How to clean gold at home. Video

First, you need to decide what kind of pollution has accumulated on the gold. If it is dust, it can be easily removed with warm soapy water using a brush if necessary. However, often contamination on gold jewelry occurs due to the oxidation of metals included in the alloy of the jewelry.

Gold is a fairly soft metal and can be easily damaged. Therefore, in the manufacture of gold jewelry, an alloy is used with the addition of other metals, for example, nickel, silver, copper, zinc. When these metals interact with oxygen and moisture in the air, black and green spots are formed on jewelry.

A specific method of purifying gold should be chosen depending on the type and nature of the pollution. However, it is difficult for the layperson to determine what kind of dirt has accumulated on the surface of the jewelry. The fact is that some small areas affected by metal oxidation can only be seen under a magnifying glass. Therefore, if you want to clean the gold yourself, step-by-step cleaning is the best solution.

Soaking gold items in hot water is necessary so that you can clean out dirt from hard-to-reach places without damaging the jewelry.

Pay attention to the places near the stones, grooves, screws and notches: this is where a large amount of dirt usually accumulates. After cleansing, the gold should be rinsed under running water and then dried.

Then carefully examine the product to determine how effective the cleaning has been. If there are contaminated areas on it, you can repeat the soaking and cleaning procedure again. If, after that, the product does not shine, proceed to the next stage.

The second way to clean gold: dry cleaning

To remove oxidized elements on the surface of gold products, you can use an ammonia solution. Interacting with silver and copper oxides, it leads to the formation of compounds that dissolve easily in water. For chemical cleaning, buy an aqueous ammonia solution from a pharmacy. Its concentration must be at least 25%. Pour the solution into a small container and place the soiled gold item there.

The time for chemical purification of gold is not strictly limited. As a rule, 2-3 hours is sufficient. If the gold piece is heavily contaminated, you can leave it in this solution overnight. After this procedure, the product should be rinsed under running water and then dried.

The third way to clean gold: mechanical cleaning

Mechanical cleaning of gold is used if it was not possible to dissolve sulfide formations using ammonia. Sulfides form a black coating on the gold surface, which cannot be removed either in soapy water or in concentrated ammonia solution. Many people in this situation use sink powder or baking soda. This should not be done, because such funds aggressively affect gold. They contain large abrasive particles that can scratch the product and even permanently strip it of its shine. In addition, these products remove the top layer of gold, thereby reducing the weight of the product.

Therefore, use a special paste designed for cleaning gold items. It is made on the basis of petroleum jelly, soapy water or vegetable oil, and as additives it uses substances that contain small abrasive particles. These can be powders of tripoli, corundum stone, lead carbonate, white magnesia, etc.

If you could not find on sale a special paste for cleansing gold jewelry, you can order a professional cleaning

In order for gold jewelry to retain its attractive appearance for many years, adhere to the following recommendations for caring for them:

– if possible, carry out the procedure for cleaning gold about once a month; – a product made of gold should be kept away from light and heat (for example, in a box); – remove jewelry before doing housework.