Get Your Tarnished Silver Jewellery To Sparkle Again

Silver jewellery is a beauty to behold, and an equal pain in the butt when it ends up darkened and tarnished over time. Sterling silver oxidizes through prolonged exposed to air, sunlight and other elements, so while prevention is the best way to keep your silver bright and shiny (check out my simple tip on how to do so here), sometimes dull and tarnished silver is inevitable. 

My own experiment in cleaning tarnished jewellery supplies

The good news, is unlike low quality base metals, sterling silver can be easily returned to it's natural state through a few easy steps. 

Here is a super simple and effective way to get your tarnished sterling silver jewellery shiny and sparkly as new:

1. Gather up your tarnished silver jewellery. Unfortunately silver jewellery with gemstones and pearls is not the best candidate for this cleaning method, unless caution is taken not to submerse these materials in the cleaning solution.

2. Line a small bowl with aluminum foil and place sterling silver inside; I used an old yogurt container from our recycling bin - easy peasy. Some people suggest putting the shiny side of the foil facing outwards, but my own experiment found this doesn't seem to make a difference.

3. Pour enough boiling water into the dish to cover your silver, and then add a tablespoon or so of baking soda. Science magic will occur and an oh-so-(un)pleasant sulfuric/rotten-egg smell will fill the air as the solution cleans the oxidized metal. You can use a wooden or plastic utensil to swirl the solution and jewellery around in the dish.

4. Rinse your newly cleaned silver under tap water (though careful not to drop the pieces down the drain - a sieve can work well here!) and then dry with a soft cloth or towel.

Voila! Your sterling silver will be as shiny and beautiful as the day you bought it.