How to Clean Silver

Whenever my parents were planning on entertaining friends for a Saturday night dinner, preparations started early. After the invitations were issued and a headcount established, my Mother and Ruby (our live-in nanny, housekeeper, chef and all around “go to” person) would decide on a menu. Ruby would do all the shopping and cooking and my Mother set her sights on the table setting. She would naturally want to use our finest set of linens, dishes, glassware and silverware. And even though my sister, my brother and I always got excited when we knew that a party was on the horizon, we also dreaded the chores that lay ahead of us.

Of all the pre-party tasks that my Mother forced us to do, cleaning the silverware was the most feared. It was a long and messy process, and we all gagged on the fumes from the chemicals we were using. She never even gave us gloves or eye protection and I remember my skin burning and my eyes watering. WTF was in that stuff? She also smoked when she was pregnant with all of us, so it’s a fricking miracle that I am even alive to tell this story.

Fast forward to now. I don’t have many silver pieces (you can guess why) but the silver pieces I do own are very dear to me. When they get tarnished I feel a sense of obligation to restore them to their brilliant luster. I’ve tried a few different silver cleaners but never felt like they were doing the best job possible, so I started to shop around. You should also know that before I buy almost anything, I do my research. I look for things like how many “stars” reviewers have given. And call me old-fashioned, but I trust things with a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. Nothing gets past them.

How to Clean Silver

When it came time for me to clean my silver pieces, I was determined to find an easier and safer way. I experimented with a few things and finally found a product that meets all my requirements. I use Wright’s Silver cream because it allows me to put the precise amount I want on my silver, it doesn’t burn my skin and the odor is very mild. Wright’s Silver Cream delivers a mirror like finish to my silver and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since.

In the photos below you will see a few of my everyday pieces. I have included before and after images. It took me less than five minutes to completely clean all these pieces and the transformation is spectacular! The spoon holds the exact amount of sugar that I like in my morning coffee, the silver tin engraved with “Always” was a gift from my husband and the glass bowl with the silver foot was found on a shelf in Good Will. I use it to hold wine charms when I am entertaining and because it has a shallow depth, I can use it to “float” flowers that have snapped at the base of the stem (like this pink peony).