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How to Clean Silver 10 Ways

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Last updated September 7, 2023

Whether you’re shining up your family’s heirloom silver for a big dinner party or restoring a special score from an antique market, there are plenty of ways to get the job done with items right at your fingertips.


Keep the handy tricks below up your sleeve for cleaning all types of silver, from silver jewelry to tea trays or candlesticks. No matter the method you choose to clean your silver, here’s a good rule of thumb to follow: If the piece of silver you're cleaning is valuable, sentimental or an antique, do a spot test on an inconspicuous spot before treating the entire item, just to be safe.

This guide shows you how to clean silver 10 ways with tools and supplies found around the house.

Tip: It may seem counterintuitive, but there is actually a thing as cleaning your silver too much. Polish is by nature abrasive, so you’ll want to limit polishing sessions to a minimum. So while you might be tempted to clean away tarnish as soon as you notice it, you should clean silver as infrequently as possible.

Difficulty:

Beginner

Duration:

Under 2 hours

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Table of Contents

  1. Clean Silver with Dish Soap and Water

  2. Clean Silver with Aluminum Foil and Baking Soda

  3. Clean Silver with Laundry Detergent

  4. Clean Silver with Toothpaste

  5. Clean Silver with Polish

  6. Clean Silver with Corn Starch