Silver is a beautiful noble metal, which is a good alternative to gold: it is stored for centuries, but it costs several times cheaper. But lovers of silver jewelry have from time to time to face the need to clean them, since this metal tends to blacken. There are no other ways to clean home silver and return it to its former brightness and shine! In our century, in addition to the old and time-tested methods of cleaning, there are also special products made for this purpose. The editors of the site “bestx.htgetrid.com/en/” have prepared material on how to care for silver jewelry so that it always shines with its beauty, as well as advice on how to prepare jewelry for cleaning, and what methods and means exist for this.
Content
Why does silver turn black
To begin with, it is worth noting that any silver will turn black, but sometimes this does not happen immediately, and sometimes very quickly. What does this factor depend on? There may be several reasons:
- The presence of foreign alloys in the product.
Usually good silver is marked with 925 fineness. This means that the product contains 92.5% of a noble metal, and the rest is the percentage of impurities that are necessary for greater wear resistance and stability, since pure silver is too soft and can easily lose its shape. With a successful and high-quality combination, silver will look good for a long time, but it will still darken. Poor quality silver has a higher percentage of impurities, which leads to a faster oxidation process. - The impact of the environment, in particular the human body.
As you know, silver chains and pendants darken faster than rings. This is due to the fact that sweating occurs more often on the neck and décolleté and its composition differs from other parts of the body. Sweat is an excellent oxidizing agent for metal alloys in a silver product, therefore it is in the place of greatest contact that silver will darken. - Human health status.
Silver also darkens on an absolutely healthy person, but if changes occur quickly, literally in a few days, then you should check with a specialist if everything is in order with health. Usually, a quick darkening of silver jewelry on the human body indicates problems with the liver and kidneys. - Skin care cosmetics.
This is another reason for the rapid loss of the presentable appearance of silver jewelry. If silver darkens after contact with hand cream or body lotion, then most likely there is sulfur in the composition of these products, upon contact with which silver and other alloys, in particular copper, oxidize and acquire a dark coating.
Also, household chemicals - dishwashing liquids, floors, washing powders, etc., affect the color change of silver. Therefore, when working with these products, it is better to remove silver jewelry.
Silver jewelry care rules
In order for silver jewelry to always delight you with its brilliance and beauty, you must follow simple rules for their use.
- It is better to store silver items in a separate closed box, and preferably so that they do not come into contact with each other. For this, there are special cases for jewelry with soft compartments.
- It is necessary to remove rings, chain bracelets before heavy physical labor, such as lifting weights, working in the country, in the garden, as well as working with household tools. This should be done not only in order to protect jewelry from mechanical damage, but also to ensure your own safety, because a ring or chain can catch on something in the process.
- As mentioned above, jewelry should be removed before using cosmetics and before bathing.
- If you do not plan to wear silver jewelry in the near future, you should wipe it with a dry microfiber cloth, wiping off grease and traces of sweat on the product. This way it will stay undisturbed longer.
- Silver should be cleaned carefully, without using scratching cleaners. It is also worth carefully cleaning the rhodium-plated product, since the rhodium layer is very thin and easily erased. This element is sprayed onto silver in order to protect it from oxidation so that it does not lose its appearance longer.
How to clean silver
It should be remembered that no matter how we try to create the necessary conditions to prevent silver from being black, it will still appear sooner or later, so cleaning is essential. There are many ways to accomplish this procedure. Since mankind has been creating silver products from time immemorial and actively using them, we will consider, first of all, folk remedies to return the precious metal to its original beauty.
Folk remedies for cleaning silver
Saline solution
This is one of the most affordable and ancient ways to clean silver jewelry at home. It is necessary to dilute a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water, place the product in it and boil for 15 minutes. After that, the silver must be carefully polished with a cotton cloth.
Soda solution
This is a more effective way of returning the metal to its original appearance. To do this, you need to do the following:
- Cover the bottom of a small saucepan with foil. Dissolve 3-4 tablespoons of soda per liter of water and put on fire.
- When the solution boils, place a silver jewelry there.
- Boil the product until it brightens, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the silver from the solution, rinse in running water and wipe with a dry soft cloth.
This recipe also works well for cleaning table silver.
Ammonia
Many owners of silver items are interested in the question: is it possible to clean it with ammonia. There are several recipes for this. The simplest of them is to moisten a woolen cloth with alcohol and wipe the jewelry.
For the second recipe, make the following solution:
- Take a teaspoon of ammonia in a glass of water, add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide and ordinary liquid soap there.
- Stir the contents and put the silverware there for 15-20 minutes until the desired effect is achieved.
- Take out jewelry, rinse in water and wipe with a soft absorbent cloth.
Potato broth
Potato broth can also sparkle silver. To do this, you need to boil the potatoes, drain the resulting broth into a separate container and put a piece of foil there, the size of a chocolate wrapper. Then immerse silverware in slightly cooled water for 5 minutes. Then remove, rinse and dry thoroughly. The potato starch will remove all browning.
Table vinegar
It is known that with the help of vinegar, crystal is cleaned from cloudiness, due to which crystal glasses, glasses and salad bowls sparkle like new. Acetic acid can do the same with silver. To do this, you just need to dip the silver product in heated vinegar 9%. Next, rinse with clean water and rub until shiny.
In much the same way, you can clean silver with citric acid.It is necessary to dissolve a bag of granules in 500 grams of water, bring to a boil and simmer the products immersed in the solution for 15 minutes over low heat.
Toothpaste
This is another popular home remedy that can be used to quickly clean small pieces of jewelry. On an old, but not hard toothbrush, squeeze out some toothpaste and clean the product with progressive movements until the required shine is achieved. Then rinse with water and wipe dry. This way, you can also clean it with tooth powder. The disadvantage of this method is the danger of scratching the jewelry, since silver is a very soft metal.
It should be borne in mind that gilded or silver-plated products, as well as jewelry with glued parts and precious stones, cannot be cleaned by methods of intensive exposure.
Extraordinary ways to clean silver
As we can see, there are many methods for cleaning silver items, but there are several completely unusual methods.
For example, rub the product with lipstick, then dry thoroughly with a napkin.
There is a method for cleaning blackness with a pencil eraser, but it is not suitable for cleaning products with complex and ornate patterns.
Another unconventional method is cleaning with Coca-Cola. It is enough to pour the decoration with this drink and stand for several minutes. The acid contained in it will dissolve the resulting pollution.
Cleaning with special products
Of course, not everyone has the desire and ability to independently prepare cleaning solutions and get rid of blackness using certain methods. For this, there are special products for professional cleaning of this noble metal. There are several types of such products - solutions, creams, gels, special cleansing wipes, and others.
You can buy these products in jewelry stores. There are other places where you can buy this product, such as markets, hardware stores or online.
Since these are specialized tools, it is easy and simple to work with them. Let's consider what are the popular models and their best manufacturers, so that it is clear how to choose the necessary product for the price and quality.
Talisman
The home-made "Talisman" silverware cleaner will help restore the metal to its former shine and beauty. To achieve the desired result, pour a small amount of liquid into a non-food plastic or glass container and place the items to be cleaned. After 1-2 minutes, remove using protective gloves and rinse well with clean water. Repeat the procedure if necessary. For best results, you can use an old toothbrush.
A solution of 50 and 150 ml is available in jewelry stores. The line also includes 230 ml and 620 ml silverware cleaners.
Price for 150 ml - 170 rubles.
Advantages:
- quickly and effectively removes darkening;
- the line contains funds of the required volume;
Disadvantages:
- ends quickly;
- poor quality silver items may turn yellow;
- cannot be used for jewelry with organic stones;
- strong smell.
Chine coins
Chine coins solution for cleaning and polishing silver products does an excellent job, removes darkening, patina, greenery and other products of metal oxidation. You can clean not only silver but other metals as well.
To clean the product, you need to pour a little product into a non-metallic container and put silver there. After 5-10 minutes, remove the product and rinse with clean water, then wipe dry with a clean microfiber cloth.
If the product only needs polishing, it is enough to moisten a cotton pad with the solution and wipe the silver part. Rinse off the rest of the product with water.
A 150 ml product can be purchased for 250 rubles.
Advantages:
- gently cleans discoloration of silver and other metals.
- convenient to use;
- gives products a natural shine.
Disadvantages:
- uneconomical expense;
- not suitable for cleaning jewelry with organic stones;
- overcharge.
Means for cleaning products from precious and non-ferrous metals Unicum
This means of domestic production will quickly return the products made of precious metals to their original purity. The 380 ml gel will last for a long time. It can also be used to clean other non-ferrous metals: copper, bronze, brass, cupronickel, but, according to customer reviews, it does not do it as effectively as with precious metals.
Cannot be used for cleaning aluminum and its alloys, as well as painted and painted metal products, Teflon coatings.
To cleanse silver items, it is enough to apply the gel to a damp sponge, wipe it, then rinse it off with water. To polish and shine, squeeze a small amount of the product onto a cotton pad, apply to the surface, polish with a soft dry cloth after 2-3 minutes.
The price of the tool is 190 rubles
Advantages:
- cleans silver and gold well;
- large volume;
- budget price;
- ease of use;
- there is no pungent smell.
Disadvantages:
- insufficiently effectively cleans silver with a large amount of impurities and other metals;
- not suitable for cleaning aluminum.
Silberpflege Centralin Silver Cleaning Paste
The German company Centralin presents the Silberpflege cleaner for precious and other metals. It is excellent not only for gold and silver, but also for aluminum, copper, brass, nickel, stainless steel and other alloys, forming a protective film on the surface against oxidation. Can also be used to clean mirrors and mirror surfaces.
The method of application is very simple:
- Apply a small amount of paste to a sponge or soft cloth.
- Spread evenly over the entire surface of the product.
- Rinse thoroughly with water, use dishwashing detergent if necessary.
- Wipe the garment dry with a microfiber cloth.
Silberpflege cream is great for cupronickel and silver; cutlery made of these metals will always delight you with its purity and shine.
A tube with a volume of 75 ml is sold at a price of 250 rubles.
Advantages:
- effectively cleans any metals;
- convenient for cleaning table silver and cupronickel;
- does not scratch the surface;
- returns natural shine to products;
- long-term protection against re-oxidation;
- low consumption.
Disadvantages:
- the need to perform mechanical cleaning.
Aladdin
This tool, according to buyers, is the best for cleaning silver items. The main feature and advantage of this solution is its economy and practically unlimited shelf life. Unlike funds that need to be poured into other containers, and the used solution should be thrown away, "Aladdin" does not need to be poured anywhere, it is enough to place the jewelry in a special plastic container with holes and put it in a jar of solution. Thus, the product practically does not end, it can be used over and over again. The effect is also not long in coming - the result is visible in 20-30 seconds.
It should be noted that this solution cannot be used to clean nielloed silver, as well as jewelry with pearls, coral, amber, turquoise.
With the professional tool "Aladdin" jewelry will always look like new and delight with its purity and shine. Real pure magic!
The solution jar has a volume of 200 ml. Average price - 160 rubles.
Advantages:
- inexpensive tool;
- very economical;
- convenient to use;
- quick results;
- plastic basket and brush included.
Disadvantages:
- do not clean products with organic stones.
Having considered the popular folk methods of cleaning silver, as well as having made an overview of the best professional tools, it is easy to note the selection criteria by which you can give preference to a particular method or tool. It is not so difficult to take care of silver products, following the considered tips and tricks, and choosing the best product for yourself. And if you already have experience using the described products, leave your feedback in the comments.