- Why is gold contaminated?
- Cleaning of gold to a perfect shine at home
Gold jewelry can captivate with its noble brilliance, attract attention with incredible radiance. If it still contains precious stones, shimmering and sparkling in the light, like splashes of rain against the backdrop of a summer rainbow, then it is simply impossible to tear off this magnificence. But every product, even the best quality, sooner or later begins to fade. The dust settling on it in the street, is mixed with sweat, allocated subcutaneous fat, as a result of which the formed mud spoils gold outwardly. In addition, gold jewelry in its composition has copper and silver, giving them strength, the necessary shades, which are typical under the influence of air, water and time to oxidize and darken. In this article, we will look at the most popular ways to clean gold with vinegar, ammonia, ammonia and soda at home.
to the contents ↑Why is gold contaminated?
There are a lot of reasons provoked by these or other factors, due to which, in fact, a dark raid is formed on gold, it loses its shine and natural beauty. The main criteria for contamination:
- The metals that make up the gold alloy are oxidized, and then this oxide appears on the surface of the products with dark specks.
- Human skin constantly emits a special fat from the sebaceous glands, softening its upper layers. So, when the particles of this substance fall on the surface of jewelry, they just pollute it.
- Residents of the city are constantly exposed to urban dust, noise and smog. The exhausted gases, exhausted by production, are able to settle on gold products. If, for example, a person can wash away these impurities in the shower from the body, then they are not easily removed from the bracelets, rings, chains.
- Decorations are contaminated with all kinds of body care products that many of us use almost daily to improve the condition of the skin. These are creams, lotions, decorative cosmetics.
Based on all of the above, there are quite logical questions, what are the ways to clean gold from traces of this kind of pollution, which will help restore their shine and radiance. The easiest way is to seek help from professionals who know for sure what and how to do, but the fact is that such a service is not cheap, that is, not everyone can afford. Besides, in large cities there are a lot of such jewelers engaged in cleaning jewelry, but residents of smaller towns, villages and villages have to be interested in how to clean gold with vinegar, soda, ammonia and ammonia, that is the most popular substances present in anyhouse.
to the table of contents ↑Cleaning of gold to a perfect shine at home
Professional gold cleaner products sold in specialized stores can not be called affordable. Therefore, many simply forget about this problem, but in fact it does not dare by itself. Therefore, the issue of self-cleaning of gold every year becomes only more urgent. Do not be in a hurry to get up early, because there are a lot of folk ways and means that our ancestors used. Now we will look at each of them separately.
The first way: cleaning gold with ammonia
First you need to understand what methods are the most effective, which ones can be used only in cases when there are no different decorative inserts, because they can suffer, because this method is quite aggressive.
Simply put, it is possible to clean gold at home in ammonia, of course, it will not take long, but some stones can be seriously damaged. Therefore, you should be extremely careful and attentive, so as not to damage your favorite decoration, which after such cleaning can go to the trash.
For qualitative processing, not only ammonia, but also hydrogen peroxide will be required. Follow the instructions to achieve the desired effect:
- Prepare a small enamel, glass or ceramic container to prepare our composition.
- Pour about a glass of tap water into a suitcase.
- Add to the water three drops of ammonia, two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, a couple drops of a good-smelling liquid soap, mix everything thoroughly. The mixture is ready.
- Put the gold in the finished solution, leave it in it for a couple of hours or all night.
As you can see, no special financial costs will not be required, since all components can be bought in any pharmacy at the lowest prices. Neither the oldest pollution, nor the film of oxidation, which previously could not be purified, can not resist such a powerful attack. Your jewelry will shine again and sparkle with a past shine.
The second way: we clean gold with ammonia
At this stage we will consider how to clean gold with ammonia at home, as this substance is considered ideal for such treatment. Its difference from ammonia is in greater concentration and acerbity.
Important! This substance is inexpensive, but it is recommended to work with it with extreme caution, in order to avoid accidents, because if suddenly it gets in your eyes, you can even lose your eyesight.
Cleaning itself looks very simple:
- Carefully choose a cleaning container - it's better if it is glass or ceramic.
- Undiluted ammonia pour into the bowl, put all the contaminated gold there, and leave it overnight.
Important! If the house has children or favorite pets, take care that the bowl with ammonia solution was in a place that is not accessible to them. Do not forget that to clean gold with ammonia should be in the respirator, because its evaporation can damage the respiratory tract.
The third way: cleaning the gold jewelry with vinegar
In the vastness of Internet resources, there are often recommendations regarding how to clean the gold with vinegar. But according to experts, this is the most inappropriate option, in particular, if it is about jewelry with precious stones or decorative inserts.
Acetic acid can damage them, because there are such varieties of them, to which this effect is not terrible, but to others - it can seriously damage.
Important! If your gold has the lowest sample, then it is better to abandon such a cleansing option, because it has a mass of impurities and other components in the form of non-ferrous metals, with which the acid can cause irreparable harm.
If you still decide to clean the gold with vinegar, take a solution of low concentration - no more than 3% of the liquid, half diluted with pure water.
Fourth method: high-quality gold cleaning with
All of the above methods are designed for a long time of exposure. This, at least a few hours, more often that the selected substance acted, it takes even more time. But this expectation is not always acceptable, because often it happens that you need to quickly put in order your jewelry, going to a business meeting or a date.
In the case of soda you have to work a little, but you will return your rings, earrings, chain, bracelet with natural shine as soon as possible. For this it is necessary:
- Pour a glass of water into a bowl or a saucepan suitable for boiling.
- Put there all your gold products that need emergency cleaning.
- After the water boils, pour into a bowl a tablespoon of baking soda.
- Five minutes to boil our mixture, then drain the water, walk around the decorations with an old toothbrush.
Important! Someone likes the option of cleaning gold with dry soda powder, but for home use it does not fit, because soda is an abrasive and can simply damage the jewelry itself, natural gems, decorative inserts. The only acceptable option is when soda is mixed with water to a paste state.
From this article you learned several ways how to clean gold with improvised means. We hope you were able to decide on the best for yourself means and quickly put your jewelry in order.