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The dark coating on silver is not dirt, but a thin film of silver oxide. Often they try to wash it mechanically, using hard brushes and sponges, soda, toothpaste and other similar means. This really helps to get rid of black plaque, but the product itself will suffer: its surface will be covered with microscopic scratches invisible to the eye. And if you use rough methods of cleaning silver all the time, over time, the metal will become dull and finally lose its light luster. Therefore, it is better to use special products for cleaning or polishing silver items.

Jewelry stores now offer a fairly wide range of cleaning products for precious metals, including pastes and polishing wipes for silver. They reduce the metal and create a film on the surface of the product that prevents oxidation.

Silver cleaning paste is applied not to the item itself, but to a soft cloth (cotton or woolen) and evenly spread over the surface, after which the item is polished gently, without pressure. This way you can clean old silver coins, jewelry without a lot of protruding parts, cutlery. After finishing cleaning, rinse the silver with warm water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

Before cleaning the silver, wash it with soap or dishwashing liquid to degrease it and get rid of the layer of surface dirt.

Intricate jewelery such as a ring with many fine details or a chain can be difficult to clean mechanically. The risk of damaging the product is too great, in addition, it is extremely difficult to wash off the product in such cases. Therefore, to restore the appearance of such jewelry, it is better to use chemical methods: lower the product in a cleaning solution, and then rinse it in clean water. In this case, even the most inaccessible places will be processed, and cleaning will not take much time.

Specialty solutions for cleaning silver jewelry are available from jewelry stores, but you can also use tried and tested home methods.

As a brightening solution, you can use ordinary table vinegar or other weak acids (for example, lemon juice or citric acid solution). You can also use a solution of ammonia. The higher the concentration of such a solution, the faster the product is cleaned. As a rule, it takes 15-30 minutes to return the pristine radiance.

Potato water has been a popular home remedy for silver cleaning for decades. To make it, peel a few potatoes, cut into slices, fill with a little warm water and place a ring or chain there for several hours.

After such cleaning, the jewelry should be thoroughly rinsed in running water and dried by laying on a paper napkin. Do not wipe complex jewelry with a cloth – silver is a fairly soft metal, and you can accidentally bend or damage the jewelry.

Dry cleaning is not recommended for items made of blackened silver, as well as jewelry with pearls and amber. In order to clean such items, it is better to use silver wipes.

Silverware and cupronickel products are cleaned in the same way as jewelry. But it is too expensive to use specialized solutions for jewelry to clean plates or knives, so usually home remedies are used in such cases, allowing you to simultaneously process a large amount of metal.

Take an enamel pot or basin and put a sheet of metal foil on the bottom, then put silver or cupronickel cutlery or dishes on top of it. Pour in hot water, add baking soda and salt (a tablespoon of each for every liter of water). Put on low heat and heat for 10-15 minutes. Wait for the water to cool, remove the silver from the cleaning solution, rinse thoroughly in water and dry with a soft towel or microfiber cloth. This way, even heavily blackened silver can be shine back.