How to clean silver jewelry at home

By Greg Parsons · Updated October 18, 2026

Why silver tarnishes

Tarnish is mainly black silver sulfide, formed when silver reacts with sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide in the air. Jewelers Mutual adds sweat, body oils, household chemicals and humid storage to the list of things that speed it up. Every polish removes a tiny amount of silver along with the tarnish, so the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) recommends preventing tarnish rather than removing it often.

Before you clean: check what you have

• Plain sterling: any method below.
• Silver plated: gentle only. CCI warns that any tarnish removal may be very damaging to plated pieces.
• Stones, pearls or turquoise: soap and water and a cloth on the metal only.
• Oxidized (blackened) details: the dark recesses are deliberate. Tiffany warns that overzealous cleaning and polishing can remove an oxidized finish.
• Hollow beads or charms: do not soak. CCI says objects with sealed hollow parts should not go into liquid cleaners.

How to clean silver jewelry at home with soap and water

1. Fill a bowl with warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap.
2. Soak for a few minutes, then use a soft brush (a soft toothbrush works) around settings and links.
3. Rinse in clean water and dry completely with a soft cloth.
4. Buff with a silver polishing cloth to bring back the shine.

Jewelers of America recommends wiping jewelry with a soft cloth after each wear and having fine pieces professionally cleaned about once a year.

Polishing cloths and silver polish

Silver polishing cloths are impregnated with a mild abrasive and, as CCI notes, are the gentlest way to buff light tarnish. For heavier tarnish, use a polish made for silver, not a general metal polish, which CCI says is more abrasive. CCI names Hagerty, Goddard's, Twinkle and Silvo among the gentler products. Rub in straight lines, rinse, and dry well.

How to clean silver jewelry with baking soda and foil

This method uses chemistry rather than rubbing. When silver touches aluminum in a warm solution of washing soda or baking soda, the tarnish is converted back to silver. CCI describes the process with washing soda; a 1917 US Department of Agriculture study found baking soda worked too.

1. Line a heat-safe glass or ceramic bowl with aluminum foil.
2. Add very hot water with about 1 teaspoon of baking soda (or washing soda) and 1 teaspoon of table salt per quart (about a litre), the proportions used in the 1917 USDA study, and stir.
3. Put the jewelry in so each piece touches the foil.
4. Wait a few minutes, turning pieces if needed. Remove with tongs; it will be hot.
5. Rinse well in clean water, dry, and buff with a polishing cloth.

Caveats from CCI: the piece can come out with a dull, matte finish that needs buffing; it can tarnish again faster than polished silver; and it is not for pieces with sealed hollow parts. It also strips the dark color from oxidized details. Do not use it on stones, pearls, turquoise or plated pieces.

How to clean silver jewelry with vinegar

Vinegar is an acid. CCI notes that commercial silver dips are acid-based and that silver should be exposed to them as little as possible to avoid pitting, and the same caution makes sense for vinegar soaks. We would use soap and water or a polishing cloth instead. If you do use vinegar on plain sterling, keep the soak short, rinse thoroughly and never use it near stones, pearls or turquoise.

Silver dips

Dips dissolve tarnish fast. CCI recommends applying a dip with a cotton swab rather than submerging the piece, rinsing well, wearing gloves and working in a ventilated space, and never using it on hollow pieces. Dips can also leave silver looking flat and "new" by stripping the darker recesses.

How to clean silver jewelry with stones

Use warm, soapy water and a soft brush around the setting, rinse and dry. Skip foil, dips and ultrasonic cleaners unless you know the stone can take it. Jewelers of America notes ultrasonic machines may be too harsh for delicate pieces and softer gemstones. Buff the metal with a cloth, working around the stone.

How to clean silver jewelry with turquoise

GIA says turquoise is porous and can absorb skin oils, cosmetics and cleaners, and that it is safe to clean with warm, soapy water but never with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Some turquoise is treated, and heat or solvents can damage that surface. Wipe the stone with a damp cloth, dry it, and polish only the silver with a dry cloth, keeping polish off the stone.

How to clean silver jewelry that has oxidized

If "oxidized" means it has tarnished, clean it as above. If the piece was made with a deliberately blackened (oxidized) finish, use soap and water and a light touch with a cloth on the raised areas only, so the dark recesses stay dark.

How to clean a tarnished Pandora bracelet

Pandora's own instructions use its Jewelry Care Kit: submerge the jewelry in the liquid cleaner for two minutes, rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry, use the soft brush for build-up, then buff with the polishing cloth. Pandora suggests cleaning pieces worn daily about every two weeks, and putting jewelry on after skincare. Its pearl and lab-grown diamond pieces need gentler handling, so check the care note that came with each charm.

How to keep silver from tarnishing

• Store each piece in a sealed polyethylene bag. CCI suggests a tarnish-inhibiting cloth and acid-free tissue inside; Jewelers of America suggests anti-tarnish strips.
• Keep silver away from rubber bands and rubber, which contain sulfur (Tiffany).
• Take it off for swimming, showers and cleaning with bleach or chlorine.
• Wear it. Tiffany notes that silver worn regularly needs less care.