09/03/2026
happens every time. you have a gorgeous bouquet, dead flowers, and suddenly you remember you own vintage silver that hasn’t seen daylight in months. quick clean and it’s back!!! save this for your next piece of silver that needs a good clean.
a few things i’ve learned along the way:
+ dish soap + warm water + a soft cloth works great for regular tarnish, it’s gentle and won’t damage anything. skip anything with lemon in it though, too acidic for regular use.
+silver plate and solid silver are not the same. solid silver you can polish a little more since the tarnish is just surface level. silver plate is a thin layer over another metal, polish too hard or too often and you can actually wear through to the metal underneath. if you don’t know which you have, treat it gently either way. sometimes the maker’s mark on the silver will say whether it’s silver plated or pure silver.
+for real tarnish, use an actual silver polish (wright’s or hagerty are both good) and rub in straight lines, not circles. skip baking soda and toothpaste on anything plated, too abrasive
+dry it fully after washing!! water spots etch in over time. and never put silver in the dishwasher, the heat wrecks it.
that’s the whole secret honestly. nothing fancy. let me know if you have any other cleaning tips to share!!
