Cleaning silver jewelry

If it is your favorite and precious silver jewelry or silver ware, then you better know the proper ways to keep them sparkling forever. Cleaning and storing your silver jewelry is really easy, given you follow a few simple steps.Storing your sterling silver in the open air and humidity for long periods of time can cause it to tarnish quickly.

To keep tarnish to a minimum it is advised that you properly store your jewelry pieces in good quality jewelry boxes when not wearing them.

Clean your sterling silver jewelry with a soft cotton cloth or flannel cloth. Rub with a lengthwise motion, never clean in a circular motion because this may cause scratches. Silver being a very soft metal, and you can scratch it if you are not careful. So, do not rub it too briskly. Paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics often contain wood fibers or synthetics that can cause tiny scratches in the surface of your fine sterling silver jewelry. Dirt left over from previous cleanings can scratch the surface as well. To remove light dirt, fingerprints or makeup, just use a small amount of mild liquid detergent to a 1/2 cup of warm water and rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water. Dry it completely before storing it in an airtight zip lock bag. This polishing cloth should not be used on gemstone silver jewelry. To clean away excessive tarnish, clean with a soft cloth and a non-abrasive brand name liquid or paste silver polish to remove tarnish. It is always better to use branded silver cleaner instead of toothpaste or baking soda.