How to Stop Your Sterling Silver Jewellery From Tarnishing

Last updated: 14th September 2025

There’s nothing more disappointing than reaching for your favourite sterling silver bracelet, only to find it’s lost its sparkle to dull, dark tarnish. The good news? It’s completely preventable. In this guide, we’ll share our expert tips to keep your jewellery looking as brilliant as the day you bought it.

Key Habits to Prevent Tarnish

Preventing tarnish is easier than removing it. By adopting a few simple habits, you can dramatically reduce how often your silver needs cleaning. Here are our three golden rules:

Last On, First Off
Always apply your beauty products like perfume, hairspray, and lotions before putting on your jewellery. The chemicals can cause reactions that speed up tarnishing, so letting them dry first is key. Think of your jewellery as the final finishing touch.

Store It Smartly
When you’re not wearing your jewellery, don’t just leave it on the bedside table. Keep your silver in an airtight bag (like a plastic zipper gripper bag) or an airtight sealed box, to protect it from moisture and air exposure.

Wipe After Wearing
After each wear, give your jewellery a quick, gentle wipe with a soft dry cloth. If it needs a clean you can use a slightly damp cloth, but always wipe dry before storing. This simple step removes natural skin oils and moisture, which are primary culprits in the build-up of tarnish.

How to Store Your Silver Like an Expert

Proper storage is the number one secret to preventing tarnish, because humidity is silver’s worst enemy, you should avoid storing your pieces in bathrooms or other damp areas. For best results, store in an airtight bag or box before placing in a jewellery box. For pieces with highly polished surfaces, store in a separate bag to prevent scratching and limit air exposure.

Pro Tip: For extra protection in a humid environment, you can add a small silica gel packet to your jewellery box to absorb excess moisture.

How to Clean Light Tarnish at Home

If a little tarnish appears, don’t worry. The safest and most effective way to restore the shine to your jewellery is with a professional silver polishing cloth, which is specially treated to remove tarnish without scratching the surface.

Gently but firmly rub the silver beads with the cloth, using straight, back-and-forth motions. Avoid harsh circular rubbing, as this can create fine marks on the silver's finish. You’ll see the tarnish lift from the jewellery onto the cloth, instantly revealing the brilliant shine underneath.

Using a dedicated polishing cloth is the only method we recommend for our elasticated bracelets, as it avoids any moisture or cleaning agents that could weaken or damage the elastic over time. We recommend the Goddard's blue silver polishing cloth, which is available in most supermarkets, and is perfectly suited to keeping your pieces sparkling for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

We strongly advise against it. Water is one of the main culprits for causing tarnish, especially the chemicals found in tap water, swimming pools, and hot tubs. For our elasticated bracelets in particular, moisture and harsh chemicals from soaps can weaken the elastic over time. The best habit is to remove all your jewellery before showering or swimming.
Pure silver (99.9% fine silver) is very soft and does not tarnish easily. However, it's too soft to be used for most jewellery. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver mixed with other metals (like copper) to make it durable. It's these other metals that react with the environment and cause the sterling silver to tarnish, which is why proper care and storage are so important.
Tarnish is not permanent and does not damage the underlying metal. It is simply a surface layer that can be cleaned away. By following the care steps in this guide, such as gentle polishing, you can remove the tarnish and restore the original shine to your sterling silver pieces without any harm.
The speed of tarnishing depends heavily on environmental factors and body chemistry. High humidity, exposure to household chemicals, and direct contact with substances like perfume, lotions, and even some foods can accelerate the process. Additionally, everyone's skin has a unique pH level, and for some people, their skin chemistry can cause silver to tarnish faster.