The 9 Best Silver Polishes of 2023

Best Overall

Wright's Silver Cleaner and Polish Cream

4.9

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Wright’s cream is a trusted brand that works great to clean and shine a variety of metals, including silver, chrome, and pewter. It can even work for porcelain. But the real benefit and the reason it’s at the top of our list is how well it removes tarnish. It won’t scratch no matter how hard you scrub, as long as you use a soft cloth. We recommend using a rag or other cloth that you’ll only use for this purpose to avoid it becoming contaminated with other cleaning agents that are not safe for silver. This polish comes with a sponge that can be used to rub the cream into your items.

To use Wright’s silver polish, put a small amount on a sponge or cloth. Rub it onto your silver items, taking special care to get it into small crevices and designs. You may need to work it in more to get rid of tarnish or older build-up. Rinse the excess off and buff with a clean cloth. You'll need two cloths, one for application and one to buff your silver to a high shine.

This polish is safe for sterling silver, plated silver, jewelry, antique silver, and flatware. It also has an anti-tarnish agent. After you use it on your silver pieces, they are less likely to develop tarnish in the future. This cream protects as well as cleans and shines.

Price at time of publish: $9

_{Type: Cream | Amount: 8 ounces | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver, chrome, pewter, and porcelain}

Best Budget

Goddard's Silver Dip

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For large scale silver cleaning needs, Goddard’s Silver Cleaner Dip solution is cost effective and great at cleaning things in bulk. To use it, you’ll need to have a separate container to hold the dip. Then all you have to do is submerge your silver pieces and the solution takes care of cleaning! Having tongs or donning gloves to get your pieces out of the solution will protect your skin from exposure. Wash your jewelry with soapy water, rinse, and you’ll see a noticeable shine.

This solution is ideal for pieces with hard-to-reach places, such as in between the tines of a fork. However, if you use it for flatware, make sure that you thoroughly rinse with soap and hot water before using them to eat. It will remove some tarnish but for antique pieces, you may need to work it off with cream first.

Price at time of publish: $15

_{Type: Liquid | Amount: 10 ounces | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver}

Best Wipes

Connoisseurs Silver Wipes

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Wipes are almost always a more expensive option, but they are so convenient to have on-the-go that many people choose to have at least a few on hand for situations where they want to clean or shine a piece quickly with minimal mess. Each box contains 10 wipes that measure 6 x 7 inches. This is large enough for a few pieces of flatware or jewelry, but may not be the best option for larger pieces or those with a lot of tarnish.

The wipes remove tarnish and provide a barrier that protects against future tarnishing. They also polish and shine. While the wipes are dry, you'll still need to wet your pieces before using them in order to get the best results. Then rinse and dry to see the high shine. If you’re using it on flatware, the rinsing step is especially critical because the wipes contain chemicals.

Price at time of publish: $10

_{Type: Wipes | Amount: 10 | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver}

Best Foam Cleaner

W. J. Hagerty Silver Foam Silver Cleaner

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This foam cleanser is great to have on hand after you use your silver pieces, such as serving dishes or flatware. Tarnish is often caused by food residue on silver and this foam works in place of dish soap to target those contaminants and provide a protective barrier. It also shines your silver items to a high shine.

It can be used to clean and polish antique silver, sterling silver, plated silver, and even gold. It is extra-mild so you don’t need to worry about it irritating your hands while you apply it, rinse it away, and dry your pieces. While it's smart to always wear gloves, this foam is milder than many other silver polishes. For some heavily tarnished items, you may need to scrub a bit, especially if they have intricate designs. An old toothbrush or a soft cloth can make this step much easier.

Price at time of publish: $26

_{Type: Foam | Amount: 19 ounces | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Sterling silver, plated silver, and gold}

Best Polishing Cloth

Goddard's Silver Polishing Cloth

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This Goddard's cloth doesn’t clean silver as well as some heavier duty solutions, but it does provide a high shine polish with minimal work and scrubbing. The reusable cloth measures 17.5 x 13 inches, larger than silver cleaning wipes. While it can remove some light tarnish, it isn’t the best choice for antique or heavily tarnished silver. For routine upkeep and polishing, this is the easiest and least messy way to go.

It's important to note that you should not put any polishing cloth in the laundry. They have a polishing solution in the fibers and washing them will remove that benefit. If the cloth does get dirty, you will need to replace it. You should also replace the cloth periodically because frequent use will use up the embedded polishing agents. Each cloth can be used for months or even years, depending on how often you polish your pieces and how many you have.

Price at time of publish: $14

_{Type: Cloth | Amount: 1 | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver}

Best for Jewelry

Connoisseurs Premium Edition Silver Jewelry Cleaner

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Jewelry is often smaller and more delicate than other silver pieces, which is why a liquid cleaner, such as Connoisseurs Premium Edition silver cleaner is ideal. You only need to submerge your silver jewelry for a maximum of 10 seconds. The container has a built-in basket so that you can lower your pieces, even chains and small earrings, let them soak, and lift them back out to rinse in water.

To use this cleaner, you can submerge your silver jewelry and rinse the dirt and tarnish away. Keep in mind that it is not safe for all types of jewelry and settings, including those with pearls or other porous stones. Connoisseurs also has a silver-safe polishing cloth that you can purchase to let you shine and polish just the silver parts of your jewelry—although you’ll still want to take great care when cleaning your treasured jewels.

Price at time of publish: $6

_{Type: Liquid | Amount: 9.6 ounces | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver}

Best for Flatware

Weiman Silver Polish and Cleaner

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Cleaning sterling silver or silver plated flatware can be a chore. That’s why before your dinner party, you’ll need to grab Weiman’s Silver Cleaner and Polish. It only needs slight scrubbing and comes with a polishing cloth to deliver a high shine as the last step. The formula is ammonia-free and gentle enough for silver. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly before using your forks and knives to eat.

The formula contains an anti-tarnish agent. And it works like magic! This creates a barrier that prevents future tarnish from forming. While washing your flatware with a cleaner made for silver immediately after using it is the best way to prevent tarnish, the barrier makes cleaning in between uses less frequent! And we’re all about working smarter, not harder!

Price at time of publish: $9

_{Type: Liquid | Amount: 8 ounces | Scent: Unscented | Uses: Silver}

Best for Antique Silver

W. J. Hagerty Silversmiths' Polish

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W. J. Hagerty has been making silver polish since 1895, so the company really knows a thing or two about how to clean, polish, and protect silver pieces for the long haul. The Silversmiths’ Silver Polish is a liquid formula that is safe for silver serving pieces, jewelry, flatware, and even instruments. If you find your great aunt’s heirloom artifacts tucked in the attic, this is a good option to clean and provide a protective barrier.

You’ll need an application cloth as well as water to rinse away the dirt, tarnish, and excess solution. We recommend a microfiber cloth, especially if your items have small pieces, intricate designs, or delicate areas. Not only will the microfiber provide a soft surface to buff with, but it can also reduce lint and other exposures. You may also want to use scrubbing brushes from W. J. Hagerty, sold separately, which are soft enough for silver pieces.

Price at time of publish: $12

_{Type: Liquid | Amount: 8 ounces | Scent: Slightly sweet | Uses: Silver}