I personally like simichrome...but you do want a creme type polish that has no abrasives. The abrasives scratch the finish and can ruin a good set quickly. Also, never, never, ever ever use Tarnex or any of those other instant tarnish removers...they WILL destroy your item instantly...

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Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words.~Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes)
 

First wash the piece in warm soapy water with a little ammonia in it. I find that frequently items are actually not tarnished, just dirty. In particular, if they have been in a kitchen, what looks like tarnish is just crud. Simichrome is good, you can find it at bicycle shops. Wrights also make a good polish. My personal choice is Haggarty's spray. It does a really nice job on bringing up the luster. But it smells horrible and should be done outside on a windy day. If you find that these don't work, you may have a lacquer on the piece. Try some nail polish remover to see if that takes it off. Lacquer works to keep silver shiny for a little while but when it tarnishes, it is hard to get at. Once you have cleaned the piece, go over again with polish on a soft nubby fabric (old flannel is really good).

This method gives me the shivers to even think about but I know some people swear it works. To clean heavily tarnished silver - line your kitchen sink with heavy duty tin foil. Add a cup of TIDE powdered detergent (not the liquid) and HOT HOT HOT water. Immerse your tarnished doodad in the water and let it sit 30 mins. It should come out amazingly bright and shiny; can be repeated for heavy tarnish build up. On another board the debate went on for several days about this sort of cleaning method; it does remove some of the silverplate, but it's said to be less damaging than Tarn-X or other silver cleaners.

Treasure - Flannel flatware bags or pouches, I think.

This is the best way to clean silverplate and sterling. I had a lot of silver I had to polish the other night, tried Tarnex, Silver Polish, and Crest toothpaste, for over 2 hours I scrubbed, with no avail. Then I remembered what an estate person told me. Take a pan, put aluminum foil pieces in it, about a cup of Arm and Hammer Laundry boost (not detergent) and a cup of salt, with hot water. The electro something starts working immediately. I let my stuff sit about 5 min, and they came out beautifully! I have some pitchers up on auction now, if you would like to see how it came out. I was highly amazed at its magic!!! Enjoy

All the Easy-clean methods which involve immersion in a solution lift the dark areas (known as Frenching) from the ornate areas. It will be clean...and utterly lacking patina. Use a good quality silver polish (Like Hagerty's) and elbow grease, and preserve the patina, not the dirt. It is rather like the MDs oath...."First,do no harm".

An antique dealer told me about a product that I have used with no apparent harm to the silver and it requires far less time and elbow grease than any cream polishes I have used. It is called Nevr-Dull, it is a wadding polish. It is sold in automotive supply stores. Can be used for any non-laquered metal. It is nothing like Tarnex - which really seems to damage the finish. I'm curious to know if anyone has negative comments on this product.

I am sorry to disagree but tarnex is OK if you rinse it off right away and polish with blue magic (you can get at pep boys email me for more info). I would only use tarnex on very tarnished pieces. As another seller told me see:


http://www.silversmithing.com/care.htm


Chemical Dips


Chemical dips work by dissolving the tarnish on an object at an accelerated rate. Dips are used by silver restorers when heavy, black tarnish cannot be removed with liquid or paste polishes. Chemical dips are wiped over the object with a cellulose sponge or cotton ball to avoid over cleaning, for submerging the entire piece for long periods will cause pitting of the object's surface and remove factory-applied patinas. This surface will act like a sponge and more readily absorb tarnish-producing gases and moisture. The object may then require professional polishing to restore the original finish.

These dips are made up of an acid and a complexing agent. Acids are corrosive and will damage niello, bronze, stainless steel knife blades, and organic materials such as wood and ivory. The ingredients can be harmful to the user, which is why silver restorers work in a well ventilated area and wear nitrile gloves. Chemical dips should never be used on objects that have sealed components, such as candlesticks and trophies with hollow feet or teapots with hollow handles. Once the dip leaks into the cavity through small holes or imperfections in the joints, it becomes virtually impossible to wash the chemical out. For these reasons, this cleaning technique should only be used by a qualified restorer.

Hi, I used Nevr-Dull on Silverplate Flatware once & it scratched so bad I had to sell in a Resale Shop for a lot less then it was worth. I also tried the Tin Foil with Hot water & Baking Soda but was a big mess for me so am going to stick with a good cream polish.lilsister

I highly recommend Blue Magic! I've always used Wright's or Haggerty's, but I was at an antique show and marveled at the glistening silverware in one booth. I asked the vender if the reason their silver shined so much was because it was sterling rather than plate. She said that that didn't matter--Blue Magic was the secret. It's very expensive--I think I paid $30.00 for a 19oz jar--but it does last a long time. Just a few days ago I polished two forks--one w/Blue Magic, and one w/Haggerty's--there was a big difference for the same amount of trouble. Does anyone know where I can get this stuff cheaper than at an antique show? Thanks

For 925dealer - THANK YOU for finally stating what everyone's been skirting...Tarn-X and other dips remove the silver as well as the tarnish. Avoid "as-seen-on-TV" products. I would not use NevR-Dull on good silver either. It's fine for brass or copper and other metals, but not silver/silverplate/sterling.