How to clean silver at home?

Nowadays, silver items, whether jewelry, cutlery or stylish knickknacks can be seen in any home. But over time this noble metal turns black, this is his specialty. And so the question of how to clean silver in the home is before all the fans of silver "tricks".

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When to clean silver?

Initially, beautiful and shiny silver things start to fade over time, lose their luster and are covered with an unpleasant touch of black, bluish or greenish color. The need to clean silver jewelry occurs more often than the table silver, as the jewelry is constantly in contact with the human skin and if you regularly wear a silver ring or chains, then you will have to clean them at least once every 2-3 months.

Silver silver does not darken at such a fast speed, as it is less exposed to the environment, and we use silver forks and spoons on so often.

Before answering the question of how to clean silver at home, we will find out the reasons for the darkening of a noble metal.

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Reasons for silvering

There is a popular belief among people that darkening of jewelry indicates problems with the health of the person who wears them. In particular, if the silver chain or ring has turned black, this is a sign of serious problems with the stomach, liver or intestines. However, doctors are skeptical about such "people's signs."

The main reason for darkening is that the jewelry is not made from pure silver, but from its alloy with copper, so we list some of the reasons that may affect the look of the decoration:

1. Since silver refers to noble metals, it is inert to the effectsorganic acids and alkalis. However, with prolonged contact with air, the surface of the ornaments is covered with a thin film of sulphide plaque, which is the result of darkening and loss of attractive luster.
2. Jewelry has a close contact with the skin, which means that their secretion can be strongly influenced by the secretion of the secretion of the sweat glands. Increased sulfur content in the sweat leads to a rapid darkening of silver, but the excess of nitrogen in human pot practically does not affect the appearance of the jewelry. This can explain the fact that the same jewelry from silver turns black at different speeds, as they belong to different owners.
3. You can also spoil the appearance of silver with the cosmetics you use, because it contains sulfur - a substance capable of quickly reacting with silver and forming a dark color connection.
4. High humidity is also one of the reasons for the darkening of precious metal. Silver jewelry does not like too much moist air and frequent contact with water.

Important! All of the above nuances must be considered in order to properly care for silver. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time to return the products to their original shine, to look for different options, how to clean silver at home, and they will turn dark again.

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How to clean silver at home?

Before choosing the right tool, remember that using coarse abrasive agents can damage the surface, as silver is very soft metal. Therefore, when choosing the method of cleaning, choose the most gentle and sparing, but effective methods.

Before cleaning the silver at home, thoroughly wash the product in warm water and soap. In the water you can add a little ammonia or baking soda: 1 tbsp.l.for 1 liter of water. Keep the product in soapy water and then rinse it thoroughly. Then you can start the process of cleaning the product from a dark plaque.

We suggest using proven tools.

Baking soda

The most accessible and effective way - cleaning food baking soda:

1. Prepare a little gruel, lightly moistened with water.
2. Take a little bit of the prepared mixture on your fingers and gently wipe the product.
3. Continue the procedure until the black patina does not come off the product, and the silver does not shine.

Important! Clean the soda with silver gently, trying not to scratch the product, since soda refers to abrasive cleaners.

Another option for cleaning silver at home - boiling it with foil and soda:

1. Take a saucepan of sufficient volume and cover its walls and bottom with a layer of food foil.
2. Place the blackened cutlery inside.
3. Cover the food with baking soda( 3-4 tablespoons).
4. Cover the instruments with an additional sheet of foil.
5. Pour boiling water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
6. Turn off the fire.
7. Leave the instruments in a saucepan for 15 minutes.
8. Pull out the silver.
9. Thoroughly rinse with plenty of running water.

Food baking soda can also be used together with salt, foil and any dish-washing detergent when removing black coating from the surface of the jewelry:

1. Cover the container with a sufficient volume of food foil.
2. Fold the darkened decorations in a container.
3. Place the products in 1 layer so that they do not touch each other.
4. Fill decorations with a mixture of soda and salt.
5. Add a small amount of dishwashing liquid. Fill all with boiling water.
6. Leave it for 10 minutes.
7. Take out the jewelry.
8. Rinse them under a jet of cool water.

Ammonium alcohol

Silver products can be cleaned with ammonia mixed with a pinch of chalk:

1. Prepare the gruel from a mixture of chalk and ammonia.
2. Apply the product to the product and allow to dry.
3. Gently clean the jewelry with an old toothbrush with very soft bristles.
4. Rinse the jewelry in plenty of cold water. Dry with a soft cloth.

You can also use the following method with ammonia, using which you will quickly cope with the task of cleaning the darkened silver:

1. Take a suitably sized container.
2. Prepare a solution of ammonia: 1 tbsp.l.funds for 10 tbsp.l.water.
3. Immerse the silver in the solution for 15-25 minutes( depending on the surface contamination).
4. Remove product from solution.
5. Wash with running water.
6. Wipe dry.

A strongly blackened silver cross, which was in close contact with the skin, can be cleaned in the following way:

1. Mix in equal proportions ammonia, baking soda and tooth powder.
2. Treat the surface of the product with a soft brush with the preparation prepared.
3. After the disappearance of black, wash the decoration with running water.

Important! Tooth powder can be replaced with toothpaste. However, remember that frequent use of toothpaste can lead to the formation of microscopic cracks on the surface. For a more delicate cleaning, eliminate the soda from the recipe.

Tooth powder

Conventional tooth powder perfectly removes dirt from surfaces. Including it can be used to purge the silver from black:

1. Ornaments or silver cutlery soak with water and sprinkle with powder.
2. Clean contaminated areas with a fleecy cloth or soft bristled brush.
3. At the end of the process, rinse the products with cool water and wipe dry with a cotton cloth.

Important! This method is also suitable for cleaning silver jewelry with stones .

Citric acid

For this method you will need a glass jar with a volume of 1 liter, 100 grams of citric acid and a small piece of copper wire. To clean silver from black at home, proceed as follows:

1. Fill the jar with running water up to 1/2 or 3/4 volume.
2. Add 100 grams of citric acid to the water.
3. Throw a small piece of copper wire into the prepared solution.
4. Place the container in a water bath.
5. Lower the objects of silver into the liquid.
6. Boil products for 15-30 minutes( depending on the degree of contamination).
7. After the procedure, rinse the silver with clean water.
8. Wipe thoroughly with a soft cotton cloth.

Seasoning

Effective against black is curdled milk:

1. Place the product in the curdled milk for a few minutes.
2. After the procedure, thoroughly wash in warm water without the addition of detergents.

Potatoes

To clean the silver with raw potatoes, proceed as follows:

1. Rice the potatoes and cut them into slices.
2. Place the vegetable in a container of water.
3. Place the silver items in a pot of potatoes for several hours. Starch will gradually move from potatoes to water and affect the darkening.
4. Wash the product with water. Dry with a soft cloth.

For cleaning silver items, potatoes boiled in a uniform can also be used:

1. Darken objects into a potato broth for 15 minutes.
2. Wash with water and wipe the product with a piece of woolen cloth.

Lipstick

You can effectively clean the blackened silver with a small amount of lipstick. It always contains the finest abrasive particles that will not harm the surface of the product being cleaned. Proceed as follows:

1. Take a small piece of soft tissue and apply a little lipstick.
2. Polish the product until blackness disappears.
3. Remove the remainder of the lipstick with a solution of toilet soap.
4. Rinse with water and dry with a dry cloth.

Important! Clean the products of blackened or filigree silver carefully, as you can deprive the decoration of a noble patina.

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How to clean silver jewelry with stones?

Jewelry with inserts made of amber, pearls is best placed in the hands of professionals who, with knowledge of the matter, will carefully clean them. If there is no such possibility, then observe the following rules when deciding whether to clean the blackened silver at home.

Rule 1

For cleaning silver jewelry that has inserts made from natural stones, use a special tool purchased in jewelery stores, as well as soft tissues for delicate cleaning. Acquired funds will help you achieve not only a good result, but also cover the product with a protective film.

Rule 2

At home, silver products with stone incrustations are cleaned with a solution prepared as follows:

1. Rub a bar of laundry soap on a large grater.
2. Add a little water and a few drops of ammonia.
3. Put the resulting mixture on the fire and bring it to a boil.
4. With a cooled composition, treat the product using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
5. Around the stone, remove the blackening with a cotton swab soaked in the same remedy.

Rule 3

Silver jewelry with pearls can be cleaned with a solution of salt:

1. Spread the jewelry with natural or artificial pearls on a piece of linen cloth.
2. Add pieces of fine salt.
3. Wrap the tissue flap in a tight bundle.
4. In a small basin or a deep bowl, collect water at room temperature.
5. Rinse the container with silver jewelry( until all salt dissolves).

Important! When using this method, not only black from silver will disappear, but yellow coating from pearls.

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Useful advices:

• For cleaning silver products with a smooth, matte surface, aggressive materials are unsuitable: soda, salt, organic acids. The most optimal option for such products is an aqueous solution of soap chips.
• Before cleaning the silver with small parts, take the cotton swab with bends, moisten it in any cologne, glycerin and wipe the stone along with the rim from top to bottom. This will help remove the dust under the stone. After the procedure, polish the decoration with a piece of flannel or suede.
• Silver products of complex configuration can be clarified with the help of table vinegar( 6%).Heated vinegar put on a cotton swab and wipe the jewelry.
• The silver chain can be cleaned from black with ammonia or citric acid: put the jewelry in a 10% solution of these substances by choice.
• Jewelers do not recommend wearing a brushed product directly. Hold them for a while in the case in order for them to become covered with a natural protective film. It is possible for this purpose to take a product to a jewelry workshop, where they put a layer of special lacquer on them.

Knowing how to properly care and clean silver products, you can give a primordial appearance, even the oldest jewelry, and silverware will be kept in your exemplary order. We hope that the noble metal will please you and your family for many years.