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Antique silver cleaning


Silverware – Madame de la Maison

When you’ve taken the time to choose beautiful antique pieces for your table, you want to be sure you’re caring for them properly, so they give you years of joy. It’s a shame many antique dishes are kept behind glass instead of taking up their rightful place at the center of a home’s most convivial moments. You know how we feel about using the good china. You bought those antiques for a reason and shouldn’t be afraid to use them. Below is the first in a series where we share some tips for cleaning and caring for your antique treasures.

First up: How to clean and care for antique silver. 

Cleaning Antique Silverware
You might be reluctant to buy silver cutlery because you think it’s complicated to care for, and maybe even have memories of your grandmother taking out the silverware for an annual polish. The first tip (and good news) when caring for silver and silver-plated items is knowing that the more you use it, the less likely it is to tarnish. (Read: less polish work needed). 

Silver cutlery can also go in the dishwasher, however it should be removed as soon as the washing cycle has finished and dried by hand to maintain the shine. If you prefer to wash it by hand, use warm soapy water immediately after using it. It's not ideal to leave old crusty food sitting on your antique cutlery overnight. Don’t use detergent containing lemon or any other citric acids that might damage the metal.

To remove stubborn stains, rub gently with a paste made of baking soda and water. Always dry straight away with a soft lint-free cloth to avoid leaving water stains.

 

Polishing Silver
If your silverware has become badly tarnished (remember, the more you use it, the less it tarnishes!), you can bring it back to its sparkling glory with a few simple tricks. The most common is using a soft towel and a silver polish cream like Hagerty's or Miror.

Another option is to line a ceramic or glass (never metal) dish with aluminium foil. In a separate bowl, mix together one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of baking soda, and half a cup of white vinegar. Pour these ingredients into a foil-lined dish, add boiling water and then carefully lower your silverware in a single layer. Please use tongs so you don’t burn yourself ! The water needs to be deep enough to completely cover the silverware. The aluminium reacts with the silver to remove the tarnish. It usually works pretty quickly but heavily tarnished pieces might need to sit for a few minutes. Don’t leave them in their bath for more than 10 minutes, though, because this could damage the metal. If there is still some tarnish parts, rubbing it gently with a soft toothbrush should get the last stubborn stains out.

If you only have a couple of pieces to clean and you don’t want to go to the trouble of running a bath for them, an effective (if slightly whacky-sounding) method is to clean them with tomato ketchup. A few drops of ketchup on a paper towel should be enough to wipe away the tarnish. Rinse with clean water and then dry carefully with a soft lint-free cloth.

Have hard to reach areas or small details that need to be cleaned? Use a toothbrush with one of the above methods of choice. 

Storing Antique Silverware
If you’re not going to use your silverware for a while, it’s best to store it in an airtight container. If you have a tarnish-proof cutlery roll, this is even better, but keeping the air and moisture out is key to limiting the tarnish. Pop a few pieces of white chalk (the board chalk sold in packs for kids is fine) in with your silver. The chalk absorbs moisture and sulphur and helps to reduce tarnish. 

For pieces that you use less frequently like this Empire style serving utensil, a great tip to prevent tarnishing is to wrap it in plastic wrap before storing it - a convenient way to protect your special pieces using something that most of us have on hand in the kitchen.

We hope these tips help you care for your antiques, so you feel confident and comfortable buying and using your treasures.  

Best tips for cleaning antique silver

Posted on by AntiqueSilver

Do you have a silver antique that has seen better days and needs to be cleaned? Are you looking for a way to polish your antique silverware to give it a shine that you’ll be proud to show off? There are many safe ways that you can clean your silver and antiques, all at an affordable price. If you are interested in the best way to clean silver plate, follow some of these helpful tips.

Silver Plate Cleaning Methods

There are a ton of ways that you can go about cleaning silver plate naturally, which is one of the best ways to clean your antiques without worrying about damage to your pieces:

Many of these items are probably already in your pantry, providing you a simple and affordable way to clean your most prized silver possessions.

How to Polish Your Silver

After cleaning your silverware, you may want to give it some extra sheen with a good polish. There are a variety of safe silver polishes available for purchase, including Wright’s Silver Polish, Twinkle Silver Polish, and Goddard’s Long Shine Silver Polish. While these products are safe, others, including all-purpose metal cleaners, are too abrasive and may scratch your silver antiques.

After washing and cleaning your silver thoroughly, follow these tips to polish appropriate:

Cleaning your silver and antiques doesn’t have to be an expensive process, but you should be sure to take proper precautions. A clean and well-polished antique will look more valuable and is more likely to sell at an auction or estate sale. If you are interested in selling, bring your antiques in to Antique Silver Buyers, where we will provide a market analysis of your collection – the total that they are likely to sell for at auction.

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Cleaning and caring for antique silverware

Antiques, vintage, flea market

We continue the rubric of useful tips for caring for antiques - the first part is here.

So, cleaning and caring for antique silverware is on the agenda.
Antique silver has a special mysterious aura that has absorbed the shadow of bygone centuries, while retaining its practical function: cups, plates, trays, cutlery decorate our home, become an excellent investment and give birth to real family traditions, which is perhaps the most important thing.
In addition - pay attention! - silver ensures the absence of any foreign flavors in food, unlike appliances made of other metals.
And that's not all!

HEALING PROPERTIES OF SILVER
Silver is known for its unique natural ability to purify water. And this is not a myth! Studies have shown that when in contact with silver, for example, a typhoid bacillus dies in 24 hours. Other bacteria are also powerless in front of silver dishes. Last but not least, silver retains beneficial microorganisms. It is this property that makes, for example, a silver jug ​​an excellent alternative to modern water filters, many of which, while purifying water, make it “empty”.
Regular consumption of water from silver dishes has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system, strengthens the immune system and improves overall well-being. It is also useful to use this water for washing. It improves the condition of the skin, promotes the speedy healing of wounds.

HOW TO CARE?
Undoubtedly, the slight touch of time that falls over the years on silverware gives it a special chic and sophistication, but this does not apply to shades of rusty or brown, which can spoil the look of fine tableware and simply damage it.
If antique cutlery has been used at dinner, simply washing it with soap and water is not enough. DO NOT clean such dishes with acid-containing products that can leave stains and stains on them, with hard brushes or abrasive powders!

In fact, everything is very simple:
there are many of them, but we have already discussed the most budgetary and harmless ones in the material on caring for silver-plated items) .
2. After use, each item should be thoroughly washed with hot soapy water and dried completely with a soft cloth. Don't let the silver dry on its own!
3. For items with embossed surfaces, it is worth using a special small and very soft (!!!!!!) brush to clean out all the depressions. After polishing, wash EVERY OBJECT SEPARATELY in soapy water to get rid of polish residues, and then wipe dry with a soft cloth.

HOW TO PRESERVE SILVER FOR HEIRS - CORRECTLY STORE

In order for silver cutlery to retain its original appearance longer, they should NEVER be stored in close proximity to OBJECTS FROM OTHER ALLES!!!!
Such a neighborhood threatens with the appearance of a coating of silver sulfide, which makes antiquities dull, and even worse - gives silver a reddish tint.
To understand what I'm talking about, I'll give an example from personal experience. At the end of the photo gallery of a small part of my personal silver collection you can see a photo of two silver butter knives (photos are marked with a white arrow with a red stripe). Knives are the same, from a large set. On one of them, the same reddish coating - for a couple of weeks the knife was next to a non-silver object. I removed the plaque in 2 seconds, but you should not abuse it.

If an antique silver dinner set is stored for special occasions in the form of a stacked pyramid, then it is better to lay the items with thin napkins so that they do not get scratched.
And one more nuance: antique silver should not be stored for a long time in open sunlight.
To be honest, I try very hard to follow all these simple rules. These relics of incredible beauty have lived a long life and are worthy of the most reverent attitude.
Really?

Inna Varnakova (c)

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Antiques, vintage, flea market

Russia, Moscow

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  • Powerful detergents
    • Water, baking soda and foil
    • Starch or potato water
    • Chalk polishing
    • Soaking items in salt and water
    • Laundry detergent
    • Toothpaste and tooth powder
    • Soaking in lemon juice
    • Soaking in lemon juice
  • How to polish silverware
    • Polishing with a soft eraser
    • Polishing silver with lipstick
  • Proper care of silver spoons and other silverware
    • How to store silverware
    • Is it possible to wash silver spoons in the dishwasher? What the experts say

    • Once upon a time, every wealthy family sought to replenish the arsenal of cutlery with silver spoons, forks and knives. "Eating from silver" was considered a sign of high social status, good taste and strong material well-being.

    Now silver appliances are not so popular: they have been replaced by analogues made from materials that are not so expensive and demanding to maintain - for example, the same stainless steel. However, some owners still purchase silver status sets or inherit them. And miniature silver spoons, which are traditionally bought for babies “for the first tooth”, are in many homes.

    It is believed that the silver spoon helps the baby's teeth to grow healthy. And this is not a superstition: silver is a natural antiseptic that is detrimental to bacteria. Including those causing caries.

    Causes of darkening of silver dishes

    Silver cutlery (as well as jewelry) is never made from pure argentum. Silver is a soft metal, and spoons made of it will easily bend and deform. Therefore, ligatures (other metals) are added to it, which give silver better performance characteristics. The lower the sample, the higher the content of ligatures.

    Silverware blackens mainly due to the reaction of ligatures to aggressive factors: high humidity, cleaning agents, certain substances in the composition of food.

    However, silver itself is also not entirely inert. Its worst enemy is sulfur, which is found in our natural secretions, as well as some foods (for example, onions, garlic, eggs, and so on). The surface layer of silver reacts with sulfur and sulfide is formed - the very unaesthetic dark coating that I would like to get rid of.

    See all silver teaspoons in the catalog SUNLIGHT

    If you choose silverware not in an antique shop, pay attention to rhodium-plated spoons, forks and knives. They are covered with the thinnest layer of rhodium, which makes the silverware more brilliant and protects it from the appearance of black plaque.

    How to clean silverware

    It is not recommended to clean and wash silver cutlery (especially without rhodium plating) with ordinary dishwashing detergents: they can accelerate the processes of oxidation and sulfiding, that is, the formation of a dark coating.

    In today's hardware stores, it's almost pointless to look for cleaning products for silverware: there is no demand - there is no supply. You can try your luck in jewelry stores: they often sell all kinds of sprays and pastes for cleaning silver in any form. However, they are not cheap, and you definitely cannot find them in small towns (well, if you are not ready to wait for delivery from an online store by mail).

    Do not be sad: cleaning silver from blackness at home is not such a technologically complex process. And the necessary substances will surely be at your fingertips - in extreme cases, you will have to run to a pharmacy, an ordinary household store or a grocery store.

    Nickel silver is often confused with silver - they really look very similar. Melchior was invented as a cheap substitute for silver. It is an alloy of copper and nickel and is widely used for cutlery, jewelry, coins, and medical instruments.

    So, let's try to quickly and effectively clean silverware without the involvement of jewelry workshops and special tools.

    Powerful detergents

    As mentioned above, in the case of silverware, do not use ordinary detergents - they can leave unsightly dark stains. Do not use abrasives - they scratch delicate surfaces.

    The matter is further complicated by the fact that silver appliances (especially antique ones) often have intricate decor. And this is not only about all kinds of curls, reliefs and recesses. Decorative blackening or gilding was often applied to table silver, metal was combined with ivory and valuable wood.

    Nevertheless, in every home you can find effective and safe products for the care of silverware (including antiques).

    If antique silver has a purely decorative function, it is not necessary to clean it: the noble patina further emphasizes the flair of antiquity and aristocracy. But if you use cutlery for food, it is better to get rid of dark plaque.

    Water, baking soda and foil

    This method is very simple and effective. Its only drawback is that it cannot be used for blackened silver, as well as cutlery with elements made of heat-sensitive organics (wood, ivory, and so on). Alloys with a low silver content can also suffer.

    To clean silverware in this way:

    Dry soda is not recommended for cleaning silver - it is an abrasive. Do not pick out the remnants of contamination with sharp metal objects (needle, nail, awl, screwdriver, and so on).

    Starch or potato decoction

    In this case, only natural ingredients are used. The simplest, but not very effective option is to pour the silver with the broth that remains after boiling the potatoes. You do not need to cool it: the hotter, the more effective.

    The second way is to use starch as an assistant (corn starch is ideal, but potato starch is also suitable). We act like this:

    You will not get rid of the old blackened layer in this way, but for regular care it is quite suitable.

    Chalk polishing

    This is an old-fashioned way: it was with chalk that the table silver of aristocrats was polished to a shine by hard-working maids. You can apply this time-tested method now.

    It's simple: crush the chalk and rub it over the silver with a soft cloth. If desired, the chalk can be slightly moistened until a paste is obtained.

    The main problem is to find pure chalk, which would not contain solid particles (sand and small pebbles). Otherwise, scratches may form on the silverware.

    Soaking items in salt and water

    If you want to clean a silver spoon that you use regularly, you can use a saturated saline solution.

    The solution is prepared in an elementary way: we take a container, pour hot water from the tap into it, dissolve table salt in it (more, the main thing is to dissolve), put silver and leave for about an hour.

    View all sets of teaspoons in the catalog SUNLIGHT

    If desired, silver in a saline solution can even be boiled: if there are no inserts and blackening on the devices, nothing will happen to it, and a slight blackening will safely disappear.

    Laundry detergent

    It is not worth rubbing silver with washing powder: you never know what? However, it can also be used in another way, for example, in the form of gruel, with which the product should be rubbed.

    The second option is boiling in water with powder. For the best effect, you can cover the bottom of the container with foil or wrap each spoon in it.

    Do not use regular powders. It is better to take a detergent for washing baby clothes - it is less aggressive.

    Toothpaste and tooth powder

    Toothpaste and powder can be used for mechanical cleaning of silver: the chemical effect is minimal here. Just squeeze the paste onto a soft cloth and rub the product. It is not recommended to use pastes with a whitening effect - they contain abrasives, although they are soft.

    Toothpowder is used in the same way, either dry or diluted with water to form a slurry.

    Vinegar solution

    In this case, we are no longer talking about mechanics, but about pure chemistry. Acetic acid is a powerful reagent that can cope with any darkening. But in its pure form, it is detrimental to the metal itself.

    You will not find acetic acid (essence) in stores: they sell ordinary food vinegar (that is, its aqueous solution in a low concentration). In it, you can not only safely soak silver, but even boil it. You can dilute it with water in a ratio of 1: 1, but this is rather for your own peace of mind.

    Soaking in Lemon Juice

    Lemon juice is a pure acid, so it also removes impurities quite well. Take half a lemon and rub silver with it, wait 30-60 minutes and rinse off the juice. If possible, you can soak silver in pure lemon juice for the same period.

    Much more democratic citric acid has a similar effect. The optimal concentration is one standard sachet per half liter of water. You can even boil.

    How to polish silverware

    In addition to removing dirt, silver is usually polished to a mirror finish. The most famous and affordable means for these purposes is the chalk already mentioned above.

    Of the professional, but cheap and time-tested products, one can name the well-known GOI paste. After processing it, even shallow scratches leave the silver surface.

    Polishing with a soft eraser

    If you have schoolchildren or art lovers in your house, you will certainly find erasers. Simply erase the surfaces and the silverware will shine.

    It is best to use classic soft pencil erasers made of rubber. However, in the absence of them, any others will do, the main thing is not too hard.

    Silver polishing with lipstick

    Any color of lipstick can theoretically be used to polish silver. It's simple: apply lipstick on the surface and rub it with a cloth with effort.

    This method is best used in extreme cases. Firstly, the polishing effect is not so strong, and secondly, then you are tormented by picking out lipstick from the recesses.

    Proper care of silver spoons and other silverware

    If a silver spoon has darkened, it means that you have not spent enough time caring for your valuable cutlery. Above, we have listed the most effective ways to keep silver cutlery in order. It is enough to use them from time to time: once every few months or even a year, especially if you use silverware infrequently.

    As part of regular maintenance, silver should simply be washed properly, and only then, if necessary, radically cleaned and polished.

    And it is better to wash silverware as follows:

    1. In hot water, dissolve shavings of household or baby soap.
    2. Soak cutlery in the solution for about an hour.
    3. Carefully remove food residues with a soft sponge, rinse and dry.

    How to store silverware

    If you are the proud owner of such valuable cutlery, you should take care of their proper storage. Main conditions: dryness, stable room temperature, protection from sunlight.

    Silverware sets are usually sold in special boxes with a velvet backing, which are best used for permanent storage. In such cases, there are personal cells for each spoon-fork.

    Silver should never be mixed up with not so noble cutlery in a kitchen drawer. If you do not have a special case or you use a silver spoon all the time, then at least store it separately, wrapped in a cloth.

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