well, just as a follow-up, in case someone needs the info later on. i found the dansk candleholder that has been looking so lousy for awhile now and washed it and polished it with the hagerty silversmith's wash. is it in perfect condition now? no. is it bright and pretty? and will it now be used once again? absolutely! i really was considering the possibility of putting some sort of a "faux finish" on it because i thought it might have reached the point where it was always going to be a dull, gun metal gray. i'm really pleased with the results!

San, Thanks for sharing. Do you think BBB would have this product or should I order on the Internet?

My local Target has it.

Thanks Liz and San.

I am at a loss....
First of all....silver that I keep in a chest...or any other tightly closed enviornmens doesn't tarnish...looks just as it did the year or so before...can't understand why you need to get out your silver from the "chest" and polish it for the holidays.
Don't know "silversmith's wash....I use Wrights....because it's in the supermarket....and I keep it under the sink and polish something when it needs it....but I never pack away most of my sterling...I use it every day...it's the hollow ware that gets stored.
But I will check it out....for the stuff like coffee servers and trays that sit out....
Linda C

I have never thought to wash silver before polishing. Can't remember for sure but I think it was a Hagerty product I had that actually added silver back to plate when polishing. I'll look to see if I still have any and what it was called. The wash sounds wonderful, delighted to learn of this product!

San, I bought Hagerty today. Thanks.

well linda--maybe i'm missing a spot on my silver or, maybe it's because the silver chest isn't an anaerobic chamber but after sitting in storage for 7 or 8 months, it's not always "ready to go"! but it certainly is one heckuva lot better than after it's been in use for a couple of months.

you know how they say to make sure you wash egg off after using the silver? it contains sulfur which contributes to oxidation. and we use our fireplace all winter long and the burning wood also gives off sulfur. if the silver gets left our for more than a day or two you can practically watch it tarnish! so i'm usually pretty careful with the flatware. but the candleholders are a different story and i guess i need to buy a few of those silver keeper bags for them. anyway, hope you guys will be happy with the results of the "silver wash" too! good luck!

I found Haggarty's Silversmith Polish and bought it. It's in a blue plastic bottle. Hope that's it. Could not find something called a "wash." Will try it this weekend.

I have used the silver wash as well with amazing results!! I believe I bought it at the local Ace hardware store. As far as keeping things from tarnishing while in storage, use a piece of old fashion white chalk! I even keep a couple of pieces in my china hutch. I think you will be pleasesed with the results. And, if you do need to polish pieces, the chore is easier!

I found a different product that seems to have the same amazing effect as the Hagerty's--Weiman Royal Sterling Silver Polish. I use my sterling every day, and it has gotten really tarnished. I tried to remove the tarnish with Hagerty's silversmith gloves, but these took way too much effort & didn't remove much tarnish. I also tried using some silver-cleaning wipes, but they only got surface dirt off. I couldn't find the Hagerty silver wash, but the Weiman Royal Sterling Silver Polish seemed similar. The bottle says that it "cleans, shines & prevents tarnishing in one application." I was pretty doubtful about how well it would work, but to my shock it got off tons of tarnish & was pretty easy to use. I ran out of soft cloths, and they were black with tarnish, and I've only washed & polished about 1/2 my set! Even pieces that I thought were just dull from being in the drawer turned out to have some tarnish on them.
This product requires some labor (it's not the dip stuff), but for me the results are worth it.

Try plain old tooth paste, cleans silver and with a soft brush it cleans jewelry.

Tooth paste is way too abrasive to use on fine silver....particularly bad to use on silver plate...wears the plate away.
Linda C

Another product that cleans silver very well is Vim kitchen cleanser, in liquid form.
Or the electrostatic method..
You'll need a non conductive bowl, i.e. glass,pottery, Corningware, or Visions.
Place a sheet of Reynolds or similar brand aluminum foil on the bottom
Fill it with enough water to cover whatever you're going to put in it .
Add about 1/4 cup each of salt and baking soda and heat the water just below a simmer, or pour in hot water from a kettle.
Drop a knife or fork in, it must touch the aluminum foil and the tarnish will disappear instantly, remove, rinse and dry.

DO NOT USE THE ELECTROSTATIC METHOD!!!!!

It cleans by etching away a layer of silver and leaves the pieces with a matte finish ... ruins the surface, and the value.

Sorry....it cleans electrolytically, not electrostatically but no etching takes place. What ruins the silver is the removal of all the oxidation put there by the manufacturer in the design details. A sterling pattern like Mother's pattern would not be harmed, but Francis The First is a major disaster after using that method....Looks like it's been bleached.
That cleaning process is chemical....the alkaline solution and a reactive metal like polished aluminum or manganese ( I think that's another metal that works) and silver with a silver sulfide deposit ( which is what that black stuff is) creates a reaction that removes the sulfide from the silver and deposits it on the aluminum...
But the problem is it removes all of the silver sulfide....even that which was put there by the maker.
And it can do bad things to plated pieces, it can turn any spots where base metal shows, black....looks awful!
Don't use it.
Linda C

Now I disagree somewhat. It will as said remove all the oxidation in the tiny crevices surrounding patterns and relief work. Some people like that, some don't. Good quality silver isn't supposed to keep looking like brand new mirror like chrome anyways but many people are mistaken thinking it is, it's supposed to age and gain a duller patina from years of polishing. Cheap silver won't last long enough for that to happen, it'll wear away to the base metal.

Good quality silver isn't supposed to keep looking like brand new mirror like chrome"
And that's why the electrolytic method is wrong.
Besides if you do it always over the years, your silver will develop a cloudy look which I believe is a small amount of aluminum oxide on the surface....but a good polishing with some real polish removes it.
And I have some pieces of plated silver that are about 160 years old....that have not worn away to base metal. They are old Sheffield plate and made from a sheet of copper and one of pure silver rolled together. I also have some pieces of other plated ware dating back more than 100 years that are showing no wear.
And sterling silver is the same through out....so while perhape some may wear away it's not a huge factor.
But I do have an old serving spoon...by the maker's mark it was made in New Orleans about 1840....and it is so worn at the bowl you know it has stirred a pot of cereal or pudding for a lot of years!
Linda C

The May 2007 issue of Consumer Reports recommends Wright's Anti-Tarnish Fresh New Fragrance silver polish as the best, over Weiman, Tarni-Shield, Goddard's, Hagerty and Gorham. Both Wright's and second place Weiman Royal Sterling Tarnish Preventing are listed as Best Buys.

Q - while I've found an older version of Wright's in various places, I haven't yet found the Fresh New Fragrance -- anyone know where to find it?

I don't smell anything with the old wright's...not sure why it needs perfume.

Different products, even from the same manufacturer, have different degrees of abrasion. Go for the gentlest that works.

Silver that is used and washed frequently won't tarnish so much. One trick for storage is to put it in Ziplock bags (NOT clingwrap or saranwrap or any of those cellophane-type clingy wraps, which apparently can be disastrous). In the case of the silverchest, you could try enclosing 3M tarnish strips. Or maybe relining it with fresh 'pacific cloth' if it's old -- apparently its anti-tarnish properties decrease with age.

I've pasted a link to a very helpful site that is frequently cited in silver discussions; the writer discusses relative degrees of abrasion in different products. As mentioned by others above: toothpaste and the aluminum plate thing are considered no-nos.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeff Herman's silver care advice

Back in the 50's, my mother somewhere bought a block of camphor about the size of a deck of cards and stuck it in her silver chest. It supposedly keeps the humidity down and prevents tarnish. I don't know if or how it worked. But I can remember the smell. Everytime I opened the silver chest, I'd smell thisstrong smell like moth balls.

I leave a large piece of aluminum foil in my silver chest and it helps prevent tarnish- don't ask me the science of it, it just works!

If any of you have a food sealer machine ( mine is called Food Saver by Tilia) and don't use your silverware daily, vacum-seal after polishing and it stays tarnish free till you need it again. I also bought a silver polishing cloth from a jewelery store for some silver knicknacks I have on the shelf. Works great when I wipe them down every couple of weeks