How to Clean Silver without Damaging it: Best Products & Methods

Silver is a great investment whether you buy coins, bars, or jewelry, but it can gradually fade and tarnish.

One of the first questions new silver stackers will ask is how they can clean their silver and prevent unsightly tarnishing.

You can clean silver with mild soap and buffing with a dry cloth for mild tarnishing. For more extensive discoloration, use a mix of baking soda and vinegar or specialty silver polish. You cannot use Brasso to clean sliver because it is too abrasive.

Silver is a soft metal, especially in its purer forms.

The biggest danger when cleaning silver is using something too abrasive – read on to learn more about how to clean silver without damaging it.

Can You Use Products To Clean Silver?

There are various products and home remedies you might consider to clean your silver bars or coins.

Below we will explore a few of them, so you know how to clean your silver properly.

Can You Clean Silver With Brasso?

Brasso is a popular and widely available metal polish.

You probably have some in your cleaning supplies, and it is probably the first thing that comes to mind on your quest to clean your silver.

Brasso is not suitable for cleaning silver – it is far too abrasive and will damage the metal. There is a less abrasive silver polish called Silvo that would be more suitable for cleaning tarnish, but cleaning and polishing collectible pieces are not recommended.

Silvo is a polish intended to keep silver cutlery and ornaments in a pristine condition with a mirror-like finish and can be used for cleaning up tarnished silver pieces. Here is the link to the Silvo Polish on Amazon.

This finish might be undesirable to some— coin collectors, for example, place a higher value on pieces that have not been cleaned.

Can You Clean Silver Without Baking Soda?

Baking soda is not necessary to clean silver. You can wash your silver with mild soap and water for mild tarnish, then rinse and buff it with a clean cloth to dry and polish it.

Baking soda is like a swiss army knife of cleaning products, useful for many applications around the house.

It is a mild abrasive that is handy for cleaning silver, but if you don’t have any, you might wonder if you can still clean your silver without it.

For more significant tarnish, it would be helpful to have some baking soda handy.

When cleaning silver, it is usually best to start slow and avoid using abrasives where possible.

You might find that a simple soap and water solution is all you need to shine up your silver.

Can You Clean Silver With Toothpaste?

You can clean silver with toothpaste if it is plain.

Dilute plain toothpaste with water and gently scrub your silver with a soft bristle brush.

Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean cloth.

Do not use gel toothpaste or any toothpaste whitening agents, tartar control, or abrasives to clean silver.

When looking around the house for products to clean silver, toothpaste will likely come to mind. Toothpaste can be used to clean silver, but there are some caveats.

Toothpaste can be a good option to clean silver, but you should proceed cautiously.

Due to the number of different ingredients that the toothpaste might have, it is difficult to say whether or not a particular toothpaste is suitable for such an application.

You should not clean jewelry items with stones with toothpaste.

Can You Clean Silver With Vinegar?

You can use vinegar to clean the unsightly tarnish off your silver as it is a mild acid. This method is not recommended for coins or collectible pieces.

Use vinegar to clean your silver with the following steps.

Find a suitable glass container that will fit the items you want to clean.
Make sure the container is clean by washing it with soap and water.
Place your silver items in the container.
Pour enough white spirit vinegar into the container to cover the silver.
Allow the silver to soak for 15 minutes.
Rinse and dry your silver thoroughly once it is finished soaking.

Can You Clean Silver Without Silver Polish?

You can clean silver without silver polish. Use soapy water and buff with a cloth to clean mild tarnishing. You can also soak your silver in vinegar or ketchup, then buff it out. Baking soda is a mild abrasive that can be gently applied to clean the heavy tarnish off silver coins and bullion.

Silver polish is specially designed to clean silver without damaging it.

Other polishes like Brasso are too abrasive and will leave scratch marks on the metal.

If you don’t have silver polish, you’ll no doubt look for alternative means of cleaning silver.

Ketchup works to remove tarnish because it contains vinegar, but in small amounts, so the acidity will not damage the metal.

It’s important to store your silver correctly.

Any excessive humidity can cause it to tarnish more rapidly than usual, so you should ensure it is kept in a cool, dry place, preferably wrapped in acid-free tissue paper inside a sealable plastic packet.

What Is the Best Cleaner for Silver?

The best cleaner for silver is a soap solution with mild soap. Clean your silver routinely using a mild soap and water solution to buff away any tarnish build-up. Prevent excessive tarnishing by storing your silver in a cool, dry place wrapped in acid-free paper.

Clean your silver 2 to 6 times yearly with soap and water for the best results. Here’s how to clean your silver coins and bars correctly.

Make a mild soap water solution — dish soap works well for this.
Dip a soft bristle brush in the soap water and gently scrub the silver piece.
When the silver is thoroughly scrubbed, rinse it off using clean water.
Use a soft microfiber cloth to dry and buff the silver.
Store your silver in a cool, dry place.

Silver is susceptible to tarnish and discoloration, especially when exposed to humidity.

Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to keep silver shining by routinely cleaning it.

It’s possible to maintain your silver using things you already have around the house, but the most important part is storing it correctly.

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