How to Sparkle Tarnished Silver Items Using Ultrasonic Cleaner At Home?

Silver jewelry is a great investment for many. It is many times also bought as a gift on special occasions such as anniversaries, family get-togethers, engagements, etc.

Silver Cleaning

Your jewelry items made of sterling silver carry an emotional attachment to them.

Thus you may need to clean and maintain it regularly so that it looks good even after years of use.

You can do this by buying the right type of cleaner which is specially meant for cleaning silver jewelry such as a silver necklace, anklet, bracelet, or chain.

Thanks to modern ultrasonic silver cleaners, which can be utilized to preserve the sheen and aesthetic properties of silver jewelry in its original vitality for a long.

What is Tarnish?

Tarnish is a very thin corrosion layer that forms on your silver item over time.

The dulling is mainly due to the chemical reaction caused by hydrogen sulfide or sulfur in the atmosphere. It looks dark in color and is unpleasant to the eyes.

The oxidized or tarnished silver can be restored by polishing using steel wool or a polishing pad. You can even use silver polish or ultrasonic methods to get the shine back.

The best is to keep your silver items protected, which will prevent getting them tarnished soon.

Why Ultrasonic Silver Cleaner?

In general, pure silver does not get oxidized in the air due to the fact that it’s not reactive to oxygen or water at average room temperature.

However, the metals in the alloy (as in the case of your silver item) are prone to get oxidized as it tends to react with oxygen and water present in the air.

This is the reason why silver item, even when stored in air-tight spaces or containers, shows the signs of tarnishing, maybe at a much slower pace.

With the help of these efficient cleaning devices, your silver jewelry can be effectively saved from getting tarnished over time (which is a natural process).

Before talking more about ultrasonic cleaners for cleaning tarnished silver, let us discuss a few DIY home remedies for cleaning silver jewelry at home.

These are very useful for the common cleaning of items that have fewer stains on them.

7 Ways To Clean Silver Items At Home

Although silver is an amazing and beautiful metal, it becomes prey to dulling tarnish.

Being used regularly with heavy makeup and perfumes, the need arises to maintain it with cleaning steps and tips that give sparkling, clear, and new condition jewelry to match any of the outfits you desire.

Before moving towards the cleaning task, you need to know the right tips to clean the sensitive silver jewelry at home so that you get back its brightness without any harm or damage made to the metal itself.

1- Toothpaste

Toothpaste for silver cleaning is often recommended and used by many as it gives pretty decent results at a very affordable cost.

Instead of using the silver polish, solution, or cloth, you can use your toothpaste to clean your silver items at home quickly. Care that you use only white toothpaste and not gel-based colored ones.

You just need to rub the toothpaste (you use for brushing teeth daily) on the silver item, just like a soap. After a few seconds, wipe it off with a paper towel or silver cleaning cloth.

The results you will see will be highly admirable. And the fun part is that you will prevent all that odor that may be caused by using the silver cleaning solution.

2- Vinegar

Every woman desires a clean and sparkling silver ornament with a smudge-free look.

If you are very much concerned about your silver jewelry and are looking for the best tricks to apply, then luckily, you have vinegar.

This is a very gentle and chemical-free substance that can be used on jewelry articles to get its sparkling and gleaming look back.

Mix white vinegar and baking soda in a bowl and lay the silver jewelry in it to settle for an hour.

Later clean with the toothbrush and hold it under the valve of the running water. With this method, you can get clean jewelry similar to a professional service.

3- Baking soda

Many are sick of the smelly and tarnished silver ornaments they have in their home. Fortunately, we have a homemade silver cleaner for them.

To clean it, you need to add baking soda to the boiling water and add the ornaments to it to settle at the bottom.

Leave it for half an hour and brush in a simple way to get rid of dirt and grime. Wipe it clean with a soft cloth to get the sparkling jewelry once again.

If you feel the dirt is too stubborn and heavy to clean, you can try making a paste of (1 part baking soda in 2 parts of water). Use this paste to rub against the item and then wipe it clean.

4- Aluminum foil

Cleaning silver with aluminum foil and salt (or baking soda) is one of our best-recommended techniques to follow.

However, you need to be safe and careful while performing the cleaning task as the silver jewelry contains adhesives that might crumble or break up.

Well, tear a piece of aluminum foil larger than the bottom of a dish, crumble it gently, and then un-crumble it.

Set the jewelry pieces on the un-crumbled foil and dust with baking soda. Place a cup of water in a small pot on the burner and boil for 5 minutes on low flame.

Now transfer the hot water into the dish. Dip the jewelry and let it settle in hot water until the dirt, grime, and tarnish get removed.

5- Silver polish solution

Silver is soft, and it gets scratched easily. When dirt and grime settle on the silver costume jewelry, it gives an old and fading look.

To clear it up and make it sparkling once again, you need to purchase a silver polish solution that is specially formulated to remove the developed tarnish on it.

You can get it from a jewelry store or from a jewelry department that can suggest to you the way to use it and maintain the delicate piece.

You can just apply the polish on your sterling silver jewelry and rub it in simple motions with a soft cloth to get back its original look.

This is one of the simplest ways to clean your silver items at home without damaging them.

6- Polishing cloth and cleaning kit

Silver cleaning or polishing cloth can also be used to quickly clean the tarnished silver metal.

Make sure that when you are using a polishing cloth, you use different parts of the cloth for cleaning. This will avoid the spreading of tarnish on your piece.

Also, ensure that you maintain long up-and-down strokes. Do not use circular motions as it can make the tarnish worse.

This is a quick method by which you can remove the mild tarnishes effectively without getting your jewelry damaged.

You can consider this option when you want to quickly clean your items, like cleaning your silver jewelry items when going to a party.

7- Ultrasonic silver cleaning machine

Although various methods can be utilized for cleaning tarnished silver, using ultrasonic technology is one of the best that most recommend.

Devices such as Magnasonic, GemOro Sparkle Spa Pro, Trioshine, and many others are fully advanced and utilize the best technology for cleaning the jewelry without providing them any harm.

As these professional silver cleaning machines are completely safe to use at home and in shops, these are considered as best for cleaning sterling silver jewelry.

I usually use my ultrasonic silver cleaning kit after polishing the silver with a simple microfiber cloth or special jewelry cloth for getting long-lasting dashing results.

Our favorite most method for cleaning silver includes the process that used baking soda and aluminum foil. However, if your item is heavily tarnished, it’s better to use an ultrasonic method.

Do remember that, there are people who advise using products such as beer, vodka, coca-cola, and ketchup for silver cleaning. We highly recommend that you do not use such products. These can cause more harm than good.

In a pinch, if you want to use you can go with your regular window cleaner or a laundry detergent.

Does Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Work On Silver?

Although ultrasonic cleaner works to clean silver jewelry, it DOES NOT WORK to remove the tarnish completely.

In general, these machines can work pretty well to remove the dirt, oil, and perfume deposited on your silver jewelry due to daily wear and tear.

However, since tarnish is a chemical reaction or a process that silver or copper jewelry undergoes due to environmental effects, it cannot be cleaned completely.

To get better finishing and shine, you can instead polish them away.

How Does The Cleaning Device Actually Work?

Ultrasonic silver cleaning is executed in a specially designed metallic tank with a detachable basket.

When switched ON, the Magnasonic ultrasonic cleaner for silver generates ultrasonic waves up to 42000 Hz per second.

These waves stir a special silver cleaning solution that is poured into the tank.

The intense vibrations and microscopic bubbles produced in the liquid hit the surface of the object to bring about spotless cleaning of the silver pieces placed strategically in the basket.

For this, the silver jewelry is to be left in the basket for a few minutes depending on the dimensions and the instructions that accompany the unit.

The unique property of these silver jewelry cleaning machines is, that it removes stains and grime from places that are inaccessible to normal cleaning methods.

Some of these ultrasonic silver cleaning units also come equipped with a discrete tank for immersing the silver items into a tarnish scrubbing solution prior to subjecting the pieces to ultrasonic cleaning.

Things to Care when Using Ultrasonic Cleaner for Silver Items

Every ultrasonic cleaner unit comes packaged with a set of instructions.

Care has to be taken that you use recommended silver cleaning liquid in the cleaner as any deviation from the prescribed ultrasonic silver cleaning solution may cause permanent damage to the unit and may also harm the jewelry as well.

Silver ornaments carrying gemstones should be avoided in the unit, especially if the diamonds or gems have innate flaws in them. In all cases, the operating instructions should be steadfastly adhered to for safe cleaning.

Overall, an automatic ultrasonic silver cleaning machine adds character to your precious items so that you can wear them with attitude with undiminished luster year after year.

Why not get one now and keep your silver articles clean always?

How Often to Clean Silver Items?
Expensive silver jewelry items and coins (like silver dollars) are bound to get tarnished, in the absence of proper maintenance and regular cleaning. Therefore, cleaning of jewelry and other silver items, at least twice a year, is obligatory to ward off any blemish on the shining surface.

Few Tips for Preventing the Tarnish on Silver Items

If you are wondering if there is any way to prevent the silver from getting tarnished or how you can go about it, let’s check some of them here.

These prevention tips will help in avoiding the chemical reaction taking place that actually causes corrosion or tarnishes.

  • Clean your silver jewelry piece regularly; this will help to avoid getting discoloration.
  • Use a bit of conditioner to gently rub on the material. Make sure you blend it using a soft cotton cloth. This will polish and add a protective layer to the silver.
  • Consider placing a piece of chalk in a box (or a drawer) where you store your silver jewelry. This absorbs the moisture in the air and helps prevent the silver from getting tarnished.
  • Take your silver jewelry off when doing household chores (like cooking, gardening, etc.), exercising, or swimming. This will avoid getting it in contact with chemicals like chlorine that can corrode the silver fast.

Remember, prevention is always easier than aftercare! It’s much more affordable to your pocket too.

So take a step ahead to protect your silver in the first place, and you will not need to clean them more often!