• Keep your sterling silver pieces looking bright by cleaning them.luxury silver tray with elegant silver tea pot image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
  
  Sterling silver looks best when it is sparklingly bright and clean; tarnish gives it a blackish, dirty appearance. Cleaning your fine sterling silver pieces requires just a few basic tools and cleansing agents. To keep your silver as free from tarnish as possible to prevent the need for frequent cleanings, use it often and store it in a special chest.
  
  

Use Commercial Paste

• Use a paste cleaner and soft cloth on sterling pieces.silver sugar bowl with silver spoon image by Alex White from Fotolia.com
  
  Rub the paste onto the item with a soft cloth using a lengthwise motion, rather than in circles, until the tarnish is gone. Use a paste that is specifically made for cleaning silver, not an all-purpose cleaner, which will be too harsh for sterling. Rinse the item in clear, warm water and dry it gently with a clean soft cloth.
  
  

Using Toothpaste

• Ordinary toothpaste is an effective silver cleanser.brush with toothpaste image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com
  
  Substitute toothpaste for commercial paste cleaner to save money or as a "greener" option. Any toothpaste works, though The Daily Green website reports that a white toothpaste may do the best job. Rub the toothpaste on the item with a soft cloth, as you would a paste cleaner, then rinse well and dry with a clean cloth.
  
  

Using Homemade Solution

• Aluminum foil is one ingredient in a homemade silver cleansing solution.tin foil image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
  
  Mix your own silver-cleaning solution: Put 1 qt. of water into a pot. Add 1 tbsp. each of salt and baking soda, and one small piece of aluminum foil. Place your sterling silver pieces into the solution in the pot and bring it to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Remove the silver pieces and polish them with a dry, soft cloth.
  
  

Cleaning Sterling Silver Jewelry

• Clean silver jewelry in a homemade dip.jewelry image by Snezana Skundric from Fotolia.com
  
  Clean your sterling silver jewelry by dipping it in a homemade solution. Line a 2-cup bowl with aluminum foil. Pour in 2 cups of hot water and 1 tbsp. of clothes washing powder without bleach. Mix this together and place your jewelry pieces in it for about one minute. Brush them with a clean toothbrush if you need to clean dirt from small crevices. If the jewelry is very tarnished, soak it overnight in a bowl of water with a small amount of liquid dishwashing soap mixed into it.