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Excellent tip, couldn't have come at a better time for me! I have exactly that jar which is cookie-free at the moment, and some silver servers waiting to be de-tarnished.

Am I being thick? What's the technique - just putting the silver in a glass jar? Are you saying an airtight container is the secret? Clarify, please!

Does that jar actually create an air-free vacuum? 'Cause otherwise, what's keeping your silver non-tarnished is that you're using it regularly. :-)

And it's getting all scratched up, being jumbled together in that jar!

:(

Hey what about Light?
Silver is Photosensitive and will darken when exposed to light.

This will not work for me, I use my silver every day.
No stainless in my house.

You can also get a non-toxic polish by putting your silverware in a bowl with water, some vinegar, some salt and a sheet of tin foil. Make sure your silver is touching the foil and then let it sit for a bit. Then take out and wash clean. If it's not working as well as you want, then wrap the tin foil around the silver a bit more. presto. easy. and it uses stuff we've probably all got around the house (and you can wash off the tin foil and use it for something else later.

Ah. the benefits of having a chemist for a father!

That looks exactly like the jars I have in my kitchen and bathroom and they are not air-tight - there is no seal around the lid - its just glass against glass - not air-tight at all

You and I, screenname! I don't get it either---

We like this painless, eco-friendly, non-toxic method rather than those silverware cloths with who-knows-what on them.

Pacific Silvercloth embeds flecks of silver in the cloth to attract the tarnish; Kenized Silvercloth treats the cloth with zinc carbonate, which is also the key ingredient in calamine lotion. No bizarre or unnatural chemicals... just sayin'.

I wrap my large pieces that I seldom use in aluminum foil before storing. Never have to polish, and I reuse the foil.

Silver reacts with the sulfur in the environment and humidity accelerates the tarnish. The key is to keep it airtight and to have something absorb the moisture or the sulfur, which is how most silver cloths and silica work. Having had to maintain pieces of silver as an art registrar, I am recommending this site for more information. It's really handy since it discuss how and why different anti-tarnish products work and where to buy the products. Not all are chemically based.

http://www.silversmithing.com/care.htm#Advice

I keep my fine silver tarnish-free by not having any. Hah! Stainless steel, baby!

On a differnt note: I clean my Tiffany bracelet with Rembrandt toothpaste. Does anyone else use toothpaste for cleaning jewelry? I tried it on a whim since it was already at the bathroom sink and it really made the bracelet sparkle.

Well, it may not be the best thing in the world to prevent tarnish but it sure looks cool.

where'd you get the jar from?

and i use toothpaste, too, orangejuice. i passed on the tip to my coworker and saved her eight bucks from having to buy a silver cleaner.