How to clean silver

Silver is one of those materials that loses its shine over the years. So, if you have silver ornaments, utensils or showpieces that needs polishing and want to do cleansing at home, here are two easy methods that gave me good results.

Method 1: Using toothpaste/toothpowder

• Apply toothpaste all over the silver object.
• Leave it for 2 minutes
• Wipe it with a soft cotton cloth by applying little pressure.
• You will notice that the cotton has absorbed dirt accumulated on the silver.
• Please do not leave the paste on the silver for more than 2 minutes else the metal may catch a greenish color and you will need to redo the entire procedure.
• If stains still remain, apply the toothpaste and rub it with a cotton cloth on those areas and repeat the procedure.
• Once the metal is stain free, wash it with plain water and let it dry.

Here I had used ‘Colgate’ toothpaste. Instead of toothpaste, you can use toothpowder by adding a few drops of water to it.

You can see below the difference in the silver idol before and after the cleansing.

Method 2: Using aluminum foil

• Take a steel/aluminum bowl and cover its inner portion with aluminum foil including its edges.
• Keep silver items in a bowl.
• Heat water on a gas and add some detergent powder in it.
• Once water starts boiling, switch off the gas and pour the water into the bowl.
• All the silver items should be submerged in the water.
• After 2-3 minutes, remove the items carefully after checking the temperature of the water. If the water is still hot, remove the silver items using a tong.
• In this case, also do not leave the items in water for more than 2-3 minutes.
• Wash silverware in plain water and let them dry.

This method takes less time and efforts than the first one. However, both are effective ones.

Happy cleaning!