How to whiten the silver chain at home?

Silver jewelry looks very elegant, elegant and noble, but it's not a secret that even the best quality products can darken with time. Sooner or later, every owner of such ornaments thinks about how to whiten the silver chain at home. In this article, you will find practical recommendations on how to fix this problem and find out the possible reasons for this "behavior" of silver.

to the contents ↑

Why does silver darken over time?

Each owner of silverware notices that over time silver darkens. Why is this happening and what is it connected with? Some believe that the cause of this darkening is the health problems or emotional state of a person. Others hold the view that the formation of a dark raid is related to the property of the metal itself. The composition of silver includes copper, which is oxidized, reacting with hydrogen sulphide, resulting in a deposit of sulphide, which makes the product darker.

The main causes of silvering:

1. Moist air. Humid air contains a large amount of hydrogen sulphide. Frequent water procedures contribute to a rapid darkening of the metal, and accordingly, if you do not remove ornaments during bathing, the question of how to whiten the silver chain at home is sure to arise, and quite quickly.
2. Pot. The human body in its physiology every day allocates a certain amount of sweat, which depends on the intensity of physical activity. The composition of sweat is sulfur. On whatever part of the body you have worn silver ornaments, they will sooner or later fade. Since in humans the majority of the sebaceous glands are located in the region of the chest and neck, the silver chain will darken much faster than, for example, earrings. The latter, incidentally, almost do not get dark, because the sweat is very rarely released in the auricles.
3. Causes of medical nature. Some drugs contain sulfur compounds, which can be released together with sweat. With the use of such drugs, silver can very quickly become dull.
4. Hormonal background. Its changes, for example, during pregnancy, during the maturation of adolescents, when taking very strong hormonal drugs, can also affect the appearance of silver jewelry.
5. Cosmetics. Often, the composition of creams and cosmetic lotions includes sulfur. Therefore, it happens that the darkening of silver jewelry is caused by frequent use of cosmetics. Therefore, in order not to seek an answer to the question of how to whiten the silver chain at home, all jewelery sellers are advised to take pictures of this metal when you apply any cosmetics - nourishing cream, tonal, cleansing lotions, etc.

Important! It should be noted that the higher the sample of silver, the less it darkens.

to the contents ↑

How to whiten silver? Options for cleaning

What can I do if the ornaments have turned black and I need to lighten the silver? There are two options for possible actions.

Option number 1.Jewelry Shop

Take the darkened jewelry from silver to the workshop. This method is more suitable for jewelry with precious spraying and instructing with natural stones, such as pearls and amber. The fact is that many precious and semiprecious stones very badly tolerate processing by aggressive means. Therefore, in order not to spoil such a product with final self-processing, it is better to take it to a purge for the jeweler.

Option number 2.Self cleaning

You can try to lighten your own silver at home. Clean the products from blackness by using special tools. These are a variety of pastes, gels, liquids that are sold in jewelry stores. However, such means are not always at hand for the possibility of rapid purification of silver. In this case, do not be upset, because you can perfectly handle with the help of improvised drugs.

to the contents ↑

How to lighten silver at home?

There are several ways to remove black from a noble metal. The most common advice involves the use of simple drugs that will be found in every home.

Important! It is necessary to remember the main rule of cleaning products: before bleaching the metal, it is necessary to put the decoration for a short time in soapy warm water, then rinse thoroughly.

Ammonium alcohol

One of the most effective methods to whiten the silver chain at home is to use ammonia. It has a neutralizing effect on acids and, thus, relieves metal from plaque.

How to use:

1. Prepare a solution of alcohol and water, mixing the ingredients in a ratio of 1:10.
2. Place the product in the solution for 10-15 minutes.
3. After the time has elapsed, wipe the product gently with a wool cloth.

Detergent, salt and soda

This method is suitable for cleaning strong contaminants.

Cleaning method:

1. For one tablespoon of salt, soda, dish detergent, dissolve in 1 liter of water. Stir all ingredients thoroughly.

Important! For the preparation of a solution, it is better to use aluminum utensils.

1. Put the silver jewelry in the solution and boil it over a small fire for half an hour.

Vinegar

You can bleach the silver chain with vinegar. For this purpose, an ordinary 9% table vinegar is suitable.

How to use:

1. You need to warm up the vinegar a little, so that the liquid becomes warm.
2. Put the product in it for 15-20 minutes.
3. After the time has elapsed, take out the jewelry and rub it with a woolen cloth.

Salt

Lightening silver will also help table salt.

How to use:

1. In a deep metal bowl, mix 200 ml of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir the liquid thoroughly until the salt dissolves completely.
2. Lower the silverware into the prepared solution for a couple of hours.

Important! For faster results, you can boil the liquid with jewelry for 20 minutes.

Potatoes

The way how to clean silver at home using potatoes has been known to people for a very long time. For this, you can take both raw potatoes and potato peelings.

Cleaning method:

1. Boil the potatoes and drain into a separate bowl.

Important! The dishes should not be iron or aluminum. Using this method, it is better to take a glass container.

1. Put a piece of foil on the bottom of the dish.
2. Wait for the liquid to cool down, and place the decoration on the foil for 10 minutes.

"Coca-Cola" or "Sprite"

Favorite by many people famous drinks can be used not only for food purposes. They are excellent at cleaning tiles, polishing chrome and removing black plaque from silver.

Cleaning method:

1. The silver chain or ring should be dropped into a beaker with a beverage and left for a few hours.
2. Remove the products and wipe clean with rags.

Important! If the silver is heavily soiled, it is worth boiling the products and then rubbing them with foil.

Citric acid

Citric acid can remove from silver an ugly black film and restore its shine and well-groomed appearance.

Cleaning method:

1. Place jewelry from silver in citric acid solution for 1 hour.
2. Wipe the silver objects with a cloth after the time has elapsed.

Tooth powder

You can clean the silver with tooth powder or paste.

Cleaning method:

1. Scrub the product with tooth-powder using a soft brush or cloth.
2. Rinse the dressing under running water.

to the contents ↑

Useful advices

Lightening silver at home is quite simple, but it's even easier to prevent the appearance of darkened areas. This requires competent care of products. Here are some simple rules that will help your decorations last longer not to be covered with a dark bloom:

• Take off the decorations before bathing in the bathroom, the sea or taking a shower.
• Do not wear silver items for sports training, dance classes and other activities that require increased physical activity.
• If there is water on the silver, immediately wipe it with a napkin.
• Store products in a special box in a dry place.
• Remove ornaments during housekeeping.

Important! Do not store silver jewelry near cosmetics and near medicines.

If you properly care for your silverware, black will appear on them extremely rarely. But in case of appearance of ugly defects, do not get upset. You should determine the cause of its occurrence and eliminate the plaque in one of the methods already known to you.