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How to clean gold at home quickly and efficiently
When a special cleaning agent is not on hand, soap, hydrogen peroxide and even ammonia can be used. All these simple things will help you clean gold at home, and do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Sooner or later, but every owner of gold jewelry is faced with this: the metal darkens, becomes coated, loses its luster. But do not rush to pull the hair out on your head and curse the unscrupulous sellers of the jewelry store who “slipped a fake.” To return the jewelry to its former beauty, you can clean the gold at home. We will tell you how to do it quickly and efficiently.
Why does it grow dim
By itself, gold is an inert metal, does not react with oxygen, which means it does not oxidize. But the noble metal of the highest standard (999) is so soft that it, like plasticine, can be kneaded with bare hands. It may be possible to create a piece of jewelry from such a piece, but wearing it without the risk of damaging it is no longer there.
To give the metal the necessary strength, the so-called ligature is used – an alloy of silver and copper, less often platinum, palladium, nickel and zinc are added. These additives, by the way, are responsible for the color of your favorite ringlet: white, pink, yellow, green, blue and even purple! They also oxidize, causing the gold to darken.
Sulfur, mercury, and iodine also negatively affect gold jewelry. The color of the jewelry can even change from contact with sweat. So before going to the gym or sauna, it is better to take off your favorite earrings or chains made of “solar metal”.
If something irreparable happens and time has left its mark on gold jewelry, they need to be cleaned. Ideally, in a jewelry store, where the gold will be painlessly cleaned with a special product that you can buy for cleaning your home. But what to do if there is no special paste at hand, the jewelry salon is by no means within walking distance, and you need to shine jewelry here and now? You can also update jewelry with the help of those tools that can be found literally in every home.
Soap
More precisely, a soapy solution. Add any detergent to water heated to 50-60 degrees. This can be shampoo, laundry detergent, soap, or dishwashing detergent. Dip the gold item into the resulting solution for a while – from several minutes to several hours, depending on the degree of contamination. Then gently go over the decoration with an old soft-bristled toothbrush and rinse well under running water.
Ammonia
The soap solution didn’t help? Then you should resort to more effective measures. Salmon is not only able to return a particularly impressionable young lady from the depths of a swoon, but also to return gold jewelry to its former life. Indeed, interacting with silver and copper oxides, it leads to the formation of compounds that easily dissolve in water. The ideal option is an aqueous solution of ammonia with a concentration of at least 25%, you can buy it at any pharmacy. The contaminated product must be placed in the solution for 2-3 hours. This is usually enough time to clean the jewelry. A cleaned ring, bracelet or chain should also be rinsed with warm water and dried.
Vinegar
Dumplings go well with it. And also a solution with table vinegar perfectly removes gold pollution. However, it is better to use this method only for yellow and red gold. But for white, matte or inlaid with stones, this method is unacceptable. Mix in a 1: 1 ratio of water and vinegar – plain (9%) or apple cider vinegar. You can add a few drops of lemon juice. In this solution, use a cloth to rinse the product. Rinse.
Hydrogen peroxide
For light dirt, it is enough to wipe the jewelry with a cloth soaked in peroxide. If the dirt does not recede, a more vigorous mixture can be prepared. In a container, mix 1 glass of warm water, 30 mg of hydrogen peroxide (3%), 1 tsp. ammonia and a small amount of liquid soap. Put gold products in the resulting solution and leave them in it for several hours. Rinse the jewelry with plain water, dry on a napkin.
Sodium hyposulfite
In the era of film cameras, this tool was in the home of every self-respecting photographer. Used it to develop the film. And it also perfectly relieves your favorite jewelry from traces of iodine – these dark and, it seems, spots that are firmly embedded in the metal are so annoying!
If within a radius of several tens of kilometers there is not a single familiar photographer who works not only with “digital”, you can buy a miracle remedy in a pharmacy – the drug is sold in ampoules of 10 ml. One ampoule must be diluted with half a glass of water. The jewelry is soaked in it for half an hour and – voila! – it shines like new.
Egg whites
This method was also used by our grandmothers – the recipe was once published in the practical guide “Housekeeping” in 1959. So, for the operation called “return the gold to its former beauty” you will need: egg whites 2-3 pieces, a mixer, a whisk or an ordinary fork. Beat the egg whites until they foam, dip the contaminated product into it for half an hour, then rinse with warm water and wipe with dry flannel.
In some cases, it is recommended to mix one egg white with half a glass of beer (preferably dark) and wipe the decoration with the resulting mixture.
All of these methods are good for items that are not burdened with inlays or stones. It is better to give products with any kind of inserts for professional cleaning. This significantly reduces the risk of damage to the item. It is also worth taking the jewelry to the jewelry workshop if scratches or scuffs are the reason for the dull appearance. A specialist will cope with all these “cracks” by polishing the product to a shine.
“The best way to clean diamond jewelry is with warm soapy water and an old soft bristled toothbrush. And be sure to wipe the stone with a special dry cloth. But using toothpaste is not the best idea! Of course, it will not damage the diamond, but it can negatively affect the metal itself (silver or gold), ”advises Loretta Castoro, vice president of Jewelry Television, an international television network.
Gold jewelry care rules
In order for gold jewelry to retain its attractive appearance for many years, adhere to the following recommendations for caring for them:
you need to clean the gold about once a month;
a gold product should be stored away from light and heat (for example, in a box);
do not shower without removing jewelry. So soapy deposits quickly form on them, the gold tarnishes;
Remove jewelry before doing housework or sports.
“I would advise you to clean your gold jewelry every few weeks. But you should not get carried away with polishing, from it the metal wears out faster. The easiest way to clean gold is to soak the jewelry for 10-15 minutes in a mild detergent solution, then gently brush it with a very soft toothbrush or paintbrush. Then the gold must be rinsed under running clean water and gently blotted with a towel. “