Have you recently purchased a piece of sterling silver jewelry? It may have rocked your fashion world, but you need to stay up to date on its cleaning process. Learning how to clean sterling silver is essential it’s not like your normal everyday cleaning routine.
Here’s everything you need to know about caring for your sterling silver jewelry.
Preventative Care
One of the best things you can do to help keep your sterling silver jewelry clean is to wear it. By wearing the jewelry, you are introducing the oils from your skin onto the silver.
These natural oils work as a cleaning agent for any type of tarnish, without damaging the jewelry itself.
Polishing Your Sterling Silver Jewelry
Polishing is extremely easy and a great way to help alleviate any minor tarnish. If you have an oxidized silver piece of jewelry, polishing is even better because you can spot clean your piece.
There are special silver cloths that are meant for cleaning silver jewelry, but a microfiber cloth works just as well. It is important to get a piece that is not harsh and abrasive as it can potentially ruin the piece of jewelry.
Be Wary of Commercial Silver Cleaners
Commerical options for cleaning silver are not a recommendation. They can be toxic to you because of their vapors and the clean up is rough.
Depending on the type of cleaner you are using, you may need to normal dumping procedures because of the potential negatives these cleaners can cause to the environment.
These cleaners are also bad for jewelry. These cleaners are meant to clean everything that is not silver, so they can actually remove the anti-tarnish coating that is over the piece. So while it looks good at the moment, it can actually become detrimental to the longevity of your sterling silver.
Home Cleaning
While polishing is great for minor tarnishing, major tarnishing may require heavier duty cleaning.
Soap and water is the first resort and typically the most effective at removing tarnish. Stick to a normal and mild dishwashing soap and be sure to dry with the microfiber cloth as mentioned above.
This is the first and typically only thing you should be cleaning your jewelry with, as other methods can run the risk of destroying the gem. Another issue with other methods is that they could destroy the glue holding the gem in place, and if you’re washing over the sink, well all this hard work can go down the drain (literally).
I reccomend this website for sterling silver chains if you find polishing or home cleaning does not work.
How to Clean Sterling Silver: Key Takeaways
We wear our jewelry to stand out and feel special, as these pieces bring a glimmer to our life. It is important to learn how to clean sterling silver so that these pieces continue to look their best.
If you want to learn more about everything beauty and fashion, be sure to check out our other articles. If you know someone with a piece of sterling silver jewelry, be sure to share this article with them.
