Silver is one of the most preferred materials for making jewellery all over the world, and there’s a bunch of reasons for that:
- Silver is bright and sparkling material and it’s cheaper than gold or platinum.
- It’s also widely available and there are many different beautiful things made of silver you can choose from!
- It makes fantastic gifts for family, friends, partners, kids, even for yourself !
However, one of the downsides of silver jewellery is that it needs to be cleaned regularly.
The standard 925 Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, to make it sturdier and increase the bending a bit (while it also prolongs the life of your jewelry). It is a natural reaction for your silver jewelry to tarnish over time due to daily use, especially when you use products such as perfumes, shampoos, gels or other cleaning products while wearing them.
SO LETS’S SEE HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MAGIC SILVER CLEANER?
LIST OF SUPPLIES AND INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
flat pan covered in foil with the shiny side up
boiling water: 1 cup
vinegar: 1/2 cup
baking soda: 1 tablespoon
salt: 1 tablespoon
In a separate pan or bowl, mix 1 cup boiling water, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Stir well, until the salt and baking soda dissolve.
Pour the mixture over your jewelry, and make sure each piece is in contact with the aluminium foil.
Slowly pour the vinegar into the pan (carefully, it will bubble) and watch the bubbles do all the work for you, to transfer all the oxidation from your silver jewelry to the foil.
Let it react for 5 to 15 minutes, then use pliers to lift out the jewelry. Rinse with water and wipe off any remaining stains with a piece of kitchen paper towel. Then dry it well with a soft cloth. Voila! Have fun wearing your beautiful clean jewelry!
MORE WAYS TO CLEAN SILVER
Many other small utensils stored in bathroom and kitchen drawers can be utilized if the goal is to clean the silver at home. And here’s some other household items that can be used to polish silver:
1. Polish Silver with Ketchup
For extra sheen, try cleaning silver with ketchup. The condiment can be used as a paste to polish tarnished metals including brass and silver. Put a small amount onto a paper towel and gently rub through the blackened areas. As it is a slower reaction, leave the ketchup on it for 15 minutes, before rubbing it with a soft cloth and then rinse with clean water. Objects that have ribbed parts, can be cleaned with a toothbrush.
2. Restore Shine to Silver with Toothpaste
Cleaning silver with toothpaste can also produce sparkling results.
Use a piece of paper towel or soft cloth, and rub the jewelry evenly with the toothpase. Wipe with a clean paper towel, rinse, and then dry the silver thoroughly. Renewal is complete! Don't use toothpaste on silver-plated items, as it can corrode the finish.
(Silver milgrain vintage earrings)
ADVICE FOR LONG-LASTING STERLING SILVER JEWELRY PIECES
1. CLEAN REGULARLY – PUT THE MAGIC SILVER CLEANER INTO ACTION
Regular cleaning of your silverware will prolong its life for a lifetime and more. And it doesn’t need to be hard work and involve enormous efforts. Nope!
Just make a batch of the Magic silver cleaner and get your silver pieces sparkling clean with pretty much no effort.
2. KEEP AWAY FROM WATER
A good rule of thumb to follow with any jewelry, not only silver, is that you should keep them away from water.
If you’re wearing rings, an occasional washing of your hands, while you’re wearing your treasures is not an issue. But wearing them in the shower, or the pool, or in the hot tub – that’s a “Noooo”-
3. STORE YOUR SILVER PROPERLY
As I know you like spending time on Pinterest, I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of ways to store jewelry around your house: on doors, on DIY hook hangers, on clothes hangers, etc. But there’s a downside to all of these ideas. They keep your treasures uncovered. This means that your silver will be constantly exposed to dust and other dirt.
This means more maintenance. More frequent uses of the magic silver cleaner will be required to keep it clean.
Silver jewelry does best when it’s stored in a jewelry box lined with felt. The felt helps absorb excess moisture and prevent premature tarnishing.
When storing, keep silver in a dry, cool spot and give delicate pieces some space so they aren't prone to running into one another.
For some large pieces, it might be best to keep them stored separately inside a felt pouch or wrapped in a silver polishing cloth to limit exposure to the air. In this case, you’ll have to remember what you have and make a conscious choice to wear it.
Even with proper storage, silver jewelry will require regular polishing at least twice a year to remove tarnish.
Don’t overpolish silver jewelry because this can also cause damage.
It is advisable to keep the silver in a cool, dry place, as high humidity promotes dirt.
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