Nickel Silver Cleaning Tips
Nickel Silver Cleaning Tips
Our Nickel Silver cleaning tips will help you keep your rosary, chaplet, necklace, or bracelet in good condition.
Nickel Silver Cleaning Tips
It is never a good idea to soak your rosary. Water gets trapped inside the beads next to the wire and can cause damage.
What is Nickel Silver?
Nickel Silver is a metal alloy composed of nickel, copper, and zinc. Although it is a silver colour, it does not contain silver. Rosaries made with this metal resist tarnishing. You can keep it in good condition by cleaning it as needed.
How to Clean Your Rosary
Start with a mild liquid detergent (not a degreaser). Mix a little soap with a small amount of warm water.
- Dampen a toothbrush and a corner of a lint-free cloth (like t-shirt fabric) with the solution. Surface clean it, one section at a time. If needed, toothpaste will work for most stubborn stains.
- Dampen a corner of the cloth with clean water to wipe off any soapy residue.
- Finally, dab it dry with a clean cloth and then let the rosary completely air dry.
TIP
We DO NOT RECOMMEND DIP CLEANERS because they could cause permanent damage. Some of them will corrode the metal and the beads. Even immersing a rosary in a gentle cleaner can leave moisture trapped inside the bead holes next to the wire. As a rule, the wire should be kept dry.
Cleaning Tip for Single Nickel Silver Parts
Start With a Toothbrush
First, try scrubbing the piece with toothpaste and an old toothbrush. It works well with stubborn stains and it can be enough to restore it. If tarnish remains, this method will help.
Stand-Alone Rosary Parts
This gentle cleaning method is for tarnished (not rusted) nickel or gold-finished pieces. It will work, for example, on a Crucifix or loose medal.
We do not use this method on finished rosaries. The reason is that the moisture can get trapped inside the bead holes next to the wire. Permanent damage can result from a long soak.
Steps
- Line the bottom of a coffee mug or small bowl with foil wrap, shiny side up.
- Add a mixture of one-third cup of boiling water and one teaspoon of baking soda.
- Let it soak for 10 minutes.
- Take it out with a teaspoon (it will be warm) and dry it off with a soft cloth.
- Let it air dry completely.
Try It On a Sample First
It is a good idea to try it out on a sample piece if you are planning on cleaning more than one item. Some types of metal will respond better than others. We use this method for some of our rosary components to bring back their original shine.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere in 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
Ulrike Leone shared the toothbrush photo on Pixabay.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet resources. We’d like you to use it as a starting point for your research to verify facts and build a reference list.
IN REVIEW
Although cleaning a rosary depends on how it is made, the number one thing to avoid is immersing it (even in a gentle liquid cleaner). If moisture is trapped inside the bead next to the wire, it could cause permanent damage.
Our top tip for cleaning rosaries is to surface clean with a damp cloth and a mild liquid soap. For stubborn stains, a damp toothbrush with a little toothpaste will help.
Praying your rosary regularly and storing it in a rosary case will help prevent tarnish.
If you have tarnished (not rusted) nickel or gold-finished Catholic medals or loose rosary parts (not attached to a rosary), you can gently clean them with baking soda, foil wrap, and a coffee mug.
- Line the bottom of a coffee mug with foil wrap, shiny side up.
- Add a mixture of 1/3 cup of boiling water and one teaspoon of baking soda.
- Let it soak for 10 minutes.
- Take the medal out with a teaspoon (it will be warm) and dry it off with a soft cloth.
- Let it air dry completely.
*Try it on a sample piece if you are cleaning more than one item. Some types of metal respond better than others. We use this method for some of our rosary components to bring back their original shine.