Twenty-four commercially available polishes and chemical dips for cleaning silver were evaluated. The major non-volatile components in the polishes were determined using several analytical techniques. The amount of silver removed by these products, after controlled use on silver-plated test pieces, was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The degree of scratching after polishing was recorded at a magnification of 140x using a metallograph. Retarnishing was evaluated after exposing the cleaned test pieces to a tarnishing atmosphere of either ammonium sulphide for one hour or indoor air for five months. Thirteen of the original silver cleaning products were further evaluated by cleaning tarnished sterling-silver flatware by hand. A simple test using Plexiglas® has been devised and is recommended for checking the abrasiveness of a commercial silver polish.