Every Cloud has a Silver Lining. (Goddard's Long Term Silver Polish)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	Goddard's Long Term Silver Polish
Date:	09/11/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A very effective cleaner.

Disadvantages: None.

In my home I have a few small bits of brass and a few very old silver seals that used to be used in conjunction with wax to seal letters. Sometimes I think they are far more trouble than they are worth, because you have to keep cleaning them but they have a certain amount of sentimental value and I can't really bear to part with them.

There is no way around it, to clean metal you have to use metal polish. I have never bought any thing other than Goddard's polish and I will usually expect to pay around the £2 mark for a bottle that will last me for months.
Goddard's polish is manufactured by S.C Johnson who are responsible for producing many household cleaners and polishes.

Goddard's long term silver polish comes in a very smart navy blue plastic bottle that has a screw cap. On the front of the bottle you will see that the polish is used by the Royal household, so it is good to see that I am keeping the right company !
Take off the screw cap and you will see that the top of the bottle has a cover over it that has just one small hole pierced in the centre, this is good thinking because although the polish is thick it does prevent any unwanted spillage.

I always put some newspaper down on the surface that I am going to use to clean my bits and bobs. From my point of view when you are cleaning metal gloves are a `must` and I prefer to wear a pair of the thinner latex gloves that allow you to feel through them.
Of course then you need to think about cleaning cloths, I usually use an old soft cotton jersey tee shirt, or rather some pieces torn from an old one.
I use two cloths, one to apply the polish and one to rub it off.

You will notice that Goddard's silver polish has a very strong and somewhat unpleasant smell. Make sure that you store the polish out of the reach of any children and if you tend to suffer from skin allergies then do make sure that you always use gloves.
I find that a tiny amount of silver polish goes a very long way, once the polish is applied to the soft cloth then I rub it into the surface of the tarnished silver.
Goddard's silver polish looks after your precious metals and the polish has no abrasive qualities that would cause any scratches.
Just gently rub the polish into the tarnished silver and you will see the tarnish lifting, the more you rub the dirtier the cloth will become.
The thick pink liquid polish only takes a minute or so to dry off, once the Goddard's silver polish has dried off it turns powdery.

If you are trying to reach into any intricate parts you may find a toothbrush useful, or if the item is that little bit larger then use a larger soft bristled brush.
Once the polish has turned to a soft pink powder it can be removed.
Set the clean cloth to work on the pink powder, as soon as you start to remove the polish you will see the shine form underneath.
You do need to make sure that every bit of the Goddard's polish is removed, if you leave any behind then it will sit in the form of pink powder on the piece of silver and it will be noticeable.

Goddard's silver polish will remove heavy tarnishing although you may need to use the polish a couple of times to achieve a perfect finish.
The polish contains something which allows it to create a protective barrier against immediate retarnishing, so you can expect your newly cleaned silver to stay clean and bright for a few weeks.

I would think that the only drawback to using the silver polish is that the whole process is a messy one that takes up precious time. You also need to bear in mind that the surface you use to clean must be well protected against the silver polish
But then again there is nothing nicer than seeing a few pieces of gleaming silver.

If you have silver that only ever gets lightly tarnished then you may prefer to buy a Goddard's silver cloth, this is a soft light blue cloth that has been impregnated with the polish. Ideal for gentle silver cleaning.

Summary: Ideal for silver cleaning.