Prep first
Before you start
- Identify the metal and check for plating, gilding or an intended patina before you clean.
- Start gently with cotton dampened with denatured alcohol.
- Skip general metal polishes and harsh abrasives, since they remove more metal.
- Keep water out of hollow handles and pieces with wood or ivory.
Tarnish on silver is a black layer, mainly silver sulphide, that forms when sulphur compounds in the air react with the metal. Before you clean, check whether the dark coat is tarnish or a patina, since a patina may be a deliberate original finish that polishing destroys. Removing tarnish always takes a little metal with it, so start with the gentlest option.
Silver with a black layer usually responds to a gentle polish when you want to remove tarnish, but test a hidden spot first. Keep patina on a car, verdigris and iridescent layers on old glass away from harsh polish, since those coats are often the finish you want. If you're unsure whether it's tarnish or patina on a bronze statue or vintage tableware, a pro can look before you commit.
5 items
What you'll need
Tap an item to get it on Amazon, or tick what you already have.
- Denatured alcoholIt lifts light tarnish and carries the polishing cream. (opens Amazon)
- Precipitated calcium carbonateThe polishing powder for heavy tarnish. Chalk and whiting scratch.
- Cotton pads or ballsGentle contact for wiping and polishing. Swap them often. (opens Amazon)
- Soft clothFor buffing the piece dry. (opens Amazon)
- Acid-free tissue and a sealed polyethylene bagFor storing the piece once it is clean.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
6 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 6
Identify the metal and any finish
Look for plating, gilding or an intended patina before you touch the piece, and check whether it is silver or copper. Those finishes don't come back once they're cleaned away, so if you can't tell what the piece is, stop here and get it looked at.
Careful. Removing a coating, plating, gilding or patina lowers value permanently.
Step 2 of 6
Try light cleaning with alcohol
Dampen a cotton pad with denatured alcohol and wipe the tarnished area gently. This only works on light tarnish, so if the cotton shows no dark color after several gentle passes, move on to the cream.
Tip. Switch to a clean section of cotton every few passes so the dirt doesn't go back onto the metal.
Step 3 of 6
Mix the calcium carbonate cream
Stir precipitated calcium carbonate into denatured alcohol until it has a cream consistency. Use this powder and nothing else from the chalk family for the polish.
Careful. Chalk and whiting scratch silver.
Step 4 of 6
Polish the dark tarnish with cotton
Work the cream onto the blackened areas with cotton, using light strokes. Swap in fresh cotton often so you're not rubbing dirt back onto the metal.
Tip. Stop as soon as the black layer is gone rather than chasing the last shine.
Careful. Removing tarnish always takes some metal with it.
Step 5 of 6
Rinse and buff the piece dry
Rinse the cream off completely with denatured alcohol. Then buff the piece dry with a soft cloth until no residue shows in the crevices.
Step 6 of 6
Wrap it to slow new tarnish
Wrap the cleaned piece in acid-free tissue and seal it in a polyethylene bag. A tarnish-inhibiting cloth or a thin coat of microcrystalline wax also slows the return.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for tarnish
Look for precipitated calcium carbonate sold as a polishing powder, and mix it with denatured alcohol rather than buying a ready-made multi-purpose metal polish.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on these surfaces, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
Heavy buildup usually takes more than one round.
Heavy or long-standing buildup →When to call a professional →Pick what it is on
Tarnish on every material
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
The piece should look clean and bright, with no black left in the recesses. If the cotton still picks up dark color, go back to the cream polish on those spots rather than pressing harder.
What changes for yours
Adjust for where the stain is
Patina on a car
Patina on a car is part of the finish, and the silver steps are for metal objects, not car paint. There is no safe home method for paint here, so don't polish, scrub or use dish soap on it, since dish soap is unsafe on car paint.
A detailer or body shop can look at the surface in person and tell you what can be done without taking the finish off the paint.
Cookie sheets
The silver steps belong only on silver, so they don't apply to a baking sheet. Find out what the sheet is made of before you clean it, since the right method depends on the metal.
If it turns out to be stainless steel, use the gentle washing and spot-cleaning approach in the Stainless Steel & Appliances guide.
Revere Ware pots and pans
If the pot is stainless steel, the discoloration is not silver tarnish, so the silver steps don't apply. Wash it in warm water with soap or detergent on a soft sponge, then rinse and dry it.
For stubborn spots, use a mild non-scratching cream cleaner on a soft cloth, rubbing along the grain and testing a hidden area first. Never use steel wool or ordinary steel scouring pads, since they leave steel particles that rust.
Iridescent patina on old glass
The closest principle is that a patina on glass is a finish worth keeping, so the silver steps don't carry over to it. Don't scrub it with abrasives, steel wool or metal polish, since those can scratch the surface.
A soft cloth with water is the gentlest thing to try, and glass that is already peeling or flaking should be left alone. For everyday glassware, the Dishes & Mugs guide covers the next steps.
Verdigris in a water-cooling reservoir
There is no safe home method for green corrosion, so don't scrub the reservoir with the silver steps or any metal polish. Blue-green deposits can come from corrosive water dissolving copper, so the water itself may be the problem.
Test the water and check the metal parts for damage before you try to clean anything. If the corrosion is inside a coolant loop, ask a specialist for the cleaning method.
Water oxidation on solder joints
There is no safe home fix for oxidation on solder joints, so solder and electronics need a professional. Removing any tarnish takes some metal with it, and scrubbing or dipping a joint takes off metal you can't replace.
Keep water away from the joint and don't use the cream or dips from the silver steps on it. If the joint is part of a circuit or plumbing, have a professional look at it.
Heavy or long-standing buildup
Old tarnish that has built up for years may not lift with the cream alone. Give it a few rounds, changing the cotton often, before you move to anything stronger.
Tarnish that has dried into the pores or crevices is harder to shift, and the cream may only lighten it. A chemical dip can be used for that, but apply it only to the dark areas and for as little time as possible, since over-dipping causes pitting, then rinse thoroughly.
If the tarnish still shows after a dip, the electrochemical method is an option: let the silver touch aluminum in a warm washing-soda solution, then rinse thoroughly. Accept that some dark tarnish may stay, because each stronger treatment removes a little metal, and a faint shadow is better than a worn surface.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on tarnish?
Stick to denatured alcohol and precipitated calcium carbonate, and skip kitchen remedies on silver. Denatured alcohol is the one remedy worth reaching for, so leave the others off your silver.
Works1Skip3Avoid2
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use general metal polishes on silver
Multi-purpose metal polishes and commercial polishes with ammonia or harsh abrasives remove more metal than the tarnish you're trying to lift. On valued pieces, skip them entirely and stick to the steps above.
Don't polish off an intended patina
A brown, gray or black layer may be the original finish, and polishing destroys it. Check the piece carefully before you start, because that loss is permanent.
Don't soak hollow or composite pieces
Water gets into hollow handles and wood or ivory parts, so keep those pieces out of water and dips altogether.
Don't handle silver with chlorine-processed gloves
Chlorine-processed gloves tarnish silver, so use gloves that aren't chlorine-processed when you handle a piece you're cleaning.
When to call a professional
If the piece is valuable, has a patina you want to keep, or is hollow or made with composite parts, take it to a conservator or silversmith. Green corrosion or deep pitting also needs a professional eye.
Questions
Can I clean vintage tableware without removing the patina?
Yes, but only if the layer is tarnish. Check whether the dark color is an intended patina before you clean anything, because polishing destroys it. Bronze and other metals beyond silver call for a conservator, so leave a valued statue or heirloom alone.
How do I get black off the bottom of an old copper kettle?
The closest principle is that polishes and abrasives remove metal, so the silver steps and metal polishes don't belong on the copper kettle. Abrasives remove metal, so don't scrub it. For everyday cookware, the Dishes & Mugs guide is the next place to look.
Why does silver turn black?
Silver turns black because sulfur compounds in the air, such as hydrogen sulfide, react with the metal to form black silver sulfide. That layer is tarnish, and it can be removed, but removing it takes a little metal with it. A patina is a different layer, often brown, gray or black, that is usually an intentional finish.
Is it safe to remove tarnish from silver?
It is, as long as you start gently and stop once the dark layer is gone. Every method removes some metal, so the goal is to clean without polishing away the surface.
Will silver tarnish again after I clean it?
Yes, it will, since silver keeps reacting with sulfur in the air. Sealing it up after cleaning, as the last step describes, is the most effective way to slow that down.
Does stainless steel discoloration count as tarnish?
No. Stainless steel discoloration comes from surface deposits or embedded steel particles, not the silver tarnish reaction. Use the Stainless Steel & Appliances guide for those spots, since the silver steps don't apply.
Related
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.