There are so many home made techniques to clean as well as polish silver vessels. But generally we go to the shop and give them to wash them in exchange of money. There is really no need to that as acid polish leads to weakening of the silver and the polish also contains harmful chemicals. And shops generally use acid polished to clean and polish them. It is necessary to clean them often as silver is very porone to oxidize.
Here are some simple tips to clean silver vessels at home-
- Hagerty silver foam– This is the best possible way to clean silver in your home. These are specially formulated to clean silver vessels. You will need a soft dry cloth to dry them after washing with silver foam.
- Lemon free non– phosphate detergent– You can also opt for a phosphate free detergent and this one is a method recommended by silversmiths too. Sulphate or sulphides makes the silver skin more porous and more prone to oxidation. Use something which is low abrasive polish. After that dry it with a clean dry cloth.
- Banana peel method– This method is for delicate pieces and vessels which are not heavily tarnished. If your vessels have less tarnishes you can you this method. Make a thick paste with some banana peel and water in a mixer. Apply the paste on vessels and start to rub them with cloth. You can also use a brush for more intense scrubbing. Wash it off and pat it dry. This is a simple method you can try.
- Toothpaste method– Are you thinking that is toothpaste a all rounder? May be kind of! You can try toothpaste too for cleaning your silver vessels. Take a adiquate amount of toothpaste on the silver vessel. Don’t use the gel one here. Use the conventional one. Apply some water and start to scrub it very gently with a toothbrush. It will clean your silver vessels and better than any kind of raw detergents. Wash it off and dry wiping cloth all over. Never use a dishwasher to clean them.
- Use cellulose sponge– Never use a rouge surface to clean your silver vessels. They can scratch your vessels. Most of the silver polish comes with cellulose sponge. Better you use that. Otherwise you can use cotton balls. Don’t wait for heavy tarnish. When light tarnish is appeared clean your vessels.
- Use silver dips– These are used for heavily tarnished silver. They are available commercially in the market. But it is not required for the light tarnish.
- Don’t use baking soda– Baking soda is a good option but if you do some mistakes, it can lead to severe damage to your silver. Better buy a silver polish which is a special formulation only for silvers to remove tarnish and clean them.
- Also store them properly. Don’t keep them in a damp area. Proper storing will help them to last longer.