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The 8 Best Silver Polishes of 2022

By

Emily Shwake

Emily Shwake

Emily Shwake is a Brooklyn-based product reviewer for The Spruce who specializes in home and shopping topics. She writes about home, cooking, and shopping for sites such as Martha Stewart and Apartment Therapy, as well.

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Updated on 07/11/22

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Polishing your silver can seem like a trivial task, but most silver polishes are actually extremely powerful and remove tarnish in minutes without much of a fuss. Plus, they leave a protective film behind that ensures that you likely will only have to undertake the task a few times per year.

We researched the best silver polishes on the market, evaluating them for their ease of use, application method, and overall value. Goddard's Silver Polish Foam is our favorite because it's easy to use and addresses tarnish, corrosion, rust, and other forms of aging without much elbow grease required.

Here are the best silver polishes for a blemish-free shine.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Goddard’s Silver Polish Foam at Bed Bath & Beyond

Best All-Purpose:

Weiman Silver Polish and Cleaner at Amazon

Best for Jewelry:

Simple Shine Complete Jewelry Cleaning Kit at Amazon

Best for Silverware:

W. J. Hagerty Hagerty Flatware Silver Dip at Amazon

Best Cream:

Wright's Silver Cleaner and Polish Cream at Amazon

Best Wipes:

Carbona Silver Wipes at Amazon

Best Cloth:

Connoisseurs Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloth at Amazon

Best Brush:

Simple Shine Horsehair Silver Brush Set at Amazon

In This Article

Courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond

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Who else recommends it? Bustle and Bob Vila both picked Goddard’s Silver Polish Foam.  

What do buyers say? 92% of 1,300+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

Our top pick, Goddard’s Silver Polish Foam, comes with a soft, circular sponge applicator inside of the jar that gently works the fluffy, lightweight paste into a lather when water is added. Foam polish is especially useful in the case of elaborate pieces such as candlesticks or silver bells, since it clings to the surface without dripping. This paste is easily manipulated and quickly foams away tarnish, discoloration, and rust without much effort. It also leaves behind a protective barrier that prevents degradation in the long-term.

Goddard’s polish is kosher-certified, so feel free to use it on all of your serving pieces as well as your jewelry and decor. The jar holds 18 ounces of product, so you should be able to restore all of your silverware and still have plenty left over for years to come. The one downside to polish foam is that it can leave tarnish and staining on your hands, so we recommend wearing gloves while scrubbing this product into your silver pieces. Be sure to rinse out the sponge after you're done polishing your pieces and allow it to dry before storing it back in the container. With Goddard's Silver Polish Foam in your cleaning cupboard, you can be sure you will never be caught with tarnished silverware again.

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Because Weiman’s Silver Polish and Cleaner works on a range of materials—from gold and copper to gemstones and platinum—it’s a great choice if you have a wide variety of valuables. All you need is a soft cloth to apply the watery substance to your silver.

You only need to use enough to lightly dampen the cloth, so the 8-ounce bottle should last for quite a while. It’s ammonia-free, so it is delicate and doesn’t have a strong odor. Like many of the others on this list, the formula leaves a protective film against future tarnish or scratches; however, it does seem to last a bit longer than some of the others, so it’s a great choice for silver that is used a lot.

Amazon

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Simple Shine Complete Jewelry Cleaning Kit Review: Safe and Easy

Because our jewelry is always rubbing against our skin, sweat, skin oils, lotion, and perfume combined with the metal's surface will cause it to tarnish over time. Like the Hagerty Flatware Silver Dip, the Simple Shine Complete Jewelry Cleaning Kit comes with a basket so that you can submerge your jewelry in the product for two minutes, then pull it right out without getting it all over your hands. The solution is biodegradable, so it doesn’t utilize any harsh ingredients. It can be used on gold, palladium, platinum, sterling silver, stainless steel, gemstones, diamonds, and plenty of other materials that most other solutions don’t work on.

The kit comes with a double-sided cloth that you can use to rub away any lingering tarnish and buff out the silver when it’s dry for extra shine. You’ll also find a tiny brush that is helpful for getting into any nooks and crannies that the solution missed.

The Spruce / Caroline Goldstein 

Courtesy of Amazon

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This product’s one and only purpose is for cleaning silverware, so it is really good at it. The tube is about 9 inches tall and 3 inches wide, so it is the perfect size to fit a fork or two. It may sound tedious to not be able to dip your whole set at once, but the process is fast enough that you’ll be able to refresh every single piece in just a few minutes.

All you have to do is slip the flatware into the tube, leave it for ten seconds, pull out the basket, run it under the sink, then dry and buff it with a soft cloth. It’s so easy and convenient that you won’t even mind the strong odor emanating out of the jar. One of the biggest perks, though, is that the solution never leaves its container, so you’ll be able to reuse it again and again for years to come.

The 8 Best Jewelry Cleaners of 2022 | by The Spruce

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Because cream polish is a thicker, less runny material, it's a good choice for more complex silver pieces. Wright’s Silver Cleaner can easily be worked into tight crevices so that they shine just as brightly as the rest of the piece. Just rub it all over the silver using the enclosed sponge or a clean cloth, then use a soft-bristle brush for all of the detail work or tough tarnish spots.

The cleaner is kosher-approved, creates a scratch-resistant barrier, and will prevent your silver from tarnishing in the future. It’s also ammonia-free, so it won’t stink up the room when you open up the jar.

Even if you don’t have enough silver to warrant an 8-ounce jar of cleaner, you’ll probably use up the whole thing because it’s effective on a wide range of other common kitchen materials, from stainless steel and chrome to porcelain and pewter.

Courtesy of Amazon

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Carbona Silver Wipes are a very convenient option for those who don't own enough silver to warrant a whole kit. They’re surprisingly effective considering how easy they are to use—all you have to do is rub the wipe all over the piece, then rinse off the residue in the sink. And they don’t just remove tarnish; they’ll actually prevent your silver from tarnishing in the future, so you probably won’t need to pull the pack out again for quite a bit.

Each of the 12 pre-moistened wipes are about the size of half a sheet of paper, so you should be able to use one wipe for a few pieces. They’re also effective on brass, copper, and gold, so they’re worth the purchase even if you don’t have an extensive silver collection. As an added bonus, the ingredients list is surprisingly short, so the wipes don’t have the harsh smells that many of the other products on this list have.

The 8 Best Cleaning Wipes of 2022

Courtesy of Target

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The Connoisseurs UltraSoft Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloth is the only product on this list that doesn’t rely on liquid to get the job done, so it’s a great tool for cleaning watches or other items that can’t get wet. Technically, this product is two cloths with different textures sewn together on one side: The light-purple fabric is for cleaning while the darker-purple, softer-looking fabric is for polish. The polishing side is infused with an odorless formula that will prevent your silver from tarnishing in the future.

Although it’s specifically designed for jewelry, this cloth can be used on all of your other silver or silver-plated items. Slightly bigger than a piece of paper, the cloth is large enough to handle bigger projects such as silver platters or tea sets. Perhaps the only drawback of this product is that you can’t clean the cloth itself or you’ll wash out the cleaning solution. Still, it will remain effective no matter how dirty it looks!

The 7 Best Microfiber Cloths of 2022

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Brushes are an important tool for cleaning and polishing silver as they can provide a thorough scrubbing without scratching the delicate surface. This pair of brushes is made of horsehair, which is the only bristle soft enough to not damage the silver. The wooden handles are comfortable and are long enough to reach even the parts of the items that sponges or cloths can’t.

The detail brush's bristles are 0.5 inches tall and are skinny enough that you can really scrub in those nooks and crannies. The all-purpose brush's bristles are a bit taller and more substantial, so you can clean the rest of the piece without having to commit hours to doing so. They’re best paired with a cream or foam, but they can still be helpful for buffing out problem areas when you’re done wiping it down with a liquid polish.

Final Verdict

Our top choice is Goddard’s Silver Polish Foam because of its rich lather that clings to the surface of silver and the soft, easy-to-manipulate sponge that is included in the jar. Weiman’s Silver Polish and Cleaner is a close runner-up because of its long-lasting protection as well as the fact that it works well on a wide variety of materials.

Ease of Use

Different silver polishes require different methods for getting your items back to their cleanest, most sparkling state. Some call for soft sponges, cloths, or gentle bristle brushes that allow you to get into those more intricate or hard-to-reach tarnish spots, while others are one-step wipes with no scrubbing or soaking necessary. Think about the mode of cleaning required when picking which silver polish is best for you—keeping in mind that some make it easy by including all the tools you need in one kit. 

Material Compatibility

Check whether or not your silver polish is effective on more than just silver. Some polishes work well on materials like stainless steel, brass, copper, gold, and more, making them versatile enough for multiple uses across numerous valuables. Others may damage these materials, so check on each brand’s material compatibility—especially if you plan to polish more than a few items. 

Formula

Some silver cleaners utilize harsh ingredients (like ammonia) to remove tarnish, while others opt for a gentler, more natural approach. Do your research to find out which silver polish is the least abrasive to your items, while still being effective.  

FAQ

This article was written by Emily Shwake, a freelance writer who has worked for The Spruce since 2020. She has written hundreds of posts about cleaning for sites such as BuzzFeed, Apartment Therapy, and Martha Stewart. Additional reporting was done by Mackenzie Dunn, a lifestyle writer and editor whose work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, HelloGiggles, Real Simple, MyDomaine, and more.

Updated by

Mackenzie Dunn

Mackenzie Dunn

Mackenzie is a writer and editor for The Spruce with expertise in the fashion, beauty, home, and lifestyle spaces.

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Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. The 5 Best Silver Polishes. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/life/best-silver-polish

  2. The Best Silver Polish for Restoring Shine. Bob Vila. https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-silver-polish/

How to Clean Silver - Best DIY Ways to Polish Silver & Remove Tarnish

No matter how well you care for your silver jewelry, serving ware and cutlery, they will naturally tarnish over time. Although silver doesn't require the regular upkeep of more frequently-used household items like bedding and kitchenware, it still needs to be cleaned every so often to maintain its luster and keep heavy tarnish from making it look old and even more difficult to clean.

Your most-worn rings, necklaces and other jewelry pieces may only need a light polishing from time to time, but silver left on display or tucked inside boxes, cabinets and drawers that is used infrequently may require a more intensive clean.

Why does silver tarnish?

It's a chemical reaction from exposure to sulphur in the air and light that causes silver to tarnish, however, jewelry pieces stay bright with regular friction and frequent wear.

How often should you polish silver??

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 usually suffices in most cases.

Follow these steps on how to clean silver from Carolyn Forte, Executive Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, to make it sparkle. Although there are recommended go-to cleaning products that make for a more effective clean, we've also included a few homemade cleaning remedies with basic pantry finds, including dish soap and baking soda, for less expensive cleaning options or to use in a pinch when you find you're out of regular polish.

What you'll need to clean silver:

How to clean tarnished silver with polish:

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 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.
  5. Silver wipes and cloths are a less messy and more convenient option to liquid polish.

How to clean silver naturally with soap or baking soda:

Without a doubt, targeted polish (mentioned above) is the most effective way to clean silver. But if you're in a pinch, you can turn to your pantry for homemade remedies.

How to store silver and prevent tarnish:

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

Amanda Garrity

Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.  

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How and how to clean a silver spoon and other silverware from blackness at home

Contents

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 less expensive and less demanding materials - 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.

Reasons for darkening of silverware

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 sulfidation, that is, the formation of dark deposits.

In today's hardware stores, looking for cleaning products for silverware is almost pointless: no demand - 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 complicated 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.

Effective detergents

As mentioned above, in the case of silverware, you can 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 salt water 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.

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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: who knows? 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.

Lemon Juice Soak

Lemon juice is a pure acid, so it is also good at removing dirt. 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, it is customary to polish silver 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 the 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.

Polishing silver 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 lucky 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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