Silver Care Tips

This past holiday season, we hosted my husband's side of the family here for dinner one evening and it was lots of fun! In gearing up for that dinner, I was polishing my silver. I love silver and have collected many pieces over the years. 

I think there are few things more satisfying than polishing silver. The before and after is too good. I don't mind a little patina but there is something so fun to see such shiny silver once it is polished.

The polishing routine is time-consuming and sometimes my hands start to cramp trying to really get into all of those crevices. The silverware is the worst culprit of it all. I have always painstakingly polished each piece of silverware by hand. I usually try to break it up into a few days or else my hands wouldn't make it through! 

So I took to Instagram to talk about how to care for silver and some of you had some really great tips. So I thought I would share some of my favorite products along with some of the really great tips from all of you wonderful people! 

Products

Wright's Silver Cream

I have been using this since I got my first piece of silver. It is truly the best. It comes in a small tub and a little goes a long way. You just apply the cream onto the silver with the little sponge that it comes with and then wipe it all over and rinse and dry it well. So simple and easy and the results are perfect. This does not smell at all. 

Someone asked on Instagram when I was talking about polishing the silverware and they asked if I wash it after polishing and the answer is YES. I always wash it after I polish it! You definitely don't want any of that chemical residue left on your eating utensils! I usually hand wash with warm soapy water but I have also run it through the dishwasher (which you are not supposed to do, but I have done it and nothing bad has happened, you just have to make sure to remove it immediately when done and towel dry). 

Weiman Silver Wipes

These work on silver, gold, and brass. They work similarly to the silver cream, this is just more of a quick convenience. These would be nice to use for silver jewelry if you are on-the-go or if you just need to polish one item quickly. They have a faint smell but it's not awful and not too noticeable. 

Hagerty Silver Dip

First of all, this is the worst thing I have ever smelled in my entire life. I have a very sensitive nose and can literally smell even the faintest of anything, so I guess keep that in mind but, I would never buy this ever again. I was gagging and almost passed out. The smell was so bad. I had two masks on, all the windows open, and a fan on. Nothing helped. Luckily, my husband was home and doesn't have a bloodhound nose like I do and was able to get rid of it while I hid upstairs, haha!! I include this because I've never seen something work so well or so quickly. Someone said they use this all the time on their silver and are not bothered by the smell. They said they do it outside on their deck. So, if you dare, maybe try this outdoors with a mask on. I can't imagine those chemicals are good to be breathing in. Literally, in 10 seconds all of my silverware looked good as new, though. Even the crevices were spotless from tarnish. It was unbelievable. Oh, this is a liquid, so you just put it directly onto your object and rinse. No joke, 10 seconds. I would also suggest gloves- this stuff is STRONG. When it comes to silver 'dip' this removes the tarnish but a silver 'polish' removes the tarnish while also leaving a protective layer on the silver, so you may want to use a cream on items like a vase or platter! Oh, and one more thing, this should not be the method you always use. This is pretty harsh to the silver, so I would only use this in a pinch (actually, I will never ever use this again, haha, but you know what I mean). 

Polishing Brush

Think of these as like really soft toothbrushes. They won't scratch the metal and are good for getting into intricate designs. I don't think these are necessary but they are nice to have on hand. 

Anti Tarnish Strips

I actually think these work. They are just paper strips that you set in with your silver items and they are supposed to absorb any excess moisture/chemicals that cause the tarnishing. So far so good! A few of you also recommended tossing in those little silica packets you get with shoes and stuff like that, they essentially do the same thing!

There are a bunch of other home remedies for tarnish like baking soda and aluminum and that kind of thing. I have tried it but I don't really think it works all that well. 

Storage

I think that these might be the game-changing tips right here... it's all about how you use and store your silver! 

The more you use your silverware, the less likely it will tarnish. In fact, you can use your silverware for meals every single day and it will likely tarnish much slower. We don't use ours daily but we do use it somewhat often. I'm a big believer in using the nice stuff always and not waiting for an occasion! But when you do use it, you don't want to let food sit on it long after you are done using it. Cleaning it swiftly is key! 

Tarnish is a chemical reaction so you want to keep your silver stored away from things that cause tarnish like moisture, different foods, acidic items, etc. For a long time, I had our silverware in a bamboo silverware separator just in our kitchen cabinet drawer. Several of you suggested I store it in the chest that the silver came in or in a drawer specially made for silver. I have both of those things and was not using either!!! SO silly of me. So I transferred all of our silverware into the flannel-lined drawer and keep it covered with the 'blanket' portion and keep that drawer closed when not in use. It made a HUGE difference!!! The silver I polished in early December still looks amazing! If you don't have a felt-lined drawer (mine is in my buffet) or silver chest (my silver came with the felt-lined chest, but I don't use it) you can buy these felt pouches and drawer liners. 

If you have any great silver tips, leave them in the comments so we can learn from you!! 

Disclaimer: Always test a small unseen patch on your item before trying a new product of any kind all over your item. What may have worked for me and my silver items might not be best for you, so proceed with caution!