How Do You Clean Nickel Or Silver?
Cleaning metals can be difficult; what cleans nickel may turn silver black and harsh chemicals will scratch both. Nickel silver, an alloy made of 75 percent copper, 20 percent nickel and 5 percent zinc, resembles silver. It may be cleaned with the same chemicals safe for silver. Some commercial silver cleaning polishes will also work on nickel, although you will not get a high gloss finish on nickel. All three metals should first be washed with warm water and a mild detergent to remove dirt. Wash the item with a mild detergent in warm water. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft lint-free cloth. For stubborn stains you can make a paste of baking soda and water. Place the baking soda in a plastic container and add just enough water to make the paste. Cover the item with the paste and allow to dry. Run under warm water and buff dry with a soft-lint free cloth. Use a commercial silver cleaning polish on silver and nickel if the baking soda paste does not remove the stain or tarnish. Apply