How to clean silver at home from blackness. Video
A ring or earrings, forks or antiques made of silver are very beautiful. Only now it gets dark quickly. But this scourge can be easily dealt with with improvised means.
Jewelry stores now sell a variety of sprays, wipes, pastes, and jewelry cleaning solutions. If possible, it is better to use them: they handle silver as carefully as possible. In addition, jewelry must be properly stored, protected from moisture and open air, and each time you remove the earrings or ring, carefully wipe them with a flannel cloth. So the jewelry will delight you longer. And if you really need to clean it, but there is not a single special tool at hand, you can do with the materials at hand. Just do not forget to wash the “silverware” with plain water and soap before cleaning – this is a preparatory stage.
Don’t worry, it’s not because you were given low-quality silver. Darkening is a natural property of this noble metal. In most cases, this is due to contact with skin or products that contain sulfur. For example, egg yolks, onions, cheese, some types of cabbage, and other foods. When silver reacts with sulfur, it oxidizes, resulting in dark stains on cutlery.
The same thing happens when we wear jewelry. And even if silver items are just lying on the shelf, this will not prevent them from darkening. Because due to high humidity, silver will also inevitably oxidize and darken.
Silver, which cannot be cleaned with a napkin or brush because of the whimsical bends, is best immersed in a lightening solution. It can be of several types: based on ammonia, table vinegar, citric acid. Even lemon juice will do. The higher the concentration of such a solution, the faster the product is cleaned. As a rule, it takes 15-30 minutes to return the pristine radiance.
One of the most popular solutions is based on ammonia. It is prepared as follows: a teaspoon of alcohol is added to 200 ml of water, as well as three drops of hydrogen peroxide and liquid soap. The jewelry is left in this solution for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can moisten a piece of soft cloth with this solution and wipe the thing.
Keep in mind: this method is not suitable for cleaning blackened silver, as well as jewelry with amber and pearls. The acid will gradually eat away at the pebbles, and will not leave a trace of the valuable blackening.
In addition to ammonia, there is another popular home remedy for cleaning silver – potato water. Both the potatoes themselves and the cleaning are suitable for its manufacture. The cleanings, of course, must be clean, free of dirt and dirt.
Potato slices or peelings are poured with warm water, and then put silver in a container for several hours. After that, the thing must be thoroughly rinsed with running water and dried on a napkin.
Another way to prepare potato water is to boil peelings or potatoes until tender, drain the broth, put a piece of aluminum foil in it, and when the water cools down, put silver in it for five minutes. Then the actions are the same as in the first case: rinse and dry.
Important: this method is also only good for products without stones. Stones from this treatment may become cloudy or discolored.
Toothpaste, powder and soda
And also chalk, gruel from ammonia with chalk. These funds are from the category of emergency, which cannot be constantly used. The fact is that hard brushes and sponges, cleaning agents spoil silver: its surface is covered with microscopic scratches, and over time the silver tarnishes, loses its original shine. Therefore, it is best to use abrasives only if something needs to be cleaned very urgently.
At the same time, paste and soda should be applied not to the thing itself, but to a soft cloth, with which to wipe the surface. Then the silver is thoroughly washed and finally wiped with a cloth dipped in vinegar. And don’t forget the gloves!
Silver knives, forks and spoons will not stock up on any sprays. Therefore, no one here will condemn you for hand-made. The method is as follows: put a sheet of aluminum foil in an enamel saucepan or basin, lay out on top what we are going to clean. Preparing a cleaning solution: add soda and salt to hot water at the rate of a tablespoon of both per liter of water.
Fill the solution with silver, put on low heat and heat for 10-15 minutes. Then we remove from the fire, wait until the water cools down. We rinse the silver with running water and wipe it with a microfiber cloth. They say it works even with the most chronic darkening.