An Easy, Inexpensive Method: How To Clean Silver Jewelry Without Buying Silver Cleaner

updated Feb 24, 2019
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(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

Are you ignoring your gorgeous artisan jewelry (you know, that piece that you had to have at the craft market?) because it’s tarnished and you just keep forgetting to pick up silver cleaner at the store? We’ve been there. And we have a simple solution for you using what you’ve probably already got in your pantry!

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

What You Need

Materials

  • Lemon juice
  • Baking soda
  • Clean rag
  • Warm water
  • Dishwashing detergent

Instructions

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

1. In a small dish, add lemon juice to a small amount of baking soda to make a paste.

If the silver you are cleaning is thin, delicate, or etched, substitute water for lemon juice and make your paste very runny.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

2. The lemon juice and baking soda will react and foam up a bit, so allow a bit of extra room in your dish so this can happen without spilling over the edge.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

3. Dip your rag into the mixture and buff it around the piece of jewelry. If your piece is very tarnished, let the mixture sit on the surface for a minute or two. Continue to clean the piece with the dry part of your rag, or a soft toothbrush.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

5. Rinse under warm water with liquid dishwashing detergent. Pat dry.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

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