Cleaning silver

Ah, well, the salt and hot water almost worked.
Still a couple of stars are a bit tarnished, but they're over 80 percent improved.

Some of the answers here are unreal and I don't think I've laughed so much in months.

Some of my silver forks have mother of pearl handles so I would worry about the foil method, sal but with silver dip I can hold them in the jar to the right level. I will try it for the (very few) larger pieces that I have.

Kitty I bought some Goddards Silver Dip about a year ago from Asda. I agree it works well but in my opinion foil and soda is just as good.
I bought some extra silver 3d pieces so that I had enough for 18 for each of my 6 grandchildren on their coming of age. My FIL did this with 21 for ex DH and me and they make a nice keepsake. Unfortunately when I tried to clean some of the black ones nothing worked so obviously the quality of the silver does make a difference.

Silver wadding saves all that messing about. Silvo.

Maybe its different quality silver. You could be right.
They were only cheap from eBay.

That was what I was wondering too MissA. If the 2 little stars aren't hallmarked they might be made of a different metal, or have a lower silver content than the 3rd star; hence not responding to any cleaning solution. Maybe best to check before you go and buy Silver Dip.
Just what you need on a busy Saturday before Christmas isn't it? not

I will have a look.
They're floating around in boiling water and salt at the minute.
I wonder if only part of them is silver, but why just the bottom star?
I know they have a hallmark somewhere on them.

Hmmm, can't understand why one of the stars has cleaned up well but the other 2 haven't. Can you have a look at the back of the stars and check to see if those stars are hallmarked MissA?

Failing the Silverdip working; I'll be round in a bit with me fags.

Thanks all.
I have another couple of things to try, then, before I go out and hunt for silver dip.

I have a silver walnut (an ornament, obviously) that had become very tarnished. I lined a bowl with aluminium foil, shine side up, then poured in boiling water and salt. I didn’t have any baking soda handy. Put the silver walnut in, and it was like magic. Almost instantly the tarnish floated off. I could almost see it move. Now I have a properly shiny silver object. Simple.

I shall try toothpaste on things that can’t be immersed.

When I did conservation cleaning for the NTS, a brief dunk in Goddards silver dip was the recommended method for cleaning silver, followed by a thorough rinse in water.

Well, I'm beginning to wonder about these earrings. 3 stars hanging vertically on a chain.
The bottom star has cleaned up beautifully using the lipstick method, and the toothpaste took a little more of the black off, but still the top 2 stars are dark..

White vinegar works well

Ultrasonic thingies do work but be careful of stones becoming loosened.

Goddard have something called Silver Dip that I use for small fiddly things it works like magic. I have quite a few silver spoons which I just did into the jar, one end at a time. And, if you find some, please tell me where!

Not doing Christmas in this house, but I am doing a New Year lunch. Now you have reminded me that I shall have to clean the rather grubby silver before then. Damn and blast!

Mind you, while it is messy and smelly to do it, it is hugely satisfying when it's done.

P.s. I think you can buy some sort of gadget – could it be ultrasound – for cleaning jewellery. I have no idea if it works for silver – I just do mine with silver polish and, if necessary, cotton buds.

I dunno.. "bearing gifts she travelled so far..." doesn't sound the same somehow, when its fags and lipstick stubs.

I'll be round in the morning MissA! I'll bring a packet of fags and a stub of lipstick, just in case!

I did try the soda and tin foil, but I wasn't impressed.
I have a couple of smokers coming to visit tomorrow, so I shall use some of their ash, if needs be.

If you know anyone that smokes, scrub with a damp toothbrush dipped in ash, rinse well and dry.

Or, soak in hot water with tin foil and soda crystals.
(this method produces a horrible smell, but works! I use it for my silver candelabra, which is a bu**er to clean, and the lipstick method would be far too fiddly)

It was a jeweller who passed the tip onto me donkey's years ago. Said that one of the ingredients in lipstick is similar to an ingredient in jewellers rouge, which they use to professionally polish jewellery.

Oh and thank you! I shall give that a go, too.
I'll blind everyone with the bling!

Get a piece of kitchen paper towel and the stub of an old lipstick. Rub the lipstick onto the paper towel and rub that over the silver earrings. You'll see the lipstick turning black which is the dirt from the jewellery. With a fresh piece of kitchen paper, polish it up. You'll be dead chuffed at the results! Works on gold too.

Thank you.
I think that's the only thing I've not tried.
Will give it a go tonight.