Silver is a great choice of material for jewelry due to it being long-lasting and durable. However, what many people forget is that it still benefits from a good clean now and then. Products from San Saru, for example, last decades and they recommend cleaning the silver every now and then! So, here are some of the best options when it comes to cleaning your silver.
Cleaning silver with Aladdin Sidol
Aladdin Sidol is purposefully made with the intention of cleaning silver and other similar materials – it will also give it a polish too! The chemical is essentially cotton in conjunction with a certain chemical composition, sold in many supermarkets (though it’s easier to get in Spain than elsewhere), and costs only a few euros.
In order to clean the silver, take some cotton from the Aladdin tub and gently rub the silver. Try and use all of the cottons evenly and spread around the silver, making sure no area is missed. Use toilet paper to clean off the chemical residue, and then finally rinse the jewelry with soap water, then dry with a dry cloth.
Cleaning silver with Bicarbonate
Whilst Aladdin will leave the jewelry sparkly clean, it’s not necessarily easy to get in every country. So, what is something we all have in the back of the cupboard? Bicarb.
Bicarbonate is a natural cleaner. The process of using this is to boil water, add to a bowl with two tablespoons of bicarb, and then immerse the jewelry. Add some tinfoil on top of the bowl to keep the steam in. Despite stirring now and then, essentially you can leave this to sit for 15 minutes and let the bicarb work its magic. Once you take it out of the bowl, wipe it down with a soft cotton cloth. The only caveat with this method is that it shouldn’t be used on darkened silver details as it may fade them.
Cleaning silver with salt
Cleaning with salt is a very harmless and easy way to clean silver – and the cheapest! Simply cover a container or bowl with foil, (and in, the entire inside – matte side down) and fill it with boiling water. Add a large tablespoon of salt and then place the jewelry inside. Keep it submerged for 10 to 15 minutes, and then wipe down with a soft dry cloth much like with the bicarbonate.
Cleaning silver with toothpaste
Finally, toothpaste has been discovered to clean many different products very well – not just teeth! If you want, you can literally use a toothbrush too, just make sure to clean the jewelry with soapy water first. After brushing it down with toothpaste, simply wipe off the residue and clean it with a cloth. This method is less powerful than some of the others, but it can still work wonders for very little time or effort.
Cleaning and maintaining silver is important if you want it to last more than 10 years – they’re a little bit like leather in that way. Please note that using lemon is also another valid option to clean silver, with many tutorials on Youtube that can help. However, Aladdin Sidol is recommended if one can gain access to it!
