Silver Bullion Cleaning

Natural Cleaning

• Silver is a very delicate metal; use only gentle cleaning products to clean your silver.

  Start by wiping it down with a clean, nub-free cotton or flannel cloth, or a special sterling-silver cloth. You can also use a very soft brush, such as a baby toothbrush or a horsehair silver brush, on the surface of your bullion to remove loose dirt.

  You can place the silver in distilled water and allow it to soak for a few days. Also consider letting it soak in olive or lanolin oil. This is a tried-and-true silver cleaning method dating back to the Romans. Let your silver soak in olive oil for two to three weeks, then take it out, wash it off with a distilled-water-and-soap combination, and brush and wipe it once more.

Chemical Cleaning

• Many coin-collector's shops, and even some hardware stores, will carry silver cleaning products. These are generally chemical solutions, or dips. The professional opinion among silver collectors is mixed on these products. If you're going to use them, consider a quick dip followed by a gentle rinse, rather than allowing your silver to soak in chemicals.

No Cleaning

• When exposed to the sulphur in the atmosphere, silver naturally develops a gray- to black-colored tarnish due to oxidation. In coin collecting, this "tone" is considered a desirable feature of a silver coin; shiny coins are significantly less valuable than well-toned, older coins.

  Consider not cleaning your silver at all; like a good wine, it only gets better with age.