Will Essential Oils Damage Sterling Silver | Cleaning Silver

Will essential oils damage sterling silver? Know more about the relation between sterling silver and essential oils in this article.

If you own sterling silver cutlery or jewelry, you know how important it is to take care of it. However, sometimes despite all the precautions and care, silver does get tarnished. There is a list of reasons believed to contribute to damaging silver, like essential oil, but will essential oils damage sterling silver? Fortunately, essentials oils do not damage the sterling silver. In fact, they can be used to polish silver to bring back its original shine.
Learn more about the culprits that can make your silver fade, a DIY cleaning recipe, and how to use essential oil to polish it effortlessly.

DIY recipe for cleaning sterling silver

You’ll need:

• One cup of water
• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• One tablespoon baking soda
• One tablespoon salt
• Aluminum foil

Method:

1. In a clean glass bowl, place an aluminum foil sheet (shiny side up). 
2. Boil a cup of water on the side.
3. Mix and put baking soda and salt over the aluminum sheet. 
4. Now, gently start pouring the vinegar over the salt and baking soda. Make sure you pour little every time, mixing it with a spoon to make a smooth paste. Pouring all the vinegar at once may create a mess and would do more harm than good to your silver.
5. Pour the hot water over the paste, and gently stir the mix before adding your silver to the bowl. The liquid should comfortably cover your silver accessories. Keep turning the silver from time to time.
6. Take out your sterling silver from the liquid after five minutes and clean them properly with a microfibre cloth.

Note: The method should only be used for pure silver products, not silver-coated products or products that have beautiful patina on them. Go to a jeweler to get the mentioned silver products appropriately cleaned.

Essential oils polish for sterling silver

The cleaning process above may help you get rid of the stains from your sterling silver products, but it won’t be enough to bring back the shine of your silver. Create a simple essential oil polish to bring back the original shine of your silver products. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to seven tablespoons of lemon juice and twenty drops of lemon essential oil. Mix well and, with the help of a microfibre cloth, rub it on your silverware. The lemon essential oil and juice bring back the silver to life and cleans any remaining stains. The olive oil helps the silver to retain its shine and slows down the darkening process.

What damages silver?

The composition of sterling silver is around 92.5% of silver and 2.5% of other metals. The moisture in the air, along with traces of sulfur, tarnishes silver over time. Here is a list of products that would add on to the damages to silver.

1. Pollution: There is a higher concentration of sulfur traces in a polluted environment that makes your silver age faster, so prolonged exposure of sterling silver in pollution should be avoided. 
2. Cosmetic products: The presence of make-up on your skin and clothes fastens the process of smudging on silver jewelry. The harsh chemicals of cosmetic products corrode and damage the surface of the silver.
3. Humidity: Hot and humid climate adds on to the damage to silver as well.

How to keep silver safe?

Specific preventive methods can help you preserve your silverware and jewelry. The first step would be to keep your silver clean. Also, make sure you wipe off all traces of water from silver before you store it in a clean airtight box. It is also essential that you store silver products in a cool, dry, and dark place. Ziplock bags and airtight containers work well for storage. As another protective step, make sure that individual pieces are stored in different zip lock bags. Another rule might help you preserve your silver jewelry better- make sure your silver is the last thing on and first thing off when you wear it!