How To Prevent Your Silver From Tarnishing

When my mother down sized to senior living she gave me her silver set. When I opened the chest I saw a piece of chalk. I had no recollection of chalk being in the silverware chest and I know she wouldn’t have it there for no reason, but why?

MINIMIZE MOISTURE

I set out to solve the mystery and learned a few things on the way. Tarnish is the result of exposure to moisture and or hydrogen sulfide in the air. As it turns out, chalk absorbs moisture preventing tarnishing. By adding chalk you can minimize tarnish and minimize the time spent polishing. An option is those little silica packets you find in shoe boxes or clothing pockets which do the same thing.

MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO AIR

Storing your silverware in a box or chest, keeping your jewellery in a jewellery box and returning your flute to the case when you’re done playing are all best practices when it comes to combating tarnish and oxidation that can occurs when silver is exposed to moisture and or air. Using a box that has a soft lining like velvet helps prevent the silver from getting scratched.

Caring for Silver

While chalk and proper storage will greatly contribute to minimizing tarnish you can’t completely prevent it, so here are some helpful resources on how to care for and clean your silver as needed.

There are links on my blog to some great tips on a quick clean method using an aluminum pan, baking soda and hot water and an overview of polish options and best practices.

Over-polishing results in a loss of detail definition in raised areas of design over time so I included links on my blog for how to avoid this but the best way to avoid polishing is preventative and adding chalk and using correct storage containers really works!

For under $1.00 and 1 minute you can add a piece of chalk and prevent that nasty tarnish. Maybe Mothers really do know best!