Silver is a common semi-precious metal that many people have in their homes whether it is ornaments, jewellery, or even eating utensils, most homes will have something silver in them. Although the metal can be very hard wearing and durable, it can tarnish over time which leaves the metal looking dull and lacklustre. There are many polishes that you can purchase which will have your silver items looking like new again, but there are also many items that you may already have in your home that can be used to bring back the shine as well. You can read some of the methods that people around the world use on informative guides online, and below are some highlights along with our recommendations on how to care for antique silver.
A Professional Cleaning Service
If you have a lot of silver, or if you have silver jewellery that also includes gemstones, then one of the best ways to clean things such as silver antiques is to use the services of a professional company. When using chemicals to clean jewellery that has gemstones, some of the chemicals can affect the gemstones and leave them lacklustre and without their sparkle. A professional jeweller will be able to get any variety of silver product, whether it is sterling or silver plated, shining brightly in no time at all. You will also have the assurance that when using a professional company that they will rectify any damage that they cause to your silver items, which takes the pressure off you.
Clean Your Silver Yourself
As mentioned previously, there are many products available to purchase on the market that can help you to keep your silver clean and shining brightly. As well as buying some silver polish, you will also need to have a soft rag, preferably made from cotton, to clean and buff your silver. You may need to wash some of the grime off before using the polish and allow the item to dry completely before applying the polish. Once applied, you will need to let the polish sit for a few minutes before you can rub it off. How quickly the shine comes back may be a surprise to you, but with a little elbow grease, you can get your silver shining in no time at all.
Be Careful With Home Remedies
If you read the article on the Readers Digest website, you will have seen that there are many items you will have in your cupboards that can be used to clean silver. Some of these items may be surprising, and they include things such as;
- Ketchup
- Aluminium Foil
- Baking Soda
- Toothpaste
- Window Cleaner
- Ammonia
- And much more besides ….
Although a lot of the products that they mention do work to a varying degree, you can also end up damaging your silver and tarnishing it forever if you are not careful. Always make sure that you do a spot test first and look at the results before using any of the home remedies on your precious silver.
In all honesty, you will be much better purchasing a recognised silver cleaning product than smearing ketchup all over your silver jewellery, and it is also a lot less sticky! Failing that, take your silver to your local jeweller, and they will be happy to clean this for you for a reasonable price. If you take good care of your silver, you can rest assured that it will be shining bright for many years to come.
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