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Tips to clean silver quickly and effectively with soda
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Silver is a common metal used in jewelry or dinnerware. If you don’t have any chemical cleaner, you can use Coca-Cola, or Coke, as a simple cleaning substitute for sterling or plated silver. The acid in Coke works to cut through any grime or rust on the silver’s surface. Once you soak the silver in cola, you can have a piece that looks good and new!
Cleaning Silver with Coke
Put your silver in a bowl and submerge it in Coke. Let it soak for one hour to remove dirt and grime. Take the silver out and use a toothbrush to gently scrub away any remaining residue. Rinse the silver under clean water and pat dry.
Steps
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Put the silver piece in a bowl or container. Use a container large enough to hold the silver piece you’re cleaning. Make sure it’s deep enough so you can submerge the silver completely. Lay the silver on the bottom of the container. [1] X Research source -
Pour the Coke into the container until the silver is submerged. Make sure the silver is completely covered with the Coke. It doesn’t matter whether you use regular or Diet Coke. [2] X Research source- Substitute any carbonated cola if you don’t have Coke.
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Let the silver soak for 1 hour. Leave the silver in the Coke undisturbed. The acid in the Coke will help loosen any grime and residue from the silver. If you want to leave the silver in the Coke to clean it longer, keep it submerged for up to 3 hours. [3] X Research source- Check on the silver every 30 minutes to see how clean it is.
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Take the silver out of the Coke. Use a pair of tongs if you don’t want to get Coke on your fingers. Grab the silver and shake off any excess Coke back into the container. Set the silver on a piece of paper towel or on the table. [4] X Research source
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Use a toothbrush to scrub any remaining residue. Work a soft-bristled toothbrush in tight circles across your piece of silver. This helps scrape off any loosened tarnish or grime that didn’t come off with the Coke. [5] X Research source
- Use a jewelry brush if you don’t have a spare toothbrush.
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Rinse the silver under clean water. Run the silver under the faucet with cool, clean water or soak it in a container full of water. Shake off the excess water so the silver isn’t wet. [6] X Research source
- Put a small piece of silver in a water bottle and shake it to rinse it.
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Dry the silver off with a paper towel. As soon as you pull the silver out of the water, dry it off to prevent any tarnish or rust. Make sure it’s completely dry before putting it away again. [7] X Research source
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Polish the silver with mild dish soap. Mix a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water. Dip a soft cloth into the soapy water and rub the silver clean. Rinse the silver with cold water and buff it dry. [8] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionDoes the Coke damage the coins? I have a really grimy old coin at my house that I want to make clean and shiny, but I don't want my old coin getting damaged from the Coke.Community AnswerAs long as you do not scrub the coin, the Coke will not damage it.
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QuestionI have a 1929 1/4oz .999 fine silver Indian incuse ring and I am wondering if this is safe for it?Community AnswerIt could go wrong trying to do it yourself, so it would be best to take it to an experienced jeweler.
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QuestionDoes this actually work?Community AnswerYes it does work! But it is not recommended that you do it on expensive jewellery.
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Tips
- Use any other carbonated brown cola if you don’t have Coke.Thanks
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Warnings
- Avoid soaking jewelry with gemstones since they could loosen up in the Coke.Thanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Bowl or container
- Coke
- Toothbrush
- Paper towel
References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/s_GRMK7E_ZU?t=26s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6NwtO2g3Y
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6NwtO2g3Y
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv8NOLu9diE
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJmF0Fl0iNM
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NkmctayIMw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP9M_JZjZEs
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s38TqS0oTN4
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To use Coke as a simple cleaning substitute for your sterling or plated silver, start by putting your silver in a bowl or container and pouring the Coke over it. Once your silver is fully submerged, allow it to soak for 1 hour to loosen any grime and residue. After you remove your silver from the Coke, scrub away any remaining residue with a toothbrush and rinse it with clean water. Dry your silver off with a paper towel, then polish it with a mixture of warm water and dish soap. To learn how to buff your silver after polishing it, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I had a necklace and I needed to clean it but I didn't know how. So I had some coke and I had Google. So, I googled "can coke clean silver" and this popped up. This helped a lot and I just wanted to say thanks to the authors who made this because you helped me a lot!" ..." more
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"I had a necklace and I needed to clean it but I didn't know how. So I had some coke and I had Google. So, I googled "can coke clean silver" and this popped up. This helped a lot and I just wanted to say thanks to the authors who made this because you helped me a lot!"
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"The detailed explanations/instructions are very useful! Too often, one finds that directions take too much for granted in terms of reader's knowledge. The directions here are so complete that my efforts worked -- a rare event."
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"Both my Pandora bracelets were very tarnished, so I washed them in Coke, then a little bit of washing up liquid. Brilliant results! Thank you so much."
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