If your silver jewellery is looking a little dull and tarnished, there’s a simple cleaning hack that will make it look brand new again — and it only takes 20 minutes
If your silver jewellery has lost its sparkle, don’t fret — a simple hack using three household items can restore its shine. The trick involves a chemical reaction that will make your silver necklaces, bracelets, or earrings look brand new again without the use of harsh products—and it requires minimal effort.
To breathe new life into your tarnished silver pieces, you’ll need a plastic food container (or something similar), kitchen foil, basic white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. This easy cleaning method takes just 20 minutes to work its magic.
Start by lining your container with aluminium foil, ensuring the shiny side is facing upwards. Then, place your dull-looking silver jewellery onto the foil, ready for cleaning.
Be mindful if you’re cleaning multiple necklaces at once, as they could become tangled. The next step involves a fizzing reaction, which may cause the jewellery to move slightly, reports the Express.
Once your container is lined with aluminium foil, shiny side up, and your silver pieces are in place, ensure the silver is touching the foil.
Now, sprinkle four to five tablespoons of baking soda until the white powder covers the silver necklace, earrings, or other items you wish to spruce up.
If you fancy, you can also add a tablespoon of salt, although the bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and foil are the main ingredients for this cleaning process.
Once the bicarbonate of soda is covering the jewellery on the base of the pot, lined with foil, pour over a generous splash of vinegar and watch as the whole mixture fizzes and bubbles.
Then, all you need to do is leave it for 20 minutes. Although the tarnish will lift almost instantly, leaving it submerged for a while will allow the chemical reaction to clean any crevices in the silver.
After 20 minutes, simply fish out the jewellery from the mixture, give it a quick rinse with some water and then gently pat it dry with a kitchen towel — and your gleaming jewellery is ready to don and looking its absolute best again.
You can simply chuck the used mixture down the sink — and repeat the process again whenever you need to with any other silver jewellery pieces.