| "How do I clean tarnish from my silver jewelry?" | | | | attraction to the sulfide than the silver does. This |
| Recently I saw this question in an online forum. | | | | allows the aluminum to strip the sulfide from the |
| Several people had responded to the original | | | | silver, restoring it to its shiny luster. |
| poster, touting the use of named brand silver | | | | You may need to repeat this process a few |
| polishes. | | | | times to remove all the tarnish. I normally |
| Commercial silver polishes are considered | | | | replenish the water after it cools. |
| hazardous household wastes by the Environmental | | | | The silver and aluminum must be in contact with |
| Protection Agency. These polishes work by using | | | | one another. They produce a tiny electrical |
| acids to remove microscopic layers tarnished | | | | current that allows the reaction to occur. This |
| silver. Over time, these silver polishes may | | | | type of reaction is an electrochemical reaction. |
| damage your jewelry. They may also cause | | | | After removing the tarnish, rinse your jewelry |
| irritation to your skin with prolonged contact. | | | | with clean water and pat it dry. You may wish to |
| That leads me to ask, "Is there a safer way to | | | | store your jewelry in an anti-tarnish bag to |
| clean silver, which will not harm the jewelry?" | | | | prevent further tarnishing. |
| Tarnish is a layer of corrosion that forms on | | | | "Will this method work to clean my gold-filled |
| metal. It is produced when sulfur dioxide oxidizes | | | | jewelry?" |
| onto the metal, leaving a gray or black coating on | | | | The method above is not recommended to clean |
| the jewelry. The resulting chemical is named silver | | | | gold-filled jewelry since the baking soda may |
| sulfide. | | | | scratch the gold. However, there is a similar |
| I have found an eco-friendly and highly economical | | | | technique to clean your gold-filled jewelry. |
| method to remove tarnish from your silver | | | | Fill an aluminum pan halfway with hot water, deep |
| jewelry. To remove sulfide from your jewelry | | | | enough to cover you jewelry. Then add about a |
| you will need an aluminum pan, hot water, salt, | | | | tablespoon of washing powders like Tide. Be |
| and baking soda. | | | | careful not to use liquid detergent or bleach as |
| Place your jewelry into the aluminum pan, making | | | | these may damage the gold fill metal. Dissolve the |
| sure it is in full contact with the pan. Then sprinkle | | | | powder in the water, and then place your jewelry |
| a generous amount of salt and baking soda onto | | | | into the solution. Allow the jewelry to set for a |
| your jewelry. Once you have done that, fill the | | | | few minutes until it appears clean. Once cleaned, |
| pan with hot water. | | | | remove the jewelry from the solution and rinse it |
| I believe this is the best method to remove | | | | with clean water. You may want to pat the |
| tarnish since it chemically reduces the sulfide to | | | | jewelry dry to finish. |
| remove it. The silver sulfide and aluminum turns | | | | These are great green alternatives to the |
| into aluminum sulfide and silver. The sulfide may | | | | commercial jewelry cleaners available. These |
| also become a gas and escape the reaction. This | | | | methods are not only green, but they can also |
| happens because the aluminum has a greater | | | | save you money in the end. |