FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use Holland Hallmark Cleaning Plate for the regular cleaning of all my silver and silver plated objects? 
On silver plated items, we would recommend that you only use The 5 Minute Cleaning Plate for the removal of light tarnish and not every time the silver plated items need cleaning.. As you do not add any silver whilst cleaning with this method, we recommend that you regularly clean your silver plated items with Holland Hallmark Silver Enhancer  and only as a quick clean in between, use the Cleaning Plate. Holland Hallmark Silver Enhancer adds silver whilst you polish and this will greatly enhance the appearance of your silverware. However for solid silver miniatures, filigree or chains etc., because of their intricacies, this method is excellent all the time. 

Also for gold items this is an excellent regular cleaning method, as well as for copper, brass, bronze etc..

As the Cleaning Plate is suitable for various metals, can I clean these different metals all at the same time?
No,  this is not a good idea. Clean gold and gold plated items together. Silver and silver plated items together. Copper on it's own. Brass on it's own. Bronze on it's own etc. The reason for this is that small molecules of the metals will get released into the soda / water solution. If you were to put items of various metals in together,  then they may become contaminated. So for example NEVER put copper and brass items in together or copper and silver items. 

You must also take care to renew the water / soda solution before other items are cleaned. So for example do not clean silver items in the same solution that you have just cleaned copper items in (even though the actual copper items are no longer present in the solution).

What happens if I accidentally forget the items in the solution and they are in there for more than 5 minutes.
No damage will have been done to your items, but you will notice, that the cleaning action will have reversed itself. Instead of all the dirt having been attracted to the plate, the plate has reversed the action and sent the dirt back onto the items. You will see a dull hue on the items. Now you have to start all over again, with clean water and soda, and possibly use a brush to help the new process along.

I want to clean my silver cutlery can I do this ALL in one go ?
Yes you can. You place the plate on the bottom of a plastic (or other non-metal) receptacle, submerged in the soda /water solution. Now you start by laying the first cutlery items on the plate and then you build up with the rest of the knives, spoons and forks in a shape of a pyramid. As long as each piece of cutlery is either in contact directly with the plate, or they are connected with each other as a chain to the plate, then the desired effect will be achieved. 

I have silver miniature cars. They are very fiddly to clean and therefore have not been cleaned for some time. So they are more than lightly tarnished. Can I still use the plate ?
Yes you can. You follow the normal Method of Use for the Cleaning Plate, but whilst the car is submerged we suggest you take a little brush, perhaps a natural bristle tooth brush, and you help the cleaning process along a little. You may have to repeat the process for best results. You could also use Holland Hallmark Jewelry Cleaning Solution, this may be quicker in the present case.

I have some large copper decorative items, is the plate the most suitable cleaning method for these items ?
That depends really on how large the items are. As long as they will fit into a reasonable size bucket or bowl, there should be no problem and you can use the Cleaning Plate. You must be able to submerge the item completely. So If the items are too large to fit into any receptacle or are much too large to submerge, then we suggest you use Holland Hallmark Copper / Brass Cleaner. this is an all purpose cleaner but it is formulated extra strong, so it works quick and effortless when cleaning large items. You can just sponge it on and wash it off. Simple !!

Can I clean all my gold jewelry this way ?
You can clean solid gold and gold plated jewelry this way. And even if the items concerned contain hard stones such as diamonds this is not a problem. The Cleaning Plate will quickly remove dirt and grease in only minutes. However, you should NOT clean gold or gold plated items that contain paste stones, glued stones or soft stones like coral, pearl etc. They are better off just being cleaned with a warm soapy water solution. If you frequently need to clean gold jewelry, please also look at our Holland Hallmark Jewelry Solution.

If you have any further questions about the use of the Cleaning Plate or any of the other Holland Hallmark products, then please do not hesitate to e-mail us at info@hollandhallmark.com