How to clean silver jewelry?

Silver jewelry perfectly complements the image of a modern woman. Unfortunately, long-term wearing and failure to take care of such jewelry leads to the appearance of plaque on them and darkening. How to clean silver items?

Silver is a noble metal that requires constant and focused care, consisting in the fulfillment of a number of conditions:

• In order to avoid plaque, it is better not to wear earrings, rings, chains, bracelets during water procedures at home, as well as while relaxing at sea.
• To prevent oxidation that occurs as a result of the metal reacting with sweat, jewelry must be removed during physical exertion. Such loads include, for example, exercising in the gym. In addition, they can lead to deformation, damage or contamination of silver items.
• Cooking with silver items on hand is not recommended. Detergents and some foodstuffs can adversely affect their appearance.

• Precious things are recommended to be removed during the night's sleep, especially in the summer.
• In order to protect silver jewelry from stains and oxidation, makeup and perfume should be applied before they are put on so that cosmetics do not come into contact with silver.
• Upon contact with rubber, which contains the main source of darkening - sulfur, silver rapidly darkens and loses its attractive appearance.
• Once every 3-4 weeks, silver items need to be treated to get rid of small dirt and slight darkening.
• It is only necessary to clean silver in glassware, as metal and plastic can adversely affect jewelry.
• After cleaning, it is undesirable to wear jewelry for several days - during this time, a natural film should appear on silver, protecting it from various kinds of damage.

Cleaning of silver is done independently at home or by a jeweler in a workshop. Which method to prefer is determined by the owner of the jewelry. When deciding in favor of cleaning at home, you need to know exactly the composition of the alloy and the degree of contamination of the product. It does not hurt to consult a professional before doing this or that method of purification.

There are many homemade recipes that are suitable for removing plaque from silver items without stones:

• Heated vinegar (6%), a cotton pad or piece of fluffy cloth. With a disc dipped in vinegar, wipe the chain, ring, bracelet or earrings.
• Vinegar (100 ml), baking soda (50 g). Put cleaning items for a couple of hours in a mixture of these substances, rinse with water.
• Baking soda, water.Get a pasty texture by combining them. Clean the products with a suede cloth on which the prepared composition is applied.
• Citric acid (100 g), water (700 ml), copper wire (small piece). Dissolve acid in water. Put the dishes with the resulting solution in a water bath. Place the wire and things to be cleaned on the bottom. Hold for half an hour.

• Citric acid (100 g), water (1/2 liter). Dilute citric acid in water. Put jewelry there, boil for no more than 5 minutes, then leave them in the solution for half an hour. Take out and rinse in water.
• Water (250 ml), foil (the size should correspond to the parameters of the palm), salt (teaspoon). Grind the foil into pieces, put in a glass of water, add salt. Stir the resulting liquid until the salt dissolves. Put the cleaning item into the prepared product for 10-15 minutes.
• Foil, soda, potato broth or ordinary boiling water. Put decorations in a vessel, the bottom of which is covered with foil. Pour soda and pour boiling water. Things should hide under the liquid and lie there for several minutes.
• Laundry soap, water. Grind the soap on a grater, pour water. Put the things to be cleaned in the prepared soapy liquid.
• Toothpaste, tissue or suede. Wipe the silver item with a napkin with paste. It is undesirable to get carried away with toothpaste as a permanent cleaning agent, since microcracks can form with its frequent use.

• Lipstick (not hygienic), piece of cloth, soap solution. Clean the jewelry with a cloth smeared with lipstick. Wash with soapy water. Lipstick should be used occasionally and very carefully, as it is an abrasive.
• In boiling water, preserved after boiling potatoes in their uniforms, put the jewelry for 10-15 minutes.
• Pour Coca-Cola into a saucepan, place contaminated items there, leave them there until boiling, boil for a few minutes and remove.
• Put the decoration in a container with tomato ketchup for a few minutes. Remove the rest of the product with a napkin.
• Egg yolk, water. Lubricate the decorations with yolk, let dry, then rinse.
• Water left over from boiling eggs. Dip the cleaning items into a warm liquid and hold for 15-20 minutes.
• Raw egg shell, water (500 ml), salt (5 ml). Pour water into a saucepan with shells, add salt. Wait for the boil, remove from the stove. Put the things to be cleaned in a saucepan and stand until cool.

• Ammonia (10%). Put the products into the vessel, then pour in a small amount of ammonia. He must cover them. Hold for a quarter of an hour. Then wash with water and wipe. When working with ammonia, gloves must be used. For work, be sure to choose a well-ventilated area - a balcony, a garage, or clean it in the fresh air. Do not lean too close over the ammonia vessel.
• Cold water (250 ml), ammonia (tablespoon), hydrogen peroxide, baby shampoo. Pour ammonia into the water. While stirring the liquid, add a little hydrogen peroxide and shampoo. Dip silver items into the prepared mixture for a quarter of an hour. If the result is not satisfactory, leave for another 15-20 minutes, but the total time allotted for the procedure should not exceed 60 minutes. Remove the cleaned items, rinse under water and dry with a napkin.
• Ammonia, dentifrice powder, or crushed chalk.Bring the ammonia solution with powder (chalk) to a consistency resembling gruel. Apply the resulting mixture with a cloth on the subject of cleaning, wait for the mixture to dry. Wipe the product with a dry cloth, rinse with water and dry.

Depending on the stones that adorn earrings and rings, acceptable products are selected that allow for gentle cleaning:

• Sapphire, aquamarine and emerald can only be cleaned with a toothbrush and washing powder.
• Malachite, opal, moonstone and turquoise are washed with warm soapy water.
• Topaz, garnet and ruby ​​​​do not tolerate hot water and perceive only products without chlorine and abrasives.
• It would be advisable to entrust the cleaning of pearls, coral, amber and ivory to specialists.

Non-coated jewelry made to look like silver can be treated with dentifrice powder. The soda solution will help whiten the products.

Silver-plated rings, bracelets, chains, earrings should not be subjected to increased friction. To wash such products, water with dissolved soap is used, to which a small amount of ammonia is added.

Blackened silver needs regular cleaning from dirt. But it can not be boiled and chemical solutions should not be used for processing. It is better to use a decoction of potatoes or a liquid that involves mixing water and soda.

To remove dirt from rhodium-plated silver, do not use powders that can damage a thin protective layer. Jewelry with such a layer is resistant to various damages, attracts with its radiance, surpassing pure silver. The best cleaning option is a highly professional cleaning in a jewelry workshop.

Gilded silver can be restored to its original appearance in several ways:

• Wipe light dirt with a piece of suede;
• With a cotton swab soaked in alcohol, clean deeper dirt;
• To get rid of plaque and complex dirt, place items for a quarter of an hour in a solution consisting of 1 liter of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar, or for half an hour in beer, then wash and wipe with suede.

In the workshop, the removal of plaque and dirt from jewelry is carried out by several means:

• Ultrasound cleans impurities, removes plaque.
• The steam generator removes grease, plaque and those impurities that ultrasonic cleaning has not coped with.
• Napkins impregnated with active substances polish products.

Silver corrosion is characterized by black color. You can remove rust quickly enough without leaving your home.

To combat corrosion, you will need a quarter cup of water, liquid dish detergent (10 ml), ammonia (5 ml). The listed components must be mixed well. Soak a swab in the resulting solution (if you need to clean some small object, such as a silver ring) or a cloth (for cleaning larger objects).Apply liquid to silver. If the procedure was ineffective, you should put the silver item in the solution and leave it there for 10-30 minutes, then rinse. If there is nothing left of the stain, the silver should be wiped dry.

To the secrets of the proper storage of silver, eliminating or minimizing the need for cleaning, relate:

• Precious metal products should be stored in a room with a low level of humidity. Dampness and moisture will cause the decoration to tarnish.
• You should pay attention to the air temperature. Silver does not like her sudden changes.
• For silver jewelry and products with stones, sunlight is destructive.
• When choosing a place to store silver jewelry, you should give preference to boxes with a fabric interior. In this case, the main factor should be taken into account - the presence of many compartments that allow earrings, rings, bracelets, chains to be isolated from each other. So it will be possible to avoid mechanical damage and dust settling.
• You can use special sealed containers or cotton bags. Jewelry storage bags are usually treated with special chemical solutions to avoid tarnishing.

Unfortunately, silver, unlike gold, tends to lose its presentation over time. Here are a few tips that will allow you to enjoy the dazzling brilliance and original appearance of silver jewelry for longer:

• The first signs of tarnishing and the appearance of yellowness are a warning signal that silver needs to be cleaned soon. If this is not noticed in time, more complex contamination may form or blackening may appear.
• When cleaning things at home, it is better to use a rag, cotton pad or soft sponge. To resort to the use of a toothbrush should be in the most extreme cases.
• Do not use dubious means to remove dirt from precious metal (for example, an eraser).
• 925 sterling silver can only be treated with professional cleaners.
• Be sure to dry the silver items that have been subjected to the cleaning process.
• When choosing a means of polishing silver jewelry, you should give preference to suede, flannel fabric or wool.
• In case of doubts that may arise when choosing one or another method of removing dirt and plaque, the advice of a professional will not interfere.

How to clean silver at home, see the following video.