As a young girl scout we use to sing the age old song that started off:
"Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold."
The song is meant as a parable teaching us friendships are precious and should be valued like precious metals. But just like friendships, gold and silver need nurturing, care, and respect to stay sparkling.
Even with the best of care, silver and gold tends to tarnish over time and you usually don't wear tarnished silver. Fortunately, there are many ways to get your precious metals shining like new using household items found in your kitchen. We love a good DIY but if you prefer to keep it simple, try our Glitzy Glove Jewelry Polishing Mitt.
Below are 5 ways you can attempt cleaning silver and gold jewelry at home without harsh chemicals.
How to clean silver jewelry at home:
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White vinegar has many magical cleaning powers, even for your jewelry. Take ½ a cup of white vinegar and mix it with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Put your silver jewelry in this mixture and let it soak for a few hours. Afterward, rinse and wipe away the tarnish.
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Speaking of baking soda, another way to clean tarnished metals is to create a small paste by mixing one tablespoon of baking soda with water. Softly scrub your jewelry with this paste and then rinse and dry.
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Another step you can add to the baking soda and water mixture is to add a tablespoon of salt as well. Then line a bowl with aluminum foil and pour the mixture of salt, baking soda and warm water into the bowl. Drop your gold or silver into the bowl and let science take over. A chemical reaction of oxidation will occur with the foil that will clean your jewelry like magic!
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Dawn dish soap, warm water and a microfiber cloth is another simple way to attempt to clean tarnished jewelry. Although not always strong enough, it is worth trying to remove the outer layer of toning.
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Of course, the simplest and cleanest way to polish tarnished jewelry is to use Baublerella’s Glitzy Glove. This hand sewn mitt is a mess-free jewelry polishing cloth that will wipe away years of tarnish and grime. No rinsing and no smelly added ingredients needed. Just polish and go!
We recommend using our Glitzy Glove, but others have seen success using these other methods with tried and true kitchen ingredients. How do you clean your silver jewelry?
