Cleaning Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is beautiful, but it does tend to tarnish occasionally. While storing it in an airtight container can help prevent this, sterling silver jewelry will still need to be cleaned at some point. The best method depends on what other materials are used in the piece and the amount of detail. Here is an overview of some of your choices -

• Sterling silver cleaning cloth - these are available at most retailers (this is my favorite method). There are usually 2 different cloths in the package, one to clean and one to polish. This method is suitable for most jewelry - it's safe for all materials (make sure to read your package before use to prevent any damage), doesn't create a mess, is portable, and is simple to use.
• Commercial jewelry bath - this is also available in stores. Commercial jewelry baths can be very harsh and damaging to some stones, so it is important to read the label very carefully before using one of these cleaners.
• Homemade jewelry bath - there are many recipes available online. I have never tried any of these so I can't recommend one, but I would suggest testing it on a piece of jewelry that can be replaced to be sure that it is safe.