Tarnish is caused by hydrogen sulfide and sulphur dioxide
Tarnish causing accelerants:
- fabrics containing wool or felt
- foods containing citrus, eggs, mayonaise (has eggs as an ingredient), or onions
- high humidity levels
- latex gloves
- oil on fingers
- paints containing oil (latex paint is ok-ish, just make sure the item is painted (and dried) at least 4 months prior to silver storage)
- petroleum based storage items, including items such as carpet padding
- rubber bands
cleaning / polishing for both silver and silver-plate
NOTE: never over clean or over polish silver-plate - else you risk "cleaning" silver-plate down to bare metal, at which point it will have to be restored by a restoration specialist
Cleaning:
- never wash any silver article in the dishwasher
- never wash any silver article with dish soap containing lemon
- before washing silver remove loose dust (can scratch silver) with a soft clean cotton cloth
- hand-wash (remember: never dishwasher) silver with warm water and a gentle lemon-free, phosphate-free dish soap, such as Dawn
- avoid contact with other metals that can scratch such as setting silver in a stainless steel sink (wash in a plastic dishpan or place a dishtowel at the bottom of the sink)
- if wearing dishwash gloves use (cheap) plastic NOT latex
- after washing rinse in clean water then dry immediately with a lint-free soft cloth
- after drying thoroughly store silver in a Silvercloth bag
- salt / black corrosion on salt shakers may be removed by:
- first, never store salt in the shaker - remove salt, clean and dry the salt shaker
- to remove the corrosion, (and working in a well-ventilated area - pew!!!) pour some ammonia into a plastic container (like a Ziploc/Rubbermaid container), place the salt shaker in the container, then cover and let it soak for about ten minutes - remove from container - clean, dry and store.
- after first soak, if black corrosion spots still remain, place shaker back in container and let soak for another 10-20 minutes - if corrosion stil exists, you'll need to have the shaker professionaly restored
Prevention is the best:
- it's best to WASH the silver on a regular basis with a NON-lemon based dishsoap (try using Dawn), rather than a 1x per year heavy duty polishing, as polish agents are an abrasive
- tarnish is easiest to remove when it's a yellowish tint, and becomes increasingly harder to remove as it turns to a light brown color, and eventually turns to a black color
- early tarnish (the yellow tint) is more easily detectable if the silver is placed up against a white piece of paper -- the yellow tint will show up
- try cleaning several times per year with either Windex (with vinegar), or try a hand sanitizer such as Purell, on a soft cotton cloth
- turn or replace the cloth often (the tarnish itselft (black stuff on the cloth) can be abrasive)
- dry thoroughly with a dry cotton cloth
- immediately place in tarnish preventing silvercloth
Polishing:
- silver cleaning brands to try:
... least abrasive: 3M's Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, Blitz Silver Care Polish, Twinkle Silver Polish, and Weiman Silver Polish
... more abrasive: Goddard’s Long Shine Silver Polish, Goddard’s Silver Foam, Hagerty's, Wright's Anti-Tarnish Silver Polish, or Wright’s Silver Cream.
- silver products that provide tarnish proTECTion:
... Blitz, Goddard’s Long Shine, Tarni-Shield, Twinkle, Wright’s Anti-Tarnish, and Weiman.
- never use toothpaste – much too abrasive
- never use chemical dips such as Tarn-X - leave that to the professionals (too caustic)
Two different polishing applications found online (anyone know the correct one?) --
- apply polish gently in small circular motion (via cotton cloth or Q-tips for hard to reach)
- apply polish gently in a straight, back and forth motion (via cotton cloth or Q-tips for hard to reach)
- use a soft lint-free cotton cloth (not polyester / synthetic - can cause minUTE scratches)
- this should be obvious, but never use scouring pads or steel wool on silver
- if the silver polish is dryish/looks chunky, throw it out and buy new polish
- or if the product is dried-out, replace it with new product
- rinse the silver item first, to remove any dust or dirt particles, which can cause scratches
- don't overpolish! just because the cloth continues to blacken - just polish to the point that it's shiny
- clean / polish the inside of tea/coffee pot spouts with a Q-tip saturated with a silver cleaning polish (such as Wrights), or if the opening is large enough, try using a sponge and a slender wooden dowel dipped in the cleaner - then rinse thoroughly
- if there are still stains in the spout/inside, try cleaning the inside via the effervescing action of a denture tablet (use 1 tablet per 2 cups warm water - may need about 4 tablets/8 cups water to reach up to the tip of the spout - let stand and "bubble" for 10 minutes or so - then rinse out thoroughly - the denture tablet / effervescent action may be enough to loosen stains - you can then try cleaning again with the Wrights polishing method)
* NOTE!
- if after polishing you see a purple stain, do not continue to polish! This is actualy what is called "firestain" (oxidized copper) - found on most pre-colonial through early twentieth century silver pieces, and shows up after many years of polishing down past the super thin layer of silver to the bare metal / copper - at this point, you need to have the piece restored by a restoration silversmith
Displaying:
- when open display of silver is desired, try applying a micro-crystalline wax such as Renaissance
- or try placing the silver on anti-tarnish paper such as 3M Anti-Tarnish Strips, which can guard (although not completely protect) against tarnish by absorbing much of the airborne gases (the strips contain charcoal)
- or you could try silica gel (in an airtight display case) which absorbs excess humidity, thereby helping to significantly reduce tarnishing (reactivate saturated silica gel by re-drying in an oven)
Storing:
- never store salt in the salt shaker - too caustic - remove the salt and thoroughly clean the salt shaker before storing
- never use newspaper (can discolor), cardboard boxes (can release tarnish producing acids), or plastic wrap (emits tarnishing gases)
- store silver in a low humidity area and/or use products that absorb moisture
- never use rubber bands to hold silverware
- after silver is cleaned and polished, store them - completely enclosed - in bags specifically made for silver ("silvercloth")
Some notes on silvercloth:
- some brands to try: Pacific Silvercloth, Kenized SilverShield flannel
- silvercloth works by attracting the tarnish gases (sulfide/dioxide) to the cloth (via tiny particles of embedded silver) before the gases reach the inside of the bag where your silver is stored
- never wash silvercloth (you'll end up "washing out" it's ability to prevent tarnish)
- silvercloth may discolor (the tarnish/gas is gathering on the silvercloth), but it's still fine to use as long as there are no holes (letting in the gases)
Removing Wax From Candle Holders
- use only dripless candles to reduce cleaning frustration
- place the candle holder in the freezer, then using your fingernail carefully peel off the wax.
- remove leftover residue with silver polish or try using some isopropyl alcohol (91%) on a cotton ball
References:
Evaluation of Silver—Cleaning Products" by Lyndsie S. Selwyn and Charles G. Costain, Journal of the International Institute for Conservation—Canadian Group, volume 16, 1991, pp. 3-16.
Historical Silver: Storage, Display and Tarnish Removal" by Lyndsie S. Selwyn, Journal of the International Institute for Conservation—Canadian Group, volume 15, 1990, pp. 12-22.
Jeffery Herman, Silver Restoration & Conservation at http://www.hermansilver.com/care.htm
Silver-Care and Tarnish Removal," CCI Notes No. 9/7 (Ottawa: Canadian Conservation Institute, 1993)
