How and how to quickly clean silver at home from darkness so that it shines
Many people have silver jewelry that they wear every day. With prolonged use, their surface darkens and becomes covered with dirty spots. It is recommended to find out how to quickly clean the silver in order to get rid of the blackening that has appeared.
Why silver darkens
Before cleaning, you should familiarize yourself with the main reasons that lead to the darkening of silver jewelry.
There are several factors due to which a dark bloom appears on the surface:
- High humidity. If a piece of jewelry is left in a room with high air humidity for a long time, its color will gradually darken and the surface will stain.
- Contact with cosmetic products in the manufacture of which sulfur is added. When this component interacts with silver, compounds are formed that darken the silver coating.
- Sweat.When silver comes into contact with sweat, the oxidation process begins and the color of the product becomes less shiny.
Cleaning methods
It's no secret that you can bleach jewelry at home. However, before doing this, you should familiarize yourself with the most effective methods of purifying silver.
toothpaste and powder
Some don't know how to get rid of blackness on silver jewelry. Toothpaste or toothpaste is often used for this, which quickly removes blackening.
To restore the natural color of metal jewelry, cover it with toothpaste or powder and rinse with warm water. In this case, it is better to use ordinary pastes without whitening properties.
A soda
Baking soda is considered the best product for silver plating. 150 grams of baking soda is mixed with 350 milliliters of water until a thick mixture is obtained. Then all darkened jewelry is cleaned for half an hour. After cleaning, all processed products are washed with water.
Citric acids and others
To make everything shine, silver jewelry is treated with citric or malic acid. To prepare the liquid, 1-2 liters of water are poured into the pan and 100 grams of acid are poured. The mixture is stirred and heated on a gas stove for 10-15 minutes, after which a silver jewel is immersed in a saucepan for half an hour.
Ammonia
It is better to wipe the silver chain with ammonia, which effectively fights blackening. However, before cleaning it is necessary to prepare an aqueous solution from ammonia at home. To do this, add 10-15 milliliters of alcohol in half a glass of water.The liquid is thoroughly mixed, after which the product is put in it, which must be cleaned.
Salt
The salt mixture quickly restores silver shine and removes dark spots. To create a soaking mixture, 20 grams of salt and soda are mixed in a container with water. The jewelry is placed in the prepared soda-salt solution for 45 minutes. After the end of the procedure, they are taken out of the container and wiped with a cloth.
Chalk
Some people use chalk to quickly clean silver jewelry. Before carrying out the work, the chalk must be rubbed and mixed with liquid soap and water. Then the silver is dipped in the solution and carefully rubbed with a stiff toothbrush until it clears up.
Leaf Recipe
A sheet with baking soda will help to quickly remove the darkening of the silver layer. First you need to prepare a soda solution, consisting of 500 milliliters of water and 50 grams of baking soda. The mixture is stirred, placed on a gas stove and brought to a boil. Then a small piece of foil and silver are placed in a container with boiling liquid. In literally 10-15 minutes, the dark spots will dissolve and the surface will be sparkling again.
With the help of special shop tools
Silver chains and other jewelry can be cleaned with special store-bought products. Among the effective solutions sold in stores are "Kupel" and "Aladdin". These fluids are ideal for removing black deposits and other contaminants.
Clean with an eraser
If the jewelry has a perfectly smooth surface, you can wipe it with an ordinary eraser. It is enough to rub the metal coating well 2-3 times so that no traces of blackheads remain.
Olive oil
Olive oil can help whiten contaminated silver chain. Experts advise using unrefined oil, which has a greenish tint and a characteristic smell. When performing the procedure in oil, carefully moisten a towel with which the chain is completely wiped.
Ammonia
The easiest method to remove black plaque is to use ammonia. When restoring the silver coating, an ammonia liquid is collected in a glass, after which decorations are placed in it. After 25-30 minutes they are removed and rinsed.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is used with ammonia. Components in equal quantities are added to a saucepan and poured with a liter of water. Then the metal jewelry is placed in the pan for 20-25 minutes and covered with a lid. After that, they are washed several times with water and dried.
The nuances of cleaning products
Anyone considering cleaning jewelry should familiarize themselves with the nuances of this process.
With stones
Before cleaning the cross or earrings with stones, you need to familiarize yourself with how to do it correctly. If there are sapphire stones in the products, they can be treated with shampoo or ordinary washing powder diluted in heated water.
Stones such as turquoise or malachite have a lower density and therefore cannot be cleaned with powder. instead of him it is better to use detergent or liquid soap.
with gilding
It is recommended to clean the gold silver ring only with dry suede. However, before this, the decoration is carefully wiped with a cotton swab or a sponge soaked in alcohol.It is necessary to wipe gilded things at least twice a month so that there are no greasy stains and dirt on their surface.
If the products with enamel
If blackening appears on enamel jewelry, wine alcohol is used. It will remove all stains from the surface after the first treatment. To clean enamel jewelry, you need to wipe it with a cloth soaked in wine alcohol.
Matt silver
A product blackened to matte silver is treated with ordinary soapy water. To prepare it, you need to dissolve a small piece of laundry soap in warm water. Then a napkin is moistened in the liquid and the matte jewelry is wiped with it.
Blackened
To clean blackened silver, do not use harsh chemicals that could damage the coating. It is also contraindicated to use ammonia and citric acid.Experts advise wiping blackened jewelry with saline solution mixed with liquid soap.
Radiated metal
Some silver jewelry is coated with a protective layer of rhodium. It is chemical resistant so can be used with any cleaning method. However, brushes and hard materials should not be used, as they can wear down the rhodium layer.
How not to damage or scratch your silver jewelry?
Sometimes removing the blackness isn't enough to make the jewelry look good. In addition, you need to properly monitor it so that there are no scratches on the coating. There are a few tips to avoid ruining your silver jewelry:
- Careful use. All jewelry should be used with care and attention so that it always looks good.Therefore, you should not often treat them with chemicals or expose them to too low or too high temperatures. You should also protect them from mechanical influences.
- Proper storage. The presentable appearance of silver items can only be maintained if they are properly stored. Earrings, rings and chains should be kept in special lockable caskets with soft padding inside. Do not place jewelry on top of each other so that they are not scratched.
What can I do to prevent the metal from blackening in the future?
To prevent the decoration from darkening in the future, the following procedures should be performed to help preserve its appearance:
- Monthly house cleaning. All silver jewelry should be cleaned at least once a month. Even if there is hardly any dark plaque visible on the coating, it is always better to clean it. If you do not do preventive cleaning for a long time, the surface will become covered with dirt, brown stains and grease.
- Turn to professionals. There are specialists who are professionally engaged in cleaning jewelry. They hire their services if you cannot restore the silver coating yourself. Jewelers will be able to breathe new life into even items that haven't been cleaned in years.
Conclusion
Many people have silver jewelry that they use in their daily lives. If they are not properly maintained, they become covered with a dark coating, which is sometimes difficult to get rid of.
To restore silver, you need to familiarize yourself with the main methods of cleaning and the peculiarities of their application in practice.