How to care for Antique Silver
Nick Besson

Defined Tag: Antique Silver.

You may think that antique silver will frequently get tarnished, it's true; but by following some useful tips on cleaning the silver, and keeping your antique silverware away from sulfur and acid based products, you can keep your antique silverware in perpetually great shape, and keep on enjoying it as long as you live.

So here's some tips on caring for your antique silver.

There is a saying, "Use it or lose it." You need to use your antique silver regularly. Somehow or rather, the vibrations of your energy interact with the silver, if you frequently use it. Try it out. Leave a silver piece on the mantle for 6 months. It will tarnish. This is one of those things that science has never proven, but it works. So handle or use your silver antique often. Just remember though, if you eat a lot of peas, eggs, or onions, you may want to use something else as utensils, because of the high sulfur content in these foods.

Secondly, don't wash antique silverware in dishwasher, because the harsh detergent will react with the silver, and tarnish it. Washing in mild soapy water is alright, as long as you wash it quickly, rinse it in clean, hot water, and then dry immediately.

** A note about eating eggs and such...If you still want to use your silver cutlery anyway for eating peas, mayonnaise, brussel sprouts, and eggs, then after washing as mentioned in the second paragraph, dip the silver briefly in a silver dip. After that, make sure you rinse the silver in warm water thoroughly, and dry it with a soft cloth.

Once you have clean silverware, it is easy to maintain them with a quick dusting using a warm soapy water wash and a soft cloth. Rinse well before drying them with a soft cloth.

What about antique silver items which you are not going to use regularly? Well, it can be a good idea to put it away in a tarnish proof felt or acid free paper. Place that in a cupboard or drawer and keep as air tight as possible. If left by themselves, tarnish will set in on the silver over time. But that is not a big concern if you know how to get rid of the tarnish. Tarnish is just ugly, but not corrosive.

How to remove tarnish from your silverware

One of the methods used is to convert silver sulfide into silver. This does not remove the silver so no harm comes to the silver pieces. The recipe is as follows:

You will need:

* water
* salt
* tongs
* baking soda
* aluminum foil

Now you will line a glass pan or sink with the foil, then heat water until it steams and add:
* 1 tablespoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water
After that, pour it into the glass pan or the sink

You will need tongs to place the silver on the pan and you will need to make sure the silver touches the aluminum foil. You'll notice that the tarnish will disappear rapidly. For greatly tarnished silverware, you might have to repeat the process with a reheated solution.

There is also another option for removing tarnish - buying commercial cleaning solutions. If you would rather just buy one of the many types of cleaners available at the DIY store, then try to get the least abrasive cleaner possible. These commercial cleaners will remove a slight layer of silver each time you use them, so it's best to use them only on the most hardy or long lasting of your antique silverware.

Nick Besson is an antique lover who likes researching and collecting antiques. He has been collecting antiques for a decade now, and also writes articles on antiques for websites.