Cleaning How To Clean Precious Metals

Date Published:

03/10/2008

It don’t cost a thing to look after your bling!

Brass can be polished to a shine using a proprietary product (follow manufacturer’s instructions) or try tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, or toothpaste. We kid you not.

Silver: Clean with a solution of washing-up liquid and warm water. Rinse in hot water and buff dry. Remove tarnish by rubbing silver with a paste of baking soda and water. Alternatively, line a bowl with foil and fill with hot water and a little washing soda. Immerse the silver and leave it for a few minutes, but no more than 10. Take care when cleaning silver-plated items as the plate will come off if you clean too enthusiastically.

Gold: A simple bowl of warm soapy water should bring your gold up nicely - use an old toothbrush to get into awkward places.

Be careful washing gold or silver set with precious stones – some are absorbent and shouldn’t be washed in water. See How To Clean Jewellery

Very dirty brass can be cleaned with brown sauce. It works on hammered & embossed brass, too. Polish after cleaning.
Posted by romay123

To clean silver line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil, add several spoonfuls of baking soda and fill the pan with boiling water. Now drop in your silver pieces and watch the tarnish disappear.
Posted by JessicaAnn231

Clean your gold jewellery on the cheap. The following applies to gold alone or with all stones but for opals, pearls, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, or any other delicate stone. Take out a coffee mug. Put one single drop of dishwashing liquid (for dishes by hand, not the dishwasher type) in the bottom and fill with LUKEWARM water. Carefully place the ring, bracelet or necklace you wish to clean on the bottom. Leave overnight. In the morning you will find a lot of dirt specks floating on top. Rinse jewellery gently with warm (never hot) water and dry thoroughly. Warning: Again, NOT for use with opals (which absorb water and are sensitive to extreme heat and cold) or turquoise or pearls, or any other stone which might absorb the water or be damaged by it or the chemicals in the dishwashing liquid.
Posted by LizzieinNYC

Keep your sterling "sterling" pristine, your gold, gold. Do not keep gold jewellery together in the same box as sterling or in the same box as costume jewellery. First, clean the gold and sterling; then keep them completely separate. You won't have to shine and polish as often as necessary.
Posted by LizzieinNYC

Run out of silver cleaner? Use toothpaste to clean the tarnish off your silver.
Posted by bfreder576748

I have some antique silverware which I’ve just bought some super expensive cleaner for, but my mum used to use toothpaste on hers. Apparently you use a bit of water and don't scrub too hard. I'm sticking with my expensive stuff though.
Posted by wombat

If you're lucky enough to have sterling silver then you can clean it with a bit of baking soda and water that's been rubbed to form a paste...
Posted by Duncan101

Always check manufacturer's instructions first. Always try a test patch first. If you are unsure as to whether the item you are cleaning is suitable for our instructions, take professional cleaning advice first.

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