Cleaning Experts Reveal How to Restore Tarnished Silver at Home

Tarnished silver may be unsightly, but luckily, it’s fairly easy to make it shine again. We tapped cleaning experts for tips on the best way to clean silver. These tips work for silver jewelry, serving dishes, and other silver items in your home.

Why does silver tarnish in the first place? The surface reacts with sulfur, which is generally present in the air around us. It’s also found in things like soaps, perfumes, and other body care products, as well as in certain foods. Other chemicals, like chlorine or certain acids, can also react with silver and tarnish it. While there are things you can do to protect your silver from dulling too quickly, it’s hard to stop it from happening entirely.

Removing tarnish can be done with specialized products, but if you don’t have silver polish on hand, you still have options. Household staples like dish soap, baking soda, and toothpaste can all be used to clean silver.

Below, Carolyn Forté, former executive director of the Home Care & Cleaning Lab explains the best products and methods for restoring tarnished silver. If you’re looking to tackle another household item that has lost its luster, read up on how to clean cloudy glassware so it’s crystal-clear again.

What You’ll Need

• Silver Cleaner and Polish
• Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

The easiest and most effective way to make silver sparkle is with a targeted silver polish like Good Housekeeping Seal star Weiman Silver Polish. Follow the product directions or this step-by-step guide to polish silver properly:

1. Put a small amount of silver polish on a clean cloth, dampened if necessary.
2. Rub the polish on your item in an up-and-down motion, not circular to avoid highlighting fine scratches.
3. Turn the cloth frequently as you work, so tarnish isn’t deposited back on your item.
4. Wash and rinse in warm water and buff with a clean, dry cloth to shine.

What You’ll Need

• Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
• Dish Soap or Baking Soda or whitening toothpaste

While Forté prefers a silver polish, we found some success with homemade remedies. If you’re in a pinch, you can turn to your pantry for dish soap, baking soda or toothpaste.

• For silver that is dull, filmy or not yet discolored, mix a few drops of mild dish soap with warm water and dip in a soft cloth. Rub the item, then rinse in cool water and buff with a cloth until dry.
• For silver that is heavily tarnished, mix a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Wet the silver and apply the cleaner with a soft, lint-free cloth (not paper towels). Work the paste into the crevices, turning the cloth as it gets gray. Rinse and buff dry.
• For silver jewelry that is tarnished, apply a tiny dab of white paste toothpaste (not gel) on a soft cloth and very gently rub it on the silver. Rinse well with warm water and shine with a soft cloth.

Natural discoloration is unavoidable, but there are some ways to ensure your flatware, jewelry and trays don’t lose their luster as quickly. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to prevent tarnish:

• Store each piece of silver jewelry in its own anti-tarnish bag in a cool, dry spot.
• Tuck a piece of chalk in an anti-tarnish bag to help absorb moisture from the air.
• Put jewelry on after spraying perfume to prevent your fragrance from landing on the silver.
• Don’t be afraid to wear your silver: Friction slows down tarnishing, which means the more you wear it, the more it’ll shine.

Polishing, while necessary, is abrasive so no matter how delicate your hand, there’s no need to go overboard with cleaning — anywhere from two to six times a year works in most cases.