep sharing
Good Information.
Thanks for sharing informative article.
Wow! So interesting! It is very good to know that I can clean my jewellery with so simple ingredients! I will definitely try this at home!
I saw this video on using a rock tumbler for tumbling jewelry from Pamela Klien. I am going to try it on some “junk” silver jewelry I have – I’m not sure if the rotary tumbler will be too rough or if it will be safe.
It’s helpful,I like your blog share.
thank you this valuable information
I have always love silver jewelry and take care for of them is very important to me.
Nice blog. I look Forward to see your Next blog.
[…] drink. Although this does not entail rubbing with abrasives it still can trigger pitting. Home page how to clean real silver utensils. Furthermore, this chemical reaction triggered by this procedure off-gasses hydrogen sulfide which […]
Just tried it and it worked very well. Thanks very much
Coke works really well too..Soak for 10-20 minutes depending on how tarnished your jewelry is…Then rinse with hot water…
Great article, but you forgot about the toothbrush and toothpaste method? That’s by far my favorite. All you have to do is to use a soft toothbrush to clean surface of the silver jewel. Scrub it lightly to avoid the scratches. It does wonders!
Thanks for the info, Trisha! This method works. Still, can I clean my silver spoons/forks together with my jewelry or should I clean them separately? I heard silver is easy to scratch so I don’t want any surprises.
My sterling silver jewelry as tarnished and black. I panicked. I found this tip and, as usual my skeptical self, doubted it would work. I was happily proven wrong! I watched my tarnished and black silver pieces turn back into shining silver pieces. I am a believer and I thank you for your advice.
It worked like a charm thank you !
Hi dear,
Thanks for sharing a great article about clean silver jewelry. Silver jewelry is lustrous when they are new and they go well with any outfit, not to mention that it can bring luster to the wearer’s personality too. However, like any other jewelry, their shine can fade from dirt and everyday wear and tear. Silver jewelry gets tarnished in the long run especially if it is constantly exposed to oxygen and sulfur in the air. When this happens, your precious silvers will look dull and lifeless. So, to restore their natural shine and bring back the life they used to possess, it’s time to clean them. If you can lay your hands on the right ring cleaner kit, then you won’t need different solutions for gold and silver.
This is a freakin’ bomb tip! I buy tarnished silver bars and rounds at a discount and have tried other means of getting them back to their shiny beauty for resale, but nothing quite worked to my satisfaction until today. WOW!! AMAZING!! This will make me money. I put in 5 bars in this solution after trying to clean them last night from a different receipt and could immediately see the tarnish coming off them and floating to the surface. Thank you so much for a cheap tip that will reap 100x in return.
I tried everything as far as a home remedies for cleaning my diamond & Sterling Silver Jewelry. I was a bit skeptical about this one, but what was I going to loose I had basically ruined my jewelry with all the others treatments. I tried it and it was a miracle worker for me compared to everything else I used. My jewelry looked beautiful and the tarnish was gone and the brilliance and shine was back again. None of the others were able to get my jewelry back to it’s brilliance and brightness. The others seemed to tarnish my jewelry worse each time.
Thank you so much. I thought I was going to have to buy another Wedding ring. Never heard of this but I didn’t knock it, I tried it and I’m so happy it really worked for me. Thank you for posting.
Yes, it works fine as your guide.
Sometimes beers works too.
What a fantastic post. This is so chock full of useful information.
What a fantastic tip. This is very useful for me. Thanks !
Will add this information in my own review.
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Thanks for sharing such a useful post and video it is really helpful to keep clean the silver jewellery
Truly helpful especially for silver jewellery lover. silver does take maintenance but it looks very beautiful to wear.
Only using baking soda might be a safer way for silver pieces.
You have to be careful especially with gemstones. Vinegar is acid: it may damage stones.
If you want to clean gold jewelry, then baking soda and vinegar might be a better solution.
Thank you, Melissa, for write-in details on this topic. Both ultrasonic and steam jewelry cleaners are perfect to clean jewelry items. Your followed method may be cost-effective.
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I have three chains I wear every time I leave the house, just not when I am in the house. They got so tarnished they looked like they were bronze not sterling silver. I looked on the internet & tried a couple of solutions but none got my chains looking better. I even tried ketchup but they were tarnished looking the next day. I had to do this remedy twice, because the chains were so dark & tarnished, but now my necklaces look like sterling silver again. I will use this remedy the next time I need to clean my necklaces.
Blown away at how well this works. Thank you! I had rock salt which I had to put through the salt grinder, still worked a charm.
My cousin’s birthday is next week and I want to gift her a silver bracelet. I like the picture of the result when you cleaned your silvery jewelry. Thank you for the information. I’ll share this information with my cousin so she can clean the silver bracelet when needed.
Thank you! I’ve used your recipe/instructions twice and it was perfect both times! Once on a bracelet that got hit with a heavy-duty cleaner. It was black in spots and I thought it was a goner. Saved! Thank you again, keeping this and sharing!!
It did not work for me on my Tiffany necklace. It still stayed black.
How long did you soak it? It can take some time but it has cleaned silver I thought to be unrecognizable as silver. I just had to wait a couple hours.
Ive tried just baking soda, water and aluminium on an English trinket holder I had, and it has turned it a milky white in patches…!!!
Any ideas what went wrong?
Did you add salt?
Thank you, Melissa, for write on this topic. I haven’t tried this as I prefer ultrasonic technology most for cleaning anything, especially jewelry items.
Help! Have what seems to be Tiffany necklace (has the tag) that i bought at flea market so dirty didnt realize what it was. Have today used the foil baking soda and foil baking soda and salt methods also tried toothpaste and just plain baking soda paste. With lots of elbow grease also. Much improved but half a dozen beads have orangey looking areas that persist. Any ideas?
You may want to take it to be professionally cleaned or try a silver cleaner.
Wondering if foil can be reused after using salt/vinegar/soda/water solution??
I’ve tried this method numerous times on sterling and although it did take a little off I still had to polish the crap out of it. The best I’ve found by far is Tarnx. Any tarnish disappears as soon as it touches the sterling.
Tarnx: tarnish remover since 1967.
For Use on sterling silver, silver plate, platinum, copper, gold, diamonds … “wipe rinse done”
I must caution you, it stinks, smells like boiled eggs or an ex girlfriend or boyfriend
WARNING
Do not use on:
Stainless steel, pewter, brass, chrome, zinc , aluminum, lacquered surfaces, pearls, opals or porus stones, Formica or synthetic surfaces
Tarnx is awesome. It is my go to. This works when it is not available however but again I fully agree with your comment.
One thing I wanted to add. The only issue I have with Tarnx is the smell it leaves behind. This posted method, lemon or toothpaste helps with that however. Sometimes its a multi effort. With solid silver, I have even used my bench grinder with a soft wire wheel, then used steel wool, then a buffer on my Dremel. I dont need cleaner after using that method. This only works for silver bars or large silver pieces.. I have had good results on rings and large rope chains as well. I would not recommend this for thin rope chains, thin linked necklaces or similar bracelets as it may bend them or damage them. It may even break the links…
Oh Sister Jean, I should have listen better during your chemistry class.
As for this cleaning recipe, THANKS, it does work!
I don’t understand the necessity of having salt, baking soda, and vinegar in the recipe. Considering that the baking soda neutralizes the vinegar and leaves you with salt water as the only byproduct, you’re basically adding more salt to salt water, then adding more water to the salt water. Wouldn’t it be just as effective if you cut out the baking soda & vinegar and just used salt, boiling water, and the aluminum foil? But then I never took chemistry so what would I know 🙂
I wanted to let everyone know, if it has not been posted yet, that one of the things that can tarnish your jewelry quickly and badly, and turn it black….is LOTION!! If you apply lotion after a shower or bath, or on your hands through the day etc., it blackens jewelry. There is alcohol in most Lotion, and I finally figured out that when I was putting my hand lotion on many times a day after washing my hands, I was inadvertently rubbing it on my face and neck everytime, and also on my whole body after bathing. I had gotten a new lotion on sale, a top name brand, but it dried so fast I had to keep applying it, I could not figure out why my jewelry was getting black and spotty. The lotion had a very high alcohol content, they put it in there so lotion will dry faster. It destroyed a lot of plated jewelry, as well as tarnished solid. Many people who think it is something inside them, need to realize it might be something you touch, and then touch your jewelry while it is still on your hands. I do this with cleaning spray I use for my counters etc. as well, so beware of hidden alcohol etc. in products you touch or apply. TY..:)
Thank you Moxi, I have extremely dry skin and I must apply lotion on my skin right after a shower and I wash my hands several times a day, so my question is, is there any way to prevent the damage that alchohol does to any type of Jewelry, especially silver? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. ????????
I use a product called Tarnish-Me-Not on all my jewelry and I can shower, workout, clean, etc. while wearing them. It’s a patented jewelry spray that prevents tarnishing and it works great on silver pieces… primarily the ones I used to have to get polished or cleaned by a professional. Here’s a list of all the stores that carry it https://www.tarnishmenot.com/where-to-buy
Hi Mollie,
I have always put the body lotion that goes with my perfume on every day for over 45 years and I have never had a piece of my real Gold or Silver jewelry or other jewelry tarnish or turn black or green. However, if I have too much acid in my body, maybe from too much OJ or too much lemon in my lemonwater that I drink every day or salty foods. (I rarely ever add salt to anything I eat), my ring fingers and wrists will start to turn a dark green or black, but my jewelry itself doesn’t turn or tarnish. I don’t eat anything salty or add lemon to my water for a day or two and “I go back to normal”. It could be your body has too much acid in it and causing your jewelry to turn black instead of you! Lol! *Something else to share. Many years ago my Hairdresser went a wee overboard on my highlights. One day at work one of my Loan Officers came into my office and asked why my hair had a green spot in the back. At first I thought he was kidding and he said he was serious, so I went to the restroom and I couldn’t believe it, he was right! There was a greenish-blue spot about the size of a silver dollar behind my right ear. I was shocked & embarrassed and no clue as to why. I stopped by my hairdressers on the way home and she was baffled too. The next morning the spot didn’t wash out! I got to work and the same LO came back in my office to see if I had figured out why my hair had turned green and sadly I said no. Two days later the same LO came back in my office and sat down across from me, after talking about a loan for a few minutes he got up and walked behind me to look at the spot and said Ah hah! He came back and sat down & said I know why your hair is turning green & I asked why? He reached over and pulled my Blue Pentel Liquid ink pen I had behind my ear! The tip of the ink pen was leaking on my blond highlights and turning it green! I couldn’t believe it! We had a good laugh & I learned a good lesson, from that day forward I never put an ink pen behind my ear! Hope you got a good laugh! 😉
Vickie
I finally found a lotion that contains NO ALCOHOL! It’s called Keri and I had my pharmacist order it for me. When I had to go into the hospital, I was given a small bottle of Keri and read that it was alcohol free.
That is the best post.
That is the very great and interesting video.
Wow, wow, wow!!! Absolutely perfect, thank you. My sister bought me a pendant and chain before she passed away. It was so tarnished, now it looks like new. Cannot thank you enough ????????????
I accidentally cleaned my silver wedding rings, in a silver cleaner, and left them soaking overnight. I was horrified, when I took them out, and am afraid they are ruined! They now look dull and the silver is flat and almost white. HELP!!!
I did the same thing to my gold wedding rings and they came out dull and white. I called a number of jewelry companies and finally found one that would polish them professionally (look for high-end stores). It was about $50 and a two-day wait — totally worth it to me. The rings looked better than before.
Omg just use a silver polishing cloth! Buffing silver isn’t new and people have been doing it for millennia now
spray 2 coats of tarnish-me-not and it won’t tarnish! I use it on jewelry mostly but all my new china is sterling silver so I coated them with it as well… it’s been 8 months and my candle holders are still shining (with zero polishing) the spray can is travel size and you can order it on amazon for free shipping
I can’t find it on Amazon would you be able to send me a link please
I clean my silverware by putting it in a shallow pan of water with a sheet of aluminum foil and a spoonful of baking soda. It takes only minutes on low heat to remove heavy tarnish even in detailed carving. I would be tempted to use this simple method on jewelry without stones
Many of us find ourselves neglecting all the beautiful silver pieces put in our jewellery boxes. Due to this silver gets dirty and tarnish. Silver Jewellery gets tarnish if we don’t take care of these. Thanks for sharing a step by step process, looks good!
Thank God for lazy and uneducated silver wearers because as soon as silver gets tarnished they sell it cheap online and buy new. Then people like me buy it cheap, clean it and maybe resell it but usually just stock pile it. It’s amazing how many people have no clue how to clean silver. Not only that but people are buying fake silver like crazy thinking it’s real.
Has anyone tried an aluminum foil baking dish-the disposable ones, instead of lining a bowl with aluminum foil?
Help! Mine turned yellow! What do I do now? Can it be fixed?
You item might have been silver plated and the bath removed the silver. Hope that’s not the case, because if so, it can’t be fixed.
If it IS sterling silver, you might just have a lot of tarnish on it and need to repeat the process several times to get it all off. Follow the soak with buffing with a soft cloth to remove the last of the tarnish and restore the shine.
you can bring it to a jeweler and and it resilvered
I love cleaning jewelry with vinegar, vinegar is always available at our house. thanks
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I have two very old pieces of silver jewelry I’d love to try this on. I’m just afraid because one has a Tanzanite stone and the other has a stone that was made to look like a blue star Safire (don’t know what they did to the stone). Both are not porous. Do you think they’ll be OK? Thank you.
Can I use this on diamonds with platinum and also diamonds with white gold
What is the best way to clean white gold ring with diamonds
Thank you for that tip to clean my sterling silver jewelry.
I sell silver plate flatware online and I do this almost every day. I’ve done thousands of pieces of silver plate with this method. No way am I hand polishing a 70 piece set, and some buyers may be sensitive to chemicals. It works ALMOST every time. If something has crazy heavy tarnish that’s been building up since 1933, it’s going to have to be polished. I’d like to add a couple of notes: it may take several soaks to get the tarnish off, and the silver may go in stages of cleanliness from hazy grey to mustard yellow before it makes it to silver. Always change the foil and water with each batch. Cleaning the piece gently with dish soap in between soaks will help. Since I’m either doing a huge batch of flatware or a tea set, I do it all in my stainless steel kitchen sink. I line it with foil, add a cup of salt, a cup of soda, and a few inches very hot water to dissolve the salt and soda. I put down a layer of flatware, cover it with foil, then another layer, then more foil, etc (think lasagna) ending with foil on the top. I usually keep it to 5 layers. Then fill the sink the rest of the way up with super hot water. I crack the kitchen window to let the rotten egg (sulpher) smell out and walk away. I’ve left pieces soaking for hours and hours, and nothing was ever damaged. Then drain, toss the foil, wash the flatware in some soapy water, drop it in rinse water with a couple tablespoons of vinegar (helps with spotting), dry, and done.
Can this work on brass?
I don’t believe so. Maybe not relevant to your question but all of the commercial cleaners specifically state that their products not be used on brass. Must be something in the formulas. Copper, diamonds, gold. All good. It’s a brass thing!
Hi. For brass you may like to use a paste of tartaric acid and dishwashing liquid. Rub article with it, you can even use an old toothbrush. Rinse well in hot water and dry well.
Thanks for the tip Andrea. I’ve got a sliver tea set and large plates of silver from my grrat great grandmother. They badly need cleaning so I will try in the sink as you say. I just don’t get why you need the foil layers?
The layers are there to make sure all surfaces come in contact with the tin foil. The tinfoil is what attracts the tarnish away from the silver.
Wish i had taken a before and after picture of my Pandora braclet with the charms on it. My contact solution – Clear Care hydrogen peroxide spilled out of the contact container and the braclet sat in the solution all night. I found it so tarnished that it was almost black. I used this solution and almost most of the tarnish came off. Still needs a few more tries before it’s back to shiny silver. Thx so much!
I just used this solution for my Pandora bracelets, necklace, ring and charms. they were in need of a good cleaning. And my poor bracelets were so tarnished. this solution had them looking new, again.
So excited! I was fixin to throw out a load of jewelry as it was so dirty looking. Now all but a few earrings and bracelets look great!
What? You were going to throw out a load of silver jewelry? OMG….
I NEED HELP!!! Mine turned yellow!!!
Me too!!! Did you manage to fix it?!
ONLY USE BAKING SODA, NO SALT OR VINEGAR! THOSE CAN RUIN IT.
I just had a royal ear bashing from my wife about the state of my silver wedding ring. I’ve been doing a couple of weeks of intense cleaning using various substances, which severely tarnished my ring. She said it looked like something I won at a fairground!
I tried this technique and the tarnish dissapeared for me in less than a minute.
I’ll be looking for other items to try out my new party trick on!
Thanks for sharing this magic trickery.
if you pickle vegetables, then you cannot use regular salt: you must use that which has no iodine in it.
so, when you say to use ‘white salt’, i am not sure what you mean.
do you mean the white salt that is iodized, or that like i use for pickling, meaning white salt without iodine in it?
in addition, sea salt is white. morton salt sells it in fine grain, too. so what happens if i use white sea salt rather than iodized or not-iodized white salt from the baking aisle of the local grocery store? and this is important as a notice to anyone that uses sea salt as a flavor enhancer of food:
you should not eat sea salt on all your food because we hardly ever get iodine in foods, but iodine is the one thing that strengthens your thyroid gland. if you are ever exposed to radiation, the only organ of your body that will help you is the thyroid gland. i think that’s why you do not see TV chefs using too much sea salt in their recipes. i only use sea salt on food at the maximum of one out of 3 meals since i love its nonmetallic flavor; however, due to the fact stated above, i probably only eat food with sea salt on it more like 1 out of 10 meals. iodized sea salt, by the way, used to be sold via amazon.com, up until about when i bought mine, which was approximately 2000. that sea salt does taste metallic, however.
please clarify exactly what type of white salt to use. (i have never seen any edible salt of a different color, so it is not clear to me what ‘white salt’ is).
Karen, I think she means what most would call ordinary table salt. Also, as an aside, there are several kinds of “pink salt”, the most common being a Himalayan type found in grocery stores. Just saying.
Morton’s makes an iodized sea salt which I buy at Publix in Florida. Check your local supermarkets.
What about larger items like a tea pot?
I have a beautiful electic silver pated coffee urn, how to i clean it its very tarnished…..please help me!!
Make a paste of baking soda and water, and rub it in with a soft cloth. Don’t soak it in anything, it will ruin the plating.
Thank you so much,it worked amazingly!!
I noticed you mentioned “tin” foil but it’s it safe to assume, since it isn’t avaliable for purchase easily anymore, you meant to say “aluminum” foil? Just curious since the different metals would have different affects chemically…
Yes- aluminum foil. Thank you!
Oh good grief, really??
How long do you keep it in the mixture before drying it?
10-15 mins should do it!
It worked a treat! Really pleased, just hope they don’t tarnish again. I cleaned my items with a silver cleaning cloth and it made them worse! Would never use one again. Thanks. ????
Happy it worked out for you 🙂
Does anyone know if apple cider vinegar will work instead of white??
It will, but it might take a little longer 🙂
Can u use apple cider vinegar?
Hi Kim! Thanks for watching! White vinegar is best, but apple cider vinegar will work if it’s all you have. It will probably need to soak for a little longer. Hope that helps!
Just polished my pandora charms which were grey and lifeless worked a charm!!!! Haha pardon the pun
Works an absolute treat!
dang ol booom
How do I clean velvet=lined jewelry boxes? They are silver and tarnished but I’m afraid of damaging the velvet lining inside and in the bottom.
I’m getting a tiffany bracelet soon , will it be ok. I.e. vinegar, chemical reaction etc.
As long as it’s silver!
Tiffany and Co will Polish your jewelry anytime for free. And you can get it tumbled (makes it look new) for $15.
When I clean my Tiffany jewelry at home, I use this method and then go over it with the Tiffany & Co Silver polish. Works great
What if it’s rhodolite over silver. Won’t this remove the rhodolite just as it removes the silver plating?
Works REALLY WELL!!!! Thanks soooooo much!!!????
Does it work for platinum as well?
Platinum is not silver. It’s white gold, more valuable than yellow gold.
Platinum is not white gold. Platinum is atomic number 78 and gold is atomic number 79. Platinum is more dense than gold. They look alike but are different. You are right about the cost, platinum is more expensive than gold.
I just used this remedy today and it worked awesome!!! I can not believe how sparkling my Tiffany bracelet, earrings, and necklace got! I should have taken a before and after picture! Thank you!! Great tip!
Can u please tell me how to clean my gold jewellery?
This also works on gold and gemstone rings to get out the gunky lotions and soaps that clog up the settings. Just don’t use it on pearls or opals or any other soft stones.
Thanks for the top!! I had a pile of silverware to clean and started out cleaning with polish. I went online and found your tip and it worked like a charm. Than you again!!! ????????
I just finished the process on my Tiffany bracelet, Tiffany necklace and Pandora bracelet and charms, it worked perfectly! Thanks because these were all items I had in the kitchen already…you ROCK!
Anyone owning Pandora jewelry, take it bk to the jewelers u bought it at, they will clean it for free.
Is this SAFE for SILVERPLATE? Why not on Costume jewelry?
I only use baking soda itself I rubbed it on my silver jewelries rinse and dry and presto !! So clean and shiny!!
is there a way to clean tarnish without fully immersing? I have a silver frame to clean but the back is satin.
Rub the baking soda on the frame with your hand then wipe it with water then dry it will be sooo shiny ! I did it so many times and it works really good.
Just bought a very old silver locket that was nearly black with age and grime. Tried rubbing with baking soda on damp cotton wool. Could not BELIEVE how quickly it cleaned up. Gob well and truly smacked. Cheers Rose 🙂
Very helpfull. What about gemstones like turquoise or lapis lazuli ?
You should definiteley NOT use this method for turquoise. It will become damaged or dicoloured and lose it’s finish. Lapis Lazuli is fine because it’s much harder and has a different make-up to Turquoise.
Is his safe for jewelry with gemstones?
Not a good ides….. When using the foil you lose a bit of silver along with the tarnish…
Show me your proof….
Why do i have to use tinfoil?
For the chemical reaction to work really, you’re converting the silver sulfide (tarnish) back into good old silver and aluminum sulfide. The magic of chemistry!
So excited. it is like getting new jewelry!
I will have to say I was doubtful that this was going to get my Tiffany bracelet cleaned, it looked horrible from the hot springs. However, it looks AMAZING NOW! Thank you so much for this advice! We visited the hot springs in Utah few days ago and my Tiffany bracelet looked horrible! I dropped it in your solution and it immediately came clean. So I went upstairs and got my Tiffany necklace that tarnished because I haven’t worn it and dropped it in and it’s perfect too. It cleaned it excellent! You saved me a ton of money from taking it to Tiffany’s and paying to have it clean there. I think they charged me about a hundred and fifty the last time I took my bracelet to be polished and cleaned.
Tiffany cleans your “Tiffany” jewellery for free.
It a known fact!
Brilliant – works 100%!
Just cleaned a tarnished second hand silver Pandora Tiara ring. Looks like new now! Thanks for the tip, worked a treat!
Question I have a large silver platter which will be hard to submerse. Any suggestions on how to clean this. I’m thinking just mix the ingredients pour onto the platter and then lay the tin foil ontop.
This is awesome! I have a ton of Sterling silver jewelry i need to clean. About how long is it supposed to sit in the solution? Thanks!
Change your camera man – the video is very often out of focus o2…. I suggest to change the camera for a new model, because it looks that the camera is very old and is not keeping the focus – Very Bad job..!!!!!!
Thank you! It’s so easy to do and the result is just amazing!
This worked so well I really appreciate that video it made my bracelet look brand new. Really super helpful. Can’t thank you enough!
It is sad that George Bush’s pronunciation of the the word nuclear became changed to nucular.(He lived with a school teacher?). The same acceptance is happening with the word jewelry. It has been perverted to jewlery. Look it up.
Great tip. Thanks for sharing.
Just used this for 24 pieces of silverware. What a time saver!
You can use the same thing for silver flatware, but tarnish in the crevices enhances the beauty of ornate patterns. Therefore, silver polish should be used – especially for ultra expensive sterling silver.
Would love to be able to print just the ing. and instructions. 🙁
You can actually use a pencil eraser, sounds weird, but trust me, it works. It works just as effectively other cleaners and you don’t have to worry about ruining your jewelry.
Great idea!
Works. Basic junior high chemistry. Thanks.
Thank you for adding the recipe ,as the music made the demo hard to hear.
Toothpaste does the same thing.
Love your videos and great Ideas on how to clean items (without chemicals) that you already have in you’re house????????????
I have heard of this before and then heard that it can pit or ruin silver over time. Sorry for the negative.
What if a lot of your silver has precious stones such as turquoise etc. will this hurt the stone?
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If you substitute 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent (not dishwasher) for the vinegar you can clean your gold jewelry. I have used it for silver as well and it comes out beautifully. Its great to get the gunk out of your stones, do not use for opals and pearls though.
THANKS GREAT IDEA. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO CLEAN MY SILVER JEWELRY.
I have an easier formula that I use on a silver service. Foil in bottom of sink. Add table salt and liquid softener in a sink of hot warer I don’t measure, just pour in a lot of salt, 2-3 pours of softener. Lay pieces in sink. In a few minutes it is clean. Rinse, dry and polish with soft cloth. Works like a charm. Use to spend hours cleaning.
What do you mean by liquid softener? Fabric softener?
Looks great , what about silverware? Any tips???
Hey, I really need your help. Will this affect gold plating in ANY way?
I have a silver plated pewter teapot, could this hack work?
I think it’s awesome. I never knew you could bring back the shine to Sterling silver! Thank you.
It works!!!!
The silver jewelry cleaner trick was great. My stuff was so tarnished it took twice to get them nice and shiny.
Try with the white pasty toothpaste and toothbrush. Then take mothers mag and aluminum polish and a microfiber cloth works amazingly….
I had a ring with huge stones Thai I haven’t worn in at least 20 years….magic! Thank you!
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Thanks Melissa. It worked like new for my 2 precious bracelets. No more going to the jewellers for polishing my silver jewellery.
Excellent, I thank you very much. I’m a boot coin/jewelry collector mostly for recovery but now you’ve changed me a lot. The stuff that can’t be saved is recycled and the other is cleaned and given to my wife, 2 daughter’s, 4 sisters, nieces and so on. Christmas gifts and they think it’s new or brilliantly preserved items and I got it dirt cheap or for free at times. I am amazed and thank you very much again. Sincerely and very Respectively, Tim Mecca, Retired EOD Tech, USMC, 100 % total and permanently disabled – reading this you can see you gave me something to do and proud of the results.
I just tried this on my graduated beads tiffany necklace and pendant…. the outcome is unreal. I though i was going to have to take it into the store to get it polished but this actually worked. I am stunned. It actually looks good as new, Thanks for the great advice!
Awesome thanks soooo much. Now the gold.
What if you have silver jewelry with a spot of gold or gold plating? Will this harm the gold?
My question as well, did you get a reply?
Hi! I just tried this on a silver ice bucket that I have….an art deco piece from England….It was completely black. I made the recipe leaving out the vinegar after reading a few posts about plated silver. I can’t make out the marks on the bottom of the piece so I wanted to be safe. This was absolutely amazing. I had been trying to polish it today with silver polish but the tarnish was very deep. I got nowhere in over an hour of rubbing. The ice bucket was in near perfect condition after about 5 minutes in this wash. I then rinsed it and proceeded to use the silver polish for a quick wipe to clear up the cloudiness. It looks amazing! I am thrilled and will use it on all of the other silver pieces I have!
Best advie I have had in years I’m 61 years old and a jewelry collector. All of these suggestions work great. Years ago we were told to use ammonia mixed with detergent. Just a little ammonia. Really makes your diamonds shine but it’s just too harsh. Just used a silver polishing cloth and very little silver cleaner. That was our other option for silver. This will save me so much time I’m so excited thank you!
Thank you! My Tiffany bracelets and necklaces are now brand new!
I was out of regular vinegar so I used rice wine vinegar and it worked!!!
This worked amazingly. Like having new toys.
I just tried it and it’s easy as 🙂 Thank you.
Worked perfectly thank you very much!
Great hatch thank you Melissa.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE TINFOIL, OR WILL ALUMINUM FOIL DO?
I think if you check the label you will find that your box of tinfoil will actually be aluminium.
Do Not use this method very often it strips the silver plate off the pieces, so can end up with only bare metal, no silver. If you ask people who sell silver plate of silver they will tell you never ever use this method, since it will destroy the finish.
I have a silver store so I do a lot of silver cleaning. I was told by a silversmith, while this method works, it is not good for the silver. Over time the baking doda, salt & vinegar can leave your silver pitted. For over 20 years I have used the tin foil sprinkled liberally with Calgon water softener & the hotest water out of your tap, once the Calgon has dissolved, place your silver on the foil, rotating if necessary. Voila, clean without any damage to the silver & it works beautifully! If your silver was black you may need to give it that ‘extra’ spatkle with a mild silver ckeaner, like Twinkle. Hope you give this a try!
I have not been able to find the powdered Calgon, only liquid (at Wally World); I’ve always felt the powdered did a better job on laundry. Suggestions where to find it?
Also, agree with you on the pitting issue using caustic vinegar/soda solution. To be fair, though, I read recently that those two ingredients sort of cancel each other out, and become neutral. I still wouldn’t chance it, especially on plated items.
It was great just bought a ring and a necklace so now i no what to do next
Toothpaste is good too. But sometimes with these small link chains it’shard to come ccompletely clean. So I’m definitely going to try this
Wow, this really worked! You saved me money and I was able to use household ingredients to do this. This was much easier to do than using silver polish creme or liquid too.Thanks Melissa!
This was just what I wanted something simple and easy. Thank you!
I cleaned my silver bracelet n it worked perfectly. Wow it’s really amazing
That was an awesome video.
Cannot wait to check out a few more!
My new morning mantra.
Thank you.
Melissa, I’m going to try this. I just spent a lot of time using Wright’s silver cream on my teapot and sugar bowl. Still more work to do on sugar bowl and creamer. How about sterling silver?
Just done it! Worked excellent! Thank you so much! 🙂
Simple old school Colgate works fabulously
This cleaned my Tiffany necklace so well! I left out the vinegar and the salt as I heard this will ruin the protective layer around the necklace and that the salt will cause it to corrode over time. Despite not using them my necklace still turned out good as new! 🙂 I will definitely be using this cleaning method again!
i clean with bleach and always forget to take my bracelets off. so this article on how to clean bracelets and gave it a try
Holy Cow !!! it was amazing. went from super tarnished to looking brand new in a matter of seconds.
Thank you for sharing this with everyone. Will use it alot i’m sure 🙂
yes fantastic – i do this all the time but use electric soda and boiling water of course in a metal dish with aluminium foil underneath.
I have just tried this silver tip and was amazed at the result. Wish I’d done this before I bought the silver cleaner. Love it.
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So this is safe for my Tiffany & co.?
Thank you for this video! You saved my jewelry, and my wallet 😉 I even tried the solution on gold earrings, and they’re shinier than ever!
Great And affordable thank you
DONT DO THIS! It was only a temporary solution. Everything tarnished far more quickly after I did this….expensive and inexpensive pieces alike. Now I wish I’d just taken my Tiffany jewelry to the store and had it professionally polished. That’s what I get for thinking natural is always better. It’s not!
This worked perfectly on my silver chain necklace. Thank you!
Leave the vinegar out of the mix, the soda,salt,aluminum foil, and hot water works by its self. It is the vinegar that messes up the plated silver. Just make sure the whole piece is submerged or you will have water lines that won’t go away. I saw this on Mr Rodgers neighborhood when my nephew was younger, he is 22 now and I still clean my silver this way.
For storage I use small ziplock bags for each piece of jewelry and put them in a air tight food storage container. It is the air that causes tarnish. Pieces sitting out I just toss in the bath tub lined with foil, soda, salt and hot water every 3 months or so. As long as the pieces are touching the aluminum foil the tarnish will vanish.
PleasE give me the amounts of soda,salt.Thank you
Hi Melissa, please let me know whether you have a solution for cleaning stainless steal cutlery that have become dark, mainly the spoons. I have been cleaning them in the washing machine for years, but recently the color of the spoons have changed to a dark color. Many thanks
THANKS! IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM ON MY SILVERPLATE SILVERWARE.
Thank you Melissa !!!
This method is not recommended for plated silver. It removes the plate too fast. It will work but it removes the silver plate and can ruin your piece. So unless you want to resilver your heirlooms it is suggested you use proper products for these items. Silver jewelry is usually solid silver but things like tea pots and salt and pepper shakers are usually silver plated.
I was looking for a way to clean a sterling silver serving container and a stand for it. I wanted it to be a home made solution and you did that in spades. I will check your site your answers to my cleaning issues from now in. Thank you.
Im an engineering student and we’re etching a pcb. I accidentally touched the tissue with some ferric chloride and then my silver loses its shine. Will this work? And oh! Will it go its original color?
I have wild animals in siver.and they were black. I thought I would never get them to all there glory. I tried your remedy and I can say they are restored to beautiful silver, thank you very much.
Worked beautifully on a silver bracelet. Thanks!
I had a silver snake chain which was completely black. I had tried numerous brand name silver cleaners with no success. Then I tried this and to my amazement, it worked. Thank you Melissa! The only thing I would do differently next time would be to use a flat bottomed dish so the chain could be laid flat. Brilliant!
???? Hi Mellissa
I watched your video and you didn’t mention jewelry with gemstones. Specifically Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is what I want to clean. Please give me advice.
Aloha,
Barbara Hanson
How long does it last?
I tried it on my Tiffany Jewlery. Looks great!! Thanks!
The problem is it takes off all the tarnish and the patina which on old silver pieces and silverware for the table are part of the value. Don’t use this method on valuable pieces or antique pieces, you will destroy them, and render them worthless except as silver metal. Sometimes you just have to use the old long method and then keep the stuff in silver bags or buff the pieces regularly to keep them up. New jewelry will respond to this but any dark areas in the ornamentation will be lost.
I have been looking for a homemade remedy for cleaning silver. Your method looks like a
great idea. I have some silver plated flatware and would like to know if I can clean it with
your recipe.
Don’t do it. Using this method on flatware or serving pieces removes the patina and darkness in the groves of the design making the pieces lose all character. Use for simple jewelry pieces alone.
I’m a guy who collects silver and I like it. I’ll use this on my melt drops and ingots. Thank you very much.
thanks Melissa , I am going to try it , what if I used apple cider vinegar ?
For how long do you need to put the silvwr in the solution?
THIS TRULY WORKED LIKE A CHARM. MY PIECES WERE DARK AND DIRTY…THIS SOLUTION DID AN AMAZING J0B. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I have a silver ring from James Avery that was completely black from tarnish. I just tried this homemade trick, and my ring looks completely brand new! I also have a necklace with a silver chain and a citrine stone that is also tarnished, but I didn’t put it in because I didn’t know how if the stone would be damaged. Try this it really does work!
i tried it on my silver statues the tarnish vanished but then i boiled the statues in the same solution they have turned grey n dull. i made a fresh solution n dipped again n no chane they r still grey n dull.
You’re not supposed to boil them in it just place them gently in the water after its been taken off the stove and in the bowl. You might have removed too much of the silver coating as this can be rough on items not solid pure silvers.
If i don’t have tin-foil what is the other option?
I looked everywhere and couldn’t not find tin foil. All I could find is aluminum foil.
What?! Omg it’s the same thing
Hi tin foil and aluminum foil is the same thing.
Tin foil is just another name for aluminum foil 😉
Brilliant – worked perfectly on a necklace and chain I wore in a spa pool and turned black !!!
If I knew you, I’d hug you! Thank you so much! My boyfriend gave me this beautiful silver ring and the tarnish on it was starting to worry me! I tried this and bam! It all disappeared! Thank you! VERY helpful!
An old favourite. Here’s the add-on; wrap the sliver in black tissue paper and it stays clean if you plan to no use it for a while.
one thing about this method it should only be used once in a while because it can take the protective barrier off and cause pitting so only use it once in a while also the chemical make up of the solution can be bad for your health so use cation
Silver plate came off the bits that touched the foil. *sad face* now it looks almost marbled. Tried traditional silver polish and all I can see is brass poking through the silver. Beware. I’ll be looking to get them re silvered. Worked well on the sterling jewellery.
Worked awesome for me and the 3 silver rings my husband have me. I went to clean them in jewelery cleaner and they immediately turned black. I was horrified. I found your recipe and they are back to normal.
Thankful
It works like magic but there are still a few stubborn bits that won’t go silver so do you do it again?
I just did this on two 40 year old heavy silver bangle bracelets I just could not get clean. all I can say is WOW. The minute I dipped the bracelet in the solution it literally changed. I had to strategically do it because one of the bracelets has stones on the top, its actually a cougar head with sapphires and I didn’t want to get it in the solution. However, inside and out it looks like I just bought it! Thank you so much, I want to pass the bracelet along to my future step daughter on my wedding day so I can’t be more grateful!
Very helpful. Loose the annoying music.
This is a great recipe , I use it all the time and pass it on to all my friends. Thank-you
Did it really work? I have a Pandora bracelet and a charm bracelet I forgot to take off while cleaning the bathroom and now they are both black. I think the are both ruined? Is this a true comment??
Bo, Pandora doesn’t recommend using silver cleaner on their jewelry. Most pandora stores have a cleaner supplied by Pandora that works sort of like a rock tumbler to remove the tarnish and polish your bracelet. Most stores will do this for free! I work at a jewelry store, just sharing the knowledge I’ve aquired
THIS IS AMAZING!!!
I went swimming in a hot mineral pool amd it ruined my jewellery.
I used this and its made them brand new again
Thank you so much!
is this ok to use if there are gemstones on the jewelry?
I just tried this on a silver platter that was severely tarnished. I’m so glad I did and sure I saved some money. Worked amazing! Thanks!
How would you clean a silver jewelry box? It’s velvet lined, so definitely don’t want to submerge it…
Is it possible to clean gold jewellery the same way?
Just tried it on my silver bracet and it worked, much. 100 x better than the goldsmiths silver dip.
I dropped a ring into this mix and the effect was instant! I pulled it out within a minute and didn’t even have to polish. Didn’t work as quickly for the other jewellery but still very impressed 🙂
really effective,…….i tried it. and it worked, i think its great!!! thx for the idea
This worked on my very tarnished silver jewelry. But i omitted the vinegar and it still worked great!
Don’t ever clean silver coins. Doing so will lower any collector value dramatically. My husband is a numismatist and has been dealing rare coins for over 10 years now, it’s a family legacy passed down from his father. The biggest mistake people make is cleaning coins.
Great Tip, thanks.
OMG! DO NOT use this method on sliver plate! I wish I’d read all the comments first!
I have just RUINED a client’s Victorian teapot (I’m a housekeeper) – the silver plate bubbled & began to flake off! – a costly experiment for me as I now have to have it renovated & re-plated!
Thank You for this info. I didn’t notice that I couldn’t do this so I considered trying it on my gold plate. Now I know better.
I have just tried it with normal vinegar (brownish), baking soda and salt.
No tinfoil, no water.
I mixed baking soda and solt in a bowl with a little vinegar, let it for 3 hours (I don’t know if it was ready earlier) and then washed it with liquid soap. my silver plated chain is shining again.
sorry, I made a typo. solt = salt ^_^
Great vid, will try it and let you know
Does this work for sterling silver rings?
AWESOME!! IT REALLY DOES WORK! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE HELP, KIM
i just got a lovely silver ring from my wife and it got blackened when i went for a dive in the pool (ooops moment!). Let me try this out today! God bless your soul for this article :):)
And, do you mean the usual “aluminium foil” we use for wrapping stuffs up (like sandwiches), when you say tinfoil or its actually TIN foil (coz i cant seem to find any TIN foil around).
Yes, same thing. Just another name for it in some places. Eg. Soda vs. pop, rubberband vs. gumband, etc. 😉
Dollar stoare have tin foil sheets
I think it’s great! I have large serving pieces ie coffee pot about 15 “” high, silver tray, 20″ long and cassarole dish and lid. What kind of a vessel would do them?
I use the bathtub. It works great!
Soo thank you,i have a lots of silver melissa i ddnt use for many years because im lazy to tarnish it and couldnt find the best cleaning chemical. ♡♡♡♡
Thank you, Melissa. Simple and effective!
How about silver cutlery?
It works! Thanks a lot! I can wear my favourite earrings again!
Worked like a charm! Thank you!
its awesome
Your tip is wonderful…I lost my favorite charm down a bathroom drain and by the time I found it and got the charm out it was so badly tarnished and ruined. I tried everything to clean it, nothing worked. In 5 minutes using your recipe it looked awesome. Thank you!!!
first time viewer and loved the silverware cleaning tips. Look forward to new ideas
If I had larger pieces do I still use the same amount of baking powder ,white salt, and white vinegar with and enough water to cover the pieces. Also can I use table salt
That is Truly spectacular.bit restored a silver teapot to its glory in seconds that was black. Thank you so much.
i have a silver ring with a couple small diamonds, could this ruin them?
My husband gave me amazing silver necklace for my birthday last year and now it is covered with that tarnish coverage. I am glad to know that there is a way to clean this necklace at home with simple products! Thank you a lot for sharing!
Accidentally wore my silver earrings and necklace into the mineral springs and came out with black jewelry. I tried some silver cleaner I had with poor results, but when I used this recipie they look like new. Thank you!!!
How long is it supposed to sit in the bowl? I’m freaking out BC it looks worse than before, but its only been 5 min. Ugh idk, hope it works out!
Just wanted to get tarnish off fork tines Silverplate not sterling. Put aluminum foil salt and baking soda in bowl, added boiling water. Dipped tine end of fork in and touched the foil,. Tarnish disappeared in a second or 2 and removed the fork and rinsed and dried fork Amazing. After the first I did 3 at a time. took all of 2 minutes Also did the bowl of a coupe of spoons that needed it So it works on plate Just watch the tarnish go the take it out of the solutio
I prefer toothpaste and a toothbrush – so easy. Thanks
Hello Melissa. My name is Peta & I live in Australia. This really is the best way to clean silver, because if you use metal cleaners, some kind of abrasive suspended in some kind of fluid, what happens is you actually remove a layer of the silver. But! if you combine washing soda & vinegar there is a chemical reaction that will produce salt water. Salt water is not good for silver & counter-productive to what you want to achieve. The only reaction you need is between the baking soda & the aluminium. I promise this is correct. I have tried them all.
Hi Melissa, I am excited to try this on my silver. Did you use actual tin foil or did you use aluminum foil? Thank you.
Will this work with any aluminum vessel?
Would this work with a silver necklace with turquoise?
Can’t wait to try this. I didn’t want to buy an expensive paste and thought it would be too harsh anyway for my delicate Silpada filigree earrings
Salt scratches your beautiful jewelry! Just use the baking soda in the aluminum pan….
with hot hot water. Pat dry with a polish cloth.
Melissa, amazing!! I just cleaned a Tiffany bracket that I have won for 4 years and that was so tarnished, and I was skeptical, it has come up like brand new. Thank you.
You give excellent instructions for this process. This old, old technique works great, but never overdo it; plated silver is actually a rather thin coating, unlike solid sterling, so you don’t want to reverse-electroplate it away! Nothing is more reliable than the old-name silver creams (and don’t experiment with dangerous dips). If you use your pieces, you don’t have to continually polish them, only occasionally. For silver-plated flatware, including jewelry, unused pieces should be kept in flannel with anti-tarnish strips inside a silverware chest. Your jewelry can be just as accessible there as in a jewelry box. Don’t trust the anti-tarnish cloth in old silverware chests; it’s usually already heavily loaded with contaminants through the years, and it is worth investing in a new well-made chest for nice silver. Always keep anti-tarnish strips (3M Co.) with them. Best wishes, and teach your youngsters to care for silver properly and with respect. When you pass on, they will continue to love your pieces.
I have a lot of silver that I have to clean. Can I reheat the water/baking powder/salt mixture either on top of the stove or in a microwave and use it again?
does this work on silver plated items? I would think it would eat off the silver plate.
What do you mean by tin foil? Is it actually aluminum foil?
Great and thank you for sharing
I know i’m really late for the ‘game’, but I noticed there were several comments about keeping sterling flatware from tarnishing. I’ve 100 year old sterling pieces that look bring new! I do keep it in a flatware storage chest, which helps to keep out the air–nothing fancy, just something you’d find in any department store that sells fine china, silver, etc. When I received it from a great aunt 26 ago, I polished it once, put a sheet of aluminum foil in the case, shut it and that was it! It looks like it was bought yesterday! A matter of fact, because it is a pattern that is still available, I’ve added some serving piece over the years and you can’t tell the old from the new!
How many minutes do i leave the sterling silver in the water
Do i leave the sterling silver in the water for 5 minutes?
This is a great recipe. Instantly had ingredients at home and in 10 minutes had a clean locket I haven’t touched in 20 years!
Worked like a dream!!! Thank you so much.
whenever I tarnish my wedding rings because of cleaning, my husband uses toothpaste
I just tried this on some small antique salt spoons and the rims of the salt sellers. It removed tarnish that the commercial cleaner I have did not! I used an aluminium loaf pan instead of lining a bowl. Also worked really quickly on some silver earnings (not too badly tarnished). Good suggestion Melissa!
I just used this to polish my pandora bracelets after they were tarnished from swimming in a chlorine pool. All the tarnish has been removed and no chemicals were used! Thanks so much
I had the same issue..l. Wore my Pandora bracelet in the pool… I was so upset that I didn’t think to take it off… This mixture cleaned it better than the Pandora store did… Now that I revived it, I’ll be more careful…
Thanks for great tip.
And I think you are charming hot gorgeous girl
Very easy, but I d like to clean a silver teapot
Can’t wait to try it on my jewellery….does the same apply for a silver plated tray?
Thanks for this tip. Another page on cleaning silver gave a similar formula but with salt or baking powder as alternatives. It said that vinegar is not good for treating silver. (Wikihow.com)
Thank you for this, just cleaned up my Tiffany key ring and choker brilliantly
Worked great! I even using apple cider vinegar because that’s what I had in the house. Thanks Melissa.
works like a charm…. love it
This really worked for me. I just did it. I cleaned a Tiffany necklace that had tarnished and it looks great now. Thanks
Worked quite well on an old Pandora Bracelet my boyfriend’s co-worker gave me. She knew I love them and she said if I could restore her old one I could keep it! It doesn’t look store new but wow is it still shiny! I also placed the two charms she had on there (each with slight enamel coloring) and it cleaned those off great too! 🙂
AW, I don’t have any polishing clothes, nor microfiber other than pillow cases… unless a terry-cloth towel will do just as well?
I have a tiny star bracelet that would always turn black just after a few hours of wearing it… it probably was because my alkaline was out of balance, too. I’ve been wearing a necklace every day since a few years now and it hasn’t turned black.
I just found some rings yesterday, so I hope this works on them, they are really tarnished.
Also, I have some really old diamond necklaces that were set with tines, and I left them in Ammonia overnight and it seemed the metal turned some of the stones black… So I have no idea how to clean there, other than to bend the prongs off the diamonds and clean under… but then I have to set them all back… and I’m not sure if anything I use is going to be better or worse for the metal… I don’t think it’s silver, but then again I don’t know… I don’t see any markings on the metal.
Thank you so much for your tip, it worked a treat.
What does the formula break down to with 10 courts total?
I mistakenly wore my silver earrings, rings and necklace in a hot sufur spring and turned everything black! This trick worked!!!!!! Thank you!
can this be used on sterling silver jewelry?
Amazing and had instant results on a silver New Years salt and pepper shaker that looks like an ice bucket with champagne bottle in it. Its gorgeous once again!! Thank you and Happy New Year!!
Joyce
How does this work for sterling bowls, salt and pepper shakers, and sugar bowls? How much should I multiply the solution?
Hi Melissa. I was wondering how I could clean larger silver items, like my silver tea tray, silver tea pot and cutlery, using this recipe? Thanks so much!
I’ve got a large silver figurine. I can’t dip it. Is there a paste I can apply?
Very good well thought out step by step video. I will try it. I would like to know how I do a candlelabra???
My query is regarding the recipe. It states Tin foil. Can aluminium foil be used? I haven’t seen actual tin foil in decades. Also a warning if it has not been mentioned earlier, NEVER expose pearls to vinegar, it will dissolve them.
can this technique be used on sterling silver utensils
Thank you, Melissa. This recipe worked beautifully! I am a jewelry maker and now have a great way to restore the brightness and shine to my sterling silver supplies. I didn’t have white vinegar on hand, so used rice vinegar instead. Worked just fine.
Thanks again!
I have a silver plated baby bank with a felt bottom. How do I clean it?
Thank you so much for such a wonderful tip. From now on that is how I will clean all my silver
works great!!!!
Thanks for this nice tip… I do have items that turn yellow but my toe ring that I never remove, never changed its color nor any reaction happened… Do you know the reason why?
Good stuff, Gerri! As you know, since the end of World War II, tinfoil is no longer made. However, “tinfoil” is A lot easier to say than “aluminum foil.” Also, when I tried your cleaner, I had no baking powder in the house, so I substituted baking soda. I’m not sure weather it was less effective, but it surely did work! Thanks!
Thanks Melissa! I just tried this with a silver ring I’ve been wearing for over ten years (which really didn’t have much if any tarnish, but it looks much better now regardless; a Pandora bracelet full of charms that tarnished almost the minute I got it home, and a Paloma Picasso double heart infinity ring I got from my husband 7 years ago as a promise ring! It was black, and now it’s as perfect as it was when we picked it up at Tiffany’s! I can’t wait to attack my mother’s jewelry now 🙂
Thank you so much for this tip! I am currently living in a country that produces a lot of silver jewelry for for reasonable prices. I love it! The problem is, good jewelry cleaner is very hard to find. I am so pleased to find this method of cleaning. Thanks!
Leave out the vinegar, as vinegar and baking soda will neutralize each other
Any suggestions for a large jewellery box? I have one that looks like a big treasure chest, about the size of a bread box, and it’s looking sad. I can’t immerse it in a mix so I’m not sure what to do to make it silvery and shine again. Help?
any suggestions if I don’t have any baking soda?
I have tried so many different thingsfor cleaning silver, some work but are a lot of work and messy. This is amazing !!! Thank You Thank You .
I’ve been using this methods since…always, and I’m 57 🙂
Never though used with tin foil and vinegar. Just warm water and baking soda works on any jewelry. Salt is not necessary as baking soda it is a salt. Vinegar may attack as silver is in alloy with copper, to make it stronger, and as we know copper easily tarnishes. Probably your skin darkens because the reaction to copper, your prespiration is very acidic and makes the copper go dark. I would recommend :stay away fro vinegar in this situation.
I also succesfully use tooth paste and a brush to clean my jewlery, when I’m out of backing soda. Works wonders as well.
Brilliant! another great use for bi carb. Thank you!
OMG! I use to do this 35 years ago but forgot the “combination”. I think I learned in high school chem class. I had long stopped looking for the “how to”; the people I asked thought I was crazy. Than you!
This was amazing I used it to clean my Pandora bracelet and charms and it worded really well!! Thank you!!
I’d lIke to do villeroy and Boch candlesticks and 3 tier high tea setting. How would the aluminium foil work in? Can I just make a huge mixture up in the laundry tub and soak them for s day?
hi! so, how long will we put the jewelry in the mixture?
I do not recommend the vinegar. The acetic acid (vinegar) reacts with the sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to form carbon dioxide gas (which bubbles out), sodium (salt) and water. Salt and baking soda is all one needs for this chemical reaction to occure.
I was wondering what the foil does. .I’ve used this same recipe, however it didn’t call for foil
Does this harm the silver? …even after several cleanings?
Have just ruined sterling silver earrings by dipping them into commercial silver cleaning product along with other pieces. Used this dipping product with success for a few specific dangling curved silver pendant pieces nearly impossible to clean with silver paste. This time earrings came out corroded, other pieces were fine. Will follow your method from now on.Can you suggest how to remove corrosion? Many thanks, Jeri
I have been using this method for yrs. Ever since my boyfriend bless his heart gave me his Mom’s store bought Jewelry cleaner with the best of intentions of course because I had a whole bunch of silver jewelery that tarnished and some even turned a pinkish hue. and I wasn’t wearing them either ! Some tarnished because of oxygenation being exposed to the air. and some from wearing the jewelry. He meant well but the stuff his Mom had made the tarinsh worse! So I did some research on the best cheapest no harm to the environment solution to clean my silver and this was the ticket..I’ve never looked back and definitely have NO regrets..Don’t waste your money on that store bought stuff when for pennies you can make this and not hurt the environment and I promise you beautiful results each and every time!! I am cleaning some jewelry as we speak! Happy cleaning !
Did work! Thanks so much for sharing!
I do this all the time. You don’t even need the salt or vinegar. It’s a chemical reaction between the foil and soda.
If you want a bigger quantity can you double or triple the ingredients? I have a silver tray & two goblets that are very tarnished.
Followed exAptly but did little for silver spoons, rings, or chains.
I wasn’t too sure as they still looked kind dingy but once I start rubbing them dry it all came off and they’re sparkly again! yay! I read somewhere to toss a few of those moisture absorbing packets that come in medicine bottles etc., in your jewellery box to slow the tarnishing down …now that they’re clean I wanna keep them that way 🙂
Thank you! That’s the recipe I lost. It is always successful!
Hey I am very greatful Melissa for you’re tip. I purchased 4 silver goblets and forgot to go to the store. I then googled and thought you sounded the best. I had awesome results and appreciated your help. I say if people are on this site for more then advice then they are #@$##@
I hope this works. Bought silver tray from “as see on tv” at least 10 years ago. Worked wonderful. Now I cannot find tray anywhere. Crossing fingers.
Absolute fantastic – magic before your eyes thankyou Melissa Maker
FANTASTIC!!
IT WORKS!!!
Thanks for the tip! i’ll try that
Thank you, I just tried this idea on a pair of earrings and it worked really well. Wanted to wear them but did not have any silver cleaner. Thank You again 🙂
This destroyed my Pandora! All real charms, all silver but I also had a pandora glass bead in there too. The formula left the outer varnish of the glass bead dull (had the texture and appearance of sea glass) and removed all of the black enamel/paint on all of the charms that had it (panda, hand, equestrian pendant charm etc.) This method works on pure silver jewellery however, I do NOT recommend it for a Pandora charm bracelet or any other similar piece of jewellery with anything other than silver on it.
This method sadly completely destroyed the remaining silver tone on my costume silver earrings. Polishing them didn’t make them worse, but trying them in this solution certainly did. Nice idea, bad move on my part.
GREAT TIP! I WILL TRY THIS!
It still amazes me that, even with the answer to just about everything at our fingertips, people still don’t check to see if what they think they know is true.
you can also brush the silver with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste. Works like a charm!
Amazing, easy, efficient! Thank you.
can i use something in place of the viniger??
I have tall candlesticks I want to do with this method – does the whole candlestick have to touch the aluminum foil, or only part of it?
Wow, it’s sad how hateful some people can be : (
Thanks for sharing this Melissa, going to give it a try
Didn’t work for me at all, even though I closely followed the instructions.
Thanks Melissa for the hint, in fact you saved me, I was told to use hydrochloric acid – I don’t know what would have happen ?
Thanks again
Occording to comments submitted, some have no success and others are amazed at how fabulous it works. I think I have accidently discovered why it works for some and not for others..I had five batches of silver to clean, but only enough foil to do four. For the fifth batch I used Reynold’s Wrap, which didn’t create rhe chemical reation necessary to do the job. According to me, Reynold’s Wrap is an excellent product, but not for cleaning silver.
I tried this with my silver jewelry and the results were amazing. Thanks for sharing this!
It worked okay, but I tried the toothpaste method right after, and that went so much better. My jewelry is shinier than ever!
Just tried your silver cleaning method omg it’s amazing
Hi, Am I able to use this with jewellery that also contain stainless steel such as watches and necklaces with steel parts?
Thank you!
Fab tip , tried this on my silver rings and they came up like new .
Amazing and thank you for sharing.
how would you clean silver on a saddle
Melissa, Why do I keep getting the same email over and over telling me about the silver cleaning trick. I got it and I know how to do it now. Stop with the emails unless you send something new and interesting. You do have wonderful ideas let me hear some new ones. The Tension rods is a great idea. Thank you
Marian Scheerer
Thank you!!! By far, this combination has shown the best results (I used it on a very tarnished Tiffany necklace I’ve had for over 10 years), and also your tutorial was so simple, basic and all the ingredients needed were basic household products!
I have just posted a before and after picture and posted it on Facebook, instagram and twitter. I really only post and promote products and ideas that are worth posting!
I am glad I stumbled across your website and I will be an avid follower!
Thank you,
Kassy Klunker
Omg it worked wonderfully
Not only have you cleaned your silver in record time but you have actually removed a fine layer of it in the process. Go into Birks or Tiffany’s, tell the sales associate how you clean your silver and watch their reaction. Toothpaste and a toothbrush can leave fine scratches on sterling. Use a silver paste, a soft cloth and elbow grease – cleaning your silver this way and using it regularly is what creates a lovely patina over time.
What can i use instead of a microfiber cloth…
did not work at all …for my jewelry or my tea service
would it still wirk witout vinegar
can you use this on sterling silver ring that has stones on it. I have a diamond accent ring that’s sterling silver….I dont want to ruin the diamonds
Hoe do I clean my silver tuba?
Thanks I have so much silver and the chemical dips just don’t make them shiny like new.
Thank you Melissa! I love all your cleaning tips, as cleaning is NOT my fave thing to spend my time doing!
Cool! I’ll try this on silver cutlery. If it’s simple and natural and cheap, I love it!
Just tried this on a 20 year-old bracelet gifted to me by an aunt. It’s all the way from Hawaii – the other side of the world from me so very special. It’s a link of little flowers which are very faceted and thus no flat surfaces; very challenging! It is hard to polish as it has many jagged edges. This method worked about 80% – it will I suspect never look as beautiful as it once did but is definitely wearable now, so thank you very much x
I discovered a silver cleaning miracle my son had turn his necklace black in a hot tub and nothing including your tip worked so I was looking for an old toothbrush under the sink and found a magic eraser and thought hmmm what do I have to lose I wish I took pictures because now his necklace looks brand new again
Quite the most convenient,and opportune common househeld items method I have managed to find yet!
*»~{Thankyou}~«*
toothpaste, my friends. it really works.
I have done it twice and didn’t get you wonderful results. went to the store and purchased more vinegar and thinking hmmmmmmmmm.
I am going to do this. But I also have pearls and sterling silver together. Do you think this will ruin the pearls?
I was out of baking soda so substituted baking powder and it worked also:)
I just did this on some old silver rings, a bracelet, and a couple of pendants. I really worked! Thanks.
this is amazing! as soon as i dropped my jewelry in it worked, i didnt even need to rub it off with a cloth. thanks!
I have a silver tiffanys picture frame. Would this solution work for it? If so how would I apply it? I assume I don’t put the picture frame in the bowl. Thanks.
Can the mixture be saved in a container and reused? It worked great for me! Thanks for the tip!
worked beautifully for me!!! 🙂
I’ve had a very large, beautifully ornate Mexican tin framed mirror for about 30 years. It has a nice patina now, however I am wanting to restore it to it’s original shine. Is this process what you would recommend? I don’t want to start anything unless I am confident it will work. It is nice the way it is, but would like a different look.
Will aluminum foil work or does it have to be tin foil?
You are my object of adoration tonight. Just before she died, my stephmom taught me half of your recepe, which worked better than the shopshelf insults they offer us as the only available remedies. I’ve got lots of stuff (delapetated, but still beautiful), that has had to go green for fear of developing tennis-elbow. Will report back in about 3 hours, but there might be some electron-exchange between the tinfoil, the salts and water combination, somewhat like a stovetop-battery (almost identical ingredients minus water and using dry heat). That could just maybe make you consider getting yourself a piece of paper that says ‘pattent’ at the top. Just an idear…Rub the word ‘scientist’ in their faces.
Teehee! Just remember to stress you use the word ‘tinfoil’, as it just sounds better and you couldn’t choose between the American “aluminum” and the otherwise used variation “aluminium”. -I also grew up with it being called tinfoil. Wonder what the original looked and felt like? Lost in history…
Can it be used on SILVER PLATED ? Ty great video
cool going to try it today just got about 500 pieces of old silver jewelry that was in a barn for years and going to clean it today!!! TY for the tip
Love this, thanks for the tip.
A really good idea fir cleaning silver….going to give it a try!!! thanks so much
How long should I leave my items in the mixture for? Just until the tarnish fully disappears?
Thank you ! Too easy and the ingredients are in my kitchen 🙂
Absolutely incredible! I did a ss necklace and pendant that was almost black. I cannot believe the results! Fantastic…thank you!! John
WOW!!! This really works!! I have 3 necklaces and 5 pairs of earrings I hadn’t worn in years. This cleaned them up like new. I will use this method on a regular basis. It’s like I have a new collection of jewelry. Thanks Melissa.
I have been looking for this FOREVER! Back in the 80’s there was “Silver Lightning”.. A guy was doing the “But wait! If you buy in the next..” adds for this “mat” that cleaned SILVER. All you had to add was “White Viniger, Bakeing Soda, Hot Water & Salt.. They Foiled him (pun intended) by doing the same process on TIN FOIL!
I am so glad that you posted this! I have everything I need, I just forgot if it was cold water or hot!
I’m impressed. Do you recommend I do the same procedure to clean a large silver casserole?
Just found 2 baby spoons last night that are keepsakes but a few black spots on each… Have tried toothpaste, jewelry cleaner without ammonia, silver cleaner and nothing seems to get the spots off. I do not want to ruin these, so not trying baking soda solution because of warnings. What should I do ???
Worked for me!! R
evived a necklace, several rings, earrrings, and antique silver set! It seems to work best in the first 5-10 minutes. Thanks so much!!
Dear Melissa Thanks for being willing to share your many ideas on cleaning most anything. What has got me is what we have in common ; CLEANING. I am going on 70 living on an island called Phuket in Thailand. I recently gave up a 21 year secong hand store where I was totally sucsesvle simple because Ilov bying oh peoples dirty unkept whatver and applied a bit of love and cleaning. By the way I am a Virgo born in the month of September better known as clean freaks. I want to know everthing about you and your love or gift. I would love to offer this service here. Help me. Frank
Wow, so happy!!!!!!!!!! All of my silver looks sparkling and new 🙂
this did not help my ring
I have a silver mirror to clean. Will this clean the silver without damaging the Mirror?
I went to Tiffany’s today to get my (5) silver pieces cleaned. They told me it would cost $20 for each piece. I was shocked, so I decided to just get one cleaned. I was not going to pay $100 for cleaning jewelry! Then I found this article and immediately tried it! It WORKED and for less than $2 since I had everything needed. The jewelry’s tarnish disappeared right before my eyes! It was so amazing! Thank you for sharing this super helpful way to clean silver jewelry. I will definitely be using this technique in the future!
Thanks! Quick, easy and cheap!
Thanks Melissa, Yours if the first one I looked at and I am not looking any more ! You sold me, I like that you used things we all have on hand or can get at the local $$ Tree.. thanks for sharing, 🙂
I can’t believe that it really worked… thanks so much!! All I wear is silver and have been missing one of my favorite necklaces because it became so tarnished. I spent money on silver cleaners that didn’t work…so I ran across this and thought what do I have to lose… and now I have gained back my favorite necklace that I haven’t worn in over three years!!! Thank you so much!!!
Can you clean real diamonds with this? I have a silver charm with a real tanzanite gem in it. Can I clean it this way without messing up the gem?
I have a beautiful Navajo squash blossom that’s a family heirloom. Is this OK to use on turquoise?
How does this work on silver coins – both new issue and old? Will it work just as well, or will it damage the coin? Thanks so much – Leo – Oh, last comment – do you have any recommendations on cleaning copper or gold coins without damaging them?
CLR Remover (available at Home Depot) works great on cleaning copper coins. You just need to soak them in the CLR and all the tarnish will come off.
Great! I will try yo do it!
Thanks a lot!
Melissa, your formula in incorrect. When you combine vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), the result is a violent reaction that produces carbon dioxide, which boils off in the form of gas, leaving a chemical, near neutral solution of water, depending on the proportions of vinegar and baking soda, http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicalreactions/f/What-Is-The-Equation-For-The-Reaction-Between-Baking-Soda-And-Vinegar.htm
In your video your solution does not react when you added vinegar to the solution, which defies the chemical formula. Something is not correct.
This just saved me a ton of money!!! I put my husbands necklace and mine in a jewelry cleaner ( I had done this before) For some reason it turned them yellow/black I was so upset I only had mine less than a year and paid a lot for it, found this and tried it and it worked instantly!! Thanks so so much!!!! Everyone try this it works miracles!!
I have found some large pieces off silverware dateing back 1800s tea pots serving trays salt and pepper shakers candle sticks holders and so on these were inside the roof off the house we brought after been in the house 10 years we had some work done inside the roof some are to big to fit in a bucket any idears what I can do ty
How do you store after cleaning to maintain?
Thanks Diana
Good job. Another way of cleaning silver is toothpaste. Damp a cotton ball with warm water then add toothpaste on it. Rub on the silver piece then wash the piece of silver in cold water. Will shine as a brand new silver piece.
I have always stored my large serving pieces covered with Saran Wrap or cling wrap–keep them air tight when stored and you can bring them out to use when needed and they will stay beautiful like the day you put them away. A trick my Mom taught me. Good luck!
would this work on a ring that has a stone with out ruining it
can i use any kind of cloth? cause i dont own any micro cloths
will it work on all silver stuff?
Awesome!!!
I used what I had on hand, which included Apple Cider Vinegar, rather White Vinegar…it worked!!!
This is amazing. I had a certificate holder and the results shocked me.
Wow! You are a lifesaver! In Brighton UK – silver for sale everywhere but no one sells silver polish. Just tried it – it works! Fantastic! Thank you. Lou
Thank you so much for the detailed instructions and the awesome video! I just polished my tarnished silverware, which I use as my everyday ware and it turned out stunning! I had tried, what I thought, was the same method years ago and it didn’t work. Your video makes this dead simple. And I thought I was going to be polishing this stuff the old fashioned way with harsh smelly solutions that would take me at least an hour and all the mess. OMG you just simplified my life!
it worked! I am so happy with the results!
Amazing !! People take note – this really works !! Thank you Melissa !
This was great and easy to do!!! Awesome got my special ring shinny again!!! Thank you!!
Absolutey amazing! I bought a few pieces of James Avery sterling silver on Ebay and they were in desperate need of cleaning. Now I can wear them and enjoy the shine because they look brand new. Thank you so very much for posting this. I love the cleaning solution.
I just tried this method and I am totally amazed. This worked like a champ!! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this! I saw a difference only 1 min after putting it in the mixture. Now my bracelet is good as new! btw, the gems in it are perfectly fine. 🙂
Thank you
I do this with my silverware for holidays about a week or 2 before Thanksgiving and it lasts till Christmas.
OMG I just tried this on a vintage sterling ring and earrings that were very tarnished and voila…good as new! Thank you so much!
Will definitely try the silver cleaning suggestion. Thanks.
fantarnish great!
Does this last? I’ve tried so many tips and cleaners. It all comes out that beautiful, but starts tarnishing again within a couple of days.
Tina, I haven’t tried it but know those things work. What works best for me is baking soda – mix it with water to make a paste, rub it and rinse. It’s a great recipe but you have to do the rubbing. I liked this idea here because you don’t have to rub it.
Thanks s much for the awesome tips. I was wondering if this will ruin freshwater pearls or not. Thanks so much
jim
worked great for me thank you
Great tip using it now can already see a difference !
I tried the above method to clean an old large silver piece, However, I have a cream & sugar set that is lined with brass or gold or ? Not sure. Can I use this method to clean them as well or will it damage the interior of the items?
Hello Kat
Works like a charm, English saying,.thanks
So would this work on silver flatware?
Totally worked on my silver ware, turned out just great!
I found very old silver plated tea set in my gramma’s house and cleaned it in 15 minutes I only regret didn’t take a before and after picture. Unbelievable’ my sister wanted to pitch it,can’t wait to show her. It’s mine now !!
I have a gold over silver necklace that tarnished- Will I be able to use the same thing to clean it or will I damage the coating
Thank you sooo very much!!! I’ve got tons of silver tarnished to a barely recognizable darkness. Polishing with cloth did wonders, but takes long & makes my finger all gray too! Love you, for sharing your valuable tip without costing any, when so many are for bucks!
Good luck finding “tin foil” they stopped making it after WWII it’s Aluminum now
I have a picture frame that I need to clean but it has wood on the back. how can I go about cleaning it?
Hi Do you know if this can used on Silver plated jewellery?? We sell lots of silver plated jewellery in the UK (and Worldwide) and this would be a great website to send our customers to for cleaning info 🙂
This worked, but I read that vinegar and salt will corrode/rust sterling silver. Is this method of cleaning sterling silver then a possible cause of corrosion?
Fiona: If vinegar and salt were so bad for silver, you couldn’t eat food with real silver! A few minutes of contact shouldn’t hurt solid silver, and then you rinse thoroughly with clean water to get all of the solution off.
Thank you. I had a coffee/tea set to clean and it was too easy.
[…] doing a Google deep dive, I discovered I am not a bad person, found this site and decided to give it a try. SPOILER ALERT – it is the best-kept silver cleaning secret […]
Thank you for this! I tried it today on some SS pieces, one of them a brushed SS necklace with a brown-reddish tarnish and it came right off without doing the polishing! I didn’t expect it to work that well. My other pieces are now nice n’ shiny after polishing them. I’m doing this from now on!
I just tried this, it worked quickly and perfection in under 60 secs on my Tiffany’s Necklace ! So happy I can save $25 by doing it myself. Thank you for sharing.