Silver polishing: all the secrets to make silverware shine
The polishing of silver is a somewhat tedious operation necessary to restore the silver to its initial sparkle and make it clean and shiny, practically like new. By continuing to read you will discover how to polish silver easily and quickly.And then, after polishing, you know what a satisfaction! You will be proud of yourself: also discover all the other very rewarding things you can do and that can turn your day around by watching this video!
Silver polishing: why it blackens
Everyone has silver objects in the house: cutlery, placemats, vases, jewels, frames, jewelry boxes, trays. Silver illuminates, is refined, embellishes the table, furnishings and any type of environment. But unfortunately it tends to blacken. Some black streaks ruin its shine over time, as the silver reacts with the sulfur compounds in contact with the air and the silver sulphide creates a dark patina. With time and wear, silver loses its initial luster: the sulfur that is present in silver begins to oxidize and blacken the surface of the objects. Therefore, it needs careful maintenance to regain its original splendor. Silver is a noble metal like gold and platinum, precious and often used as an alloy with copper and gold. Noble metals are not easily subject to oxidation, but they are not stainless for this and therefore must be cleaned and polished often. The Japanese love dull silver, but many Westerners prefer the shiny and polished one. Even without resorting to chemicals, you can make your silverware shine with old natural remedies. Silver objects can be damaged by table salt, eggs, olives, vinegar and perfumes. And also by sulfur, withered flowers and make sour fruit. Beware that if you clean some fruit in a silver tray you must always protect it with a thin glass dish and so if you put fresh flowers in a vase of this metal, you must check it and wash it often.
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The ancient remedies to make silverware shine
The jewels, cutlery, silver objects in your home I seem dull, darkened, oxidized, damaged by time and wear. But there are various ways to bring them back beautifully shiny, with easy methods and ingredients from your pantry, a chamois cloth and a soft toothbrush.
Lemon is very useful to polish silver. Here is one of the most effective methods: mix it with two teaspoons of baking soda, then rub the silver objects to be cleaned and polished with a soft cloth and the green of the oxidation will go away quickly. You can also mix 50 grams of baking soda for each liter, obtaining a natural detergent in which to soak the blackened silver. The same operation can be done with the water in which you boiled the potatoes mixed with white wine vinegar or even just with water and vinegar. Another method is to line a pot with silver paper, fill it with hot water with a handful of coarse salt and dip the home silver in it. Wait an hour, then dry and polish it. You can also try beer, which among other things is also useful for renewing the tone of wooden furniture or watering plants: fill a mug and leave the objects inside for one night. "silver inside". In the morning, rinse thoroughly and you will find them shiny as new.
Even toothpaste can act as a degreaser, if spread on the objects to be cleaned and then removed, rubbing with a clean cloth. The electrolytic method consists in boiling the silverware in an earthenware pot with water and a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda for each liter. To clean the silver with ash, pass it through a sieve, then make a soft paste, mixing it with water, and rub with a cloth or cotton wool moistened with lemon juice.
To clean table silverware, wash it in hot water and detergent, rinse it thoroughly and dry it. Don't polish it too often. After having thoroughly cleaned the cutlery, keep them in lined boxes. As for the silver ornaments, dust them every morning and wash them once a week. You can also place them in pretty vintage cabinets to protect them from pollutants.
Silver polishing: industrial products
In the event that the silver has oxidized, use the natural methods we talked about before, but if you do not get the desired effect, specific preparations for this use, liquid, paste, powder or cloths soaked in detergents. These ready-made products are to be used after washing and drying the silver with a sponge or a suede leather cloth, rubbing lightly.
After this operation, the silverware must be immersed again in hot soapy water and dried again. To polish the silver, sodium bicarbonate or the white of Spain with the addition of a little ammonia or alcohol, to be wiped with a damp cloth, are also fine. There are also specific brushes for chiseled silver. .
The satin one after a few polishing permanently loses its opacity and should be silvered again. To best preserve the silver cutlery, you must wrap them in soft cloth or dark tissue paper, without tightening the covers with rubber bands that would leave non-erasable marks. Your silver objects can be damaged by salt, eggs, olives. , from vinegar and perfumes. And so too does sulfur, withered flowers, spoiled fruit. Keep in mind if you use a silver vase for fresh flowers, you have to rinse it frequently and if you display fruit in a tray too. silver, you have to protect the base with a glass saucer.
Here's where to buy them:
Argentil Specific Cleanser for Silver in Cream - on offer on Amazon
Iosso Multiuse Polishing Cream, polishing cream for metals - you can find it on Amazon
Hagerty Silver Foam Silver Cleansing Foam - at a special price on Amazon
Nuncas Aury Crema Argento - on special offer only on Amazon
Silver polishing: your jewels
Silver jewelry can tarnish and black in a short time, and you rarely wear it. In addition to natural remedies to polish these joys, there are products on the market that are suitable and easy to use specifically for silver. The spray version lets you spray the product even on hard-to-reach points, rubbing with the most common procedure. Furthermore, this type of product also has protective oils among its components, which not only facilitate polishing, but also prevent oxidation, as they create a protection of silver from oxidizing agents. However, these industrial products should not be abused, as they are not very healthy. That's why many prefer to resort to natural ones. To thoroughly clean your silver jewelry, you can also use a toothbrush sprinkled with toothpaste, so as to be able to clean even the joints and the most chiseled parts of the object. Coke is also effective for cleaning silver necklaces, bracelets or rings. For your jewels, immersion in white vinegar is also very useful. This indispensable product in every home, to eliminate encrustations from ovens, from washing machines and remove burnt stains from pots, will make them shine with light and so even the lemon that degreases and eliminates all unpleasant odors can be poured directly on your jewelry in silver and rubbed with a toothbrush and then with a very soft cloth: all elementary ingredients, but highly effective and that you already have in your home. If you notice the presence of a greenish color, it is oxidation, which is gradually removed.
