How to clean silver jewelry: soap, polishing cloth, dip or foil bath

Step by step: how to clean silver jewelry

Safety first. Silver dips are acidic: wear rubber gloves, work with a window open and follow the label. Never mix silver dip with bleach or other cleaners, and keep it away from pearls, opals, turquoise and other soft stones.

1. 1

   Check what the piece is made of

   Look for a stamp: 925, STER or Sterling means solid sterling silver, so 925 silver takes every method on this page. No stamp, or a mark like EP or silver plate, usually means a thin silver coating over another metal, which polishing can wear through. Note any pearls, opals, turquoise, glued stones or blackened (oxidized) details, because they change which method is safe.

2. 2

   Wash it in warm soapy water

   Stir one or two drops of mild dish soap into a bowl of warm water. Swish the jewelry for a minute, then work the soap into chain links, clasps and engraved areas with an extra-soft toothbrush. On silver rings, brush the inside of the band and under the setting, where lotion and soap build up. Skip the soak for pieces with pearls or glued stones and just wipe them with a damp, soapy cloth.

3. 3

   Rinse in a bowl, not over the drain

   Rinse in a second bowl of clean warm water so a loose stone or earring back cannot go down the sink. If you rinse under the tap, close the drain first. Rinse until no soap film is left, since dried soap dulls the shine.

4. 4

   Dry it completely

   Pat the piece dry with a lint-free cloth, then leave it on a towel for 15 to 30 minutes so water can drain out of hollow beads and chain links. Moisture left in the crevices speeds up tarnish.

5. 5

   Buff off light tarnish with a silver cloth

   Rub the piece with a silver polishing cloth, using straight back-and-forth strokes rather than circles. Light yellow or brown tarnish should come off in a minute or two and the cloth will turn gray. Fold to a clean part of the cloth as it darkens.

6. 6

   Use a dip or foil bath only for heavy tarnish

   If the piece is plain sterling and the tarnish is black, dab or dip it in a commercial silver dip for the few seconds the label allows, then rinse well. Or line a bowl with aluminum foil, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda per cup of hot water, and lay the silver on the foil for 2 to 5 minutes until the black fades. Rinse, dry, and finish with the polishing cloth, since both methods leave a dull surface.

7. 7

   Store it airtight

   Put each clean, dry piece in its own small zip-top bag with the air pressed out, or in a lined box with an anti-tarnish strip. Separate bags also stop chains tangling and harder stones scratching the silver.

Which silver cleaning method should you use?

Use the gentlest method that works: soap and a polishing cloth for most jewelry, and a dip or foil bath only for heavy, black tarnish on plain sterling. Tarnish is a thin layer of black silver sulfide, and the Canadian Conservation Institute notes that every polish or chemical removal takes a little silver with it, so less is better.

Conservators at Icon say a dip leaves a very reactive surface that tarnishes again quickly, so finish with a polishing cloth, and use fresh solution each time. The CCI also points out that the foil method leaves a dull surface that may tarnish sooner, and that neither liquid method suits hollow pieces where liquid can get trapped inside.

Sterling silver vs silver-plated and oxidized jewelry

Sterling silver can take polishing for decades; plated and oxidized pieces cannot, so clean them more gently. Under the FTC’s jewelry guides, only metal that is at least 925 parts per thousand pure silver may be called sterling. Anything sold as silver plated or silver tone has only a surface layer.

• Sterling: soap, polishing cloth, and an occasional dip or foil bath for heavy tarnish. Mejuri’s sterling care page says ultrasonic cleaners are fine on plain silver without stones.
• Silver plated or silver tone: wipe with a soft dry cloth and use the polishing cloth lightly and rarely. No creams, dips, baking soda scrubs or toothpaste, which can rub through to the yellow or gray base metal. Once the base shows, only replating fixes it.
• Oxidized (blackened) silver: the dark recesses are a deliberate finish. Mejuri recommends a dry clean only, with no water or silver polish, or the finish may rub off. Never dip it.

Fine silver, coin silver, Argentium and rhodium-plated silver

Read the stamp before you pick a method. The FTC’s Jewelry Guides describe silver content in parts per thousand, so the number tells you how much of the metal is silver. Most jewelry is sterling, but these other marks turn up on handmade, antique and brand-name pieces.

Fine silver is rarely used for everyday pieces because, as Pandora explains, pure silver is too soft on its own, so other metals such as copper are added for strength. Pandora also describes rhodium as a platinum-group metal that is durable and resists tarnish, which is why many brands plate sterling with it. Treat rhodium-plated pieces like any other plated jewelry: once the coating wears thin on a ring band or clasp, the sterling underneath can tarnish in patches, and only replating restores the even shine.

Argentium’s makers say germanium was first added to stop firestain during manufacturing and was found to add tarnish resistance too. It still tarnishes eventually, so the same soap, cloth and storage routine applies.

Nickel silver matters if you have sensitive skin. Britannica describes it as a silvery alloy of copper, nickel and zinc that contains no silver, and DermNet says most jewelry allergy is caused by nickel and cobalt, which can turn up even as trace elements in gold or silver. If a cheap silver-colored piece leaves an itchy rash, stop wearing it rather than trying to clean it.

How often should you clean silver jewelry?

Match the cleaning to how often you wear the piece. A wipe after each wear does most of the work; a full wash and polish is only needed when the silver looks dull or tinted.

The two-week rhythm for daily pieces matches Pandora’s cleaning advice, which also says special-occasion jewelry can go much longer between cleans. Rings and bracelets need more attention than earrings or pendants, because hand lotion, soap and food collect under them. For rings set with diamonds or other stones, see our guide on cleaning a ring.

When to take silver jewelry to a jeweler

Home cleaning handles tarnish and grime, not damage. Jewelers of America advises seeing a jeweler at least once a year to have jewelry checked for loose prongs, worn mountings and general wear and tear. Go sooner if you notice any of these:

• A stone moves when you press it gently, or a prong is bent or snags on clothing.
• Deep scratches or dents. Polishing cloths and creams lift tarnish, not scratches; a jeweler can buff them out with professional polishing equipment.
• Yellowish, coppery or gray patches on rhodium-plated or silver-plated pieces, which mean the coating has worn through and needs replating.
• A broken clasp, a kinked or stretched chain, or a ring band worn thin at the bottom.
• Antique or heirloom silver with dark, aged detail you may want to keep. Ask before polishing, since a dip or heavy polish removes it for good.

Silver jewelry with pearls, opals or turquoise

Clean only the metal around soft or porous stones, with a damp cloth or a cotton swab, and keep every dip, foil bath and polish off the stone. The GIA says pearls can be damaged by many chemicals and all acids, and should never go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. Opals and turquoise absorb liquids and can discolor, and many are treated or backed with glue that solvents can loosen.

For a silver ring with a turquoise or opal, rub the band with the polishing cloth and stop short of the setting. For a pearl strand with silver clasps, polish only the clasp, and lay the strand flat to dry if it gets wet so the silk does not stretch. For everything else in your collection, see our guide on how to clean jewelry by stone type.

How to keep silver jewelry from tarnishing

Limit its contact with air, moisture and sulfur, and wear it often: the gentle rubbing of daily wear keeps tarnish from building up.

• Put silver on last, after lotion, perfume and hairspray, and take it off before swimming, cleaning with chemicals or using a hot tub.
• Store each piece in its own sealed bag or in a box with an anti-tarnish strip or tarnish-resistant cloth lining. The CCI suggests silver cloth and sealed bags for this.
• Keep silver away from rubber bands, wool and felt, which give off sulfur compounds that tarnish it.
• Wipe pieces with a soft cloth after wearing, before skin oil and sweat settle into the crevices.

Mistakes to avoid

• Scrubbing silver with toothpaste, which is abrasive and leaves fine scratches and a hazy finish.
• Dipping a piece that has pearls, opals, turquoise or an oxidized finish.
• Polishing plated jewelry with cream or a foil bath until the base metal shows through.
• Leaving jewelry in silver dip longer than the label says, which can leave a dull or yellowish surface.
• Rinsing over an open drain and losing a small stone or earring back.
• Putting silver away damp, or loose in a drawer where it tarnishes and scratches.
• Treating rhodium-plated sterling like plain sterling and dipping or cream-polishing it until the plating wears through.