Cleaning Silver Jewelry

I tweeted on Sunday that I cleaned some of my sterling silver jewelry and received a couple of questions, so I thought I would share what I did in case your jewelry needs some TLC. I wear sterling silver almost exclusively since I have acquired quite a little collection of Tiffany & Co's silver offerings.

I noticed the other day that a few of my bracelets were looking dingy along with my favorite Heidi Klum Clover Hoop Earrings (they were almost black on the back - yuck!).

I store most of my silver in a specially lined jewelry case that has a Silver Safekeeper anti-tarnish lining, but have to admit I don't return my "daily wear" items to the case overnight. Instead they sit in my bathroom and end up needing to be cleaned from time to time.

I have tried various silver cleaners and read about toothpaste (sounds messy), but the thing that works best can all be found in your pantry.

- Line a pan/casserole dish with aluminum foil and place your silver jewelry along the bottom, making sure it is in contact with the foil.

- Bring a half-quart or so of salted water to a boil, then slowly add a 1/2 - 1 cup of baking powder (add slowly as it expands and can makes your water overflow). Stir in and let powder dissolve.

- Pour water slowly over the jewelry in the foil-lined pan. Let sit for a while - you can see the grim come loose and discolor your water.

- Use an old toothbrush to knock away any extra dirt that may have settled in creases/details.

- Rinse jewelry in clean water to remove salt and baking powder residue.

Enjoy your clean and sparkly jewelry!

*Note, I don't use this method for jewelry of other metals or pieces that have gems, pearls, etc. I recommend you don't either. :-)