How to clean silver at home
There are many ways to clean silver at home. Here are some of them.
Cleaning with soda
One of the most common and simple methods for cleaning silver from blackness is cleaning with soda. It does not require any cost or purchase of ingredients. The active ingredient is soda, you will need 1-2 tablespoons of it. You will also need water (0.5 l). Boil water and soda and immerse the decorations there. When the water has cooled, you can remove the products and wipe them with a dry cloth.
These same ingredients can be used in combination with foil. You also need to boil water with soda and immerse the decorations with foil there. Next, boil for 10-15 minutes and remove.
These methods will help restore the shine of silver and brighten the jewelry, especially a silver chain. Cleaning will occur due to the reaction of soda and aluminum with argentum sulfide, which is released under the influence of high temperatures.
Soda and salt
Combining the solution with soda and salt will be no less effective. For this method you will need 1-2 teaspoons of soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, water. All ingredients must be mixed, immersed in the decoration mixture and brought to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
The method will return shine and shine to jewelry.
Lipstick
Oddly enough, a piece of women's toiletry is perfect for cleaning any silver jewelry - rings, chains, earrings, pendants. The color of the lipstick is not important, but before you begin the procedure, look at the composition of the lipstick. It must contain titanium dioxide. This is the key ingredient. Another active ingredient is oils or fats. Titanium dioxide will help remove stains by reacting with argentum sulfide, and fat will polish the jewelry. This method is useful for decorating so that it does not darken for a long time.
Apply lipstick to the product and rub with a cotton pad. When the result is obtained, remove excess lipstick. The method only works for smooth products.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is another daily use item that can help clean your silver. The paste usually contains chalk or other small particles that will effectively clean the metal of plaque. Due to the fact that all this has the consistency of a very soft paste, damage and scratches will be avoided.
The toothpaste method is perfect for cleaning black from a chain or ridding a cross of black. The cleansing process is similar to the process of brushing your teeth. Pay attention to the stiffness of the brush bristles. It should be as soft as possible. Rub the product, then rinse and dry.
A more drastic method is a mixture of toothpaste and ammonia. This method is effective if the toothpaste does not work or does not completely clean the stains.
Take precautions and do not allow the mixture to come into contact with water.
Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide
Many sources recommend this method as very effective and efficient. However, there are cases when the copper contained in the alloy reacts with a peroxide compound and ammonia. As a result, the silver is purified, but also acquires a red tint, which is almost impossible to get rid of. Therefore, before using this method with ammonia, carry out the procedure on an inconspicuous area of the jewelry and make sure that the silver has not changed color. Even 925 test is not always a guarantee of successful cleaning using this method.
Otherwise, this method is quite applicable to jewelry made of precious metal.
Ammonia
Ammonia without adding peroxide is a reliable and effective way to clean silver at home.
It is advisable to carry out the procedure in a cup that closes. Don't forget that glass is best. The decoration is immersed in a bowl of ammonia and closed. Leave for 10-20 minutes. If possible, shake several times.
This method is ideal for jewelry with stones. It will return shine and radiance not only to the metal, but to them as well.
This method is effective due to the reaction between ammonia and argentum sulfide, which is the pollutant. Ammonia removes this layer and returns the product to its original appearance.
For more intensive cleaning, use tooth powder. If you mix ammonia with tooth powder, you will get a paste that can be used to get rid of dirt.
Lemon acid
The method with citric acid requires minimal material costs and effort. In addition to citric acid, you will need water and copper wire. You will need powdered citric acid - 100 grams and half a liter of water. The solution must be placed in a water bath. You need to immerse the decoration and copper wire into the mixture. Boil for 15-20 minutes.
Citric acid has an active bleaching effect, due to which the precious metal is cleaned.
Vinegar
Vinegar will help get rid of light stains. It needs to be heated and wiped over the product. They also use the baking soda and vinegar method. Rub the decoration with this mixture.
Coca Cola
The powerful cleansing properties of Cola have long been known. Cola is used to clean teapots from scale and bathrooms from limescale. Some claim that it even removes rust. Cola contains adsorbent substances that will perfectly remove contaminants on metal.
For the procedure, you need to pour Cola into a cup and put in decorations. Boil Cola with decorations for 5 minutes. Cool, rinse jewelry and dry.
Professional cleaning
Of course, don’t forget about professional metal cleaning. This can be done in a jewelry salon by a master. There or on specialized websites you can buy special ready-made products for cleaning silver items. This way you are unlikely to save money, but you will get high-quality and quick cleaning of your jewelry.
What enhances the oxidation of silver
Oxidation can occur gradually, not even noticeably at first. But at the same time, there are factors that can speed up the process significantly. Knowing them, you can avoid problems and maintain the presentable appearance of your jewelry.
Low purity and impurities
Premature darkening can occur due to the silver not matching the stated standard. In other words, the alloy is defective. Each sample has a specific recipe according to which it is made. If there is more metal in the alloy than required, then the silver is not of high quality.
Another reason is low sample. Jewelry is almost always made from 925 sterling silver. Therefore, they are less prone to blackening. Cutlery 875, they contain more copper and, accordingly, the tendency to discoloration is increased.
To protect manufacturers, it is worth adding that silver without impurities will not have strength and easily loses its shape. Therefore, it is necessary to make an alloy from different metals.
Increased air humidity
You can see that when it rains, takes a shower, goes to the pool or sauna, silver darkens faster. This is due to the fact that the body sweats, and the sweat itself evaporates much more slowly. There is already enough humidity in the air. Therefore, the number of sera on the body is growing, to which the pectoral cross and other silver items quickly respond.
It is worth adding that in addition to black, the alloy can also acquire a light color. This occurs due to nitrates present in the skin. The decomposition process of silver sulfide predominantly takes place at low humidity.
How to clean silver after hydrogen sulfide baths
If you had to take a hydrogen sulfide bath or swim in such a source, then most likely the silver jewelry that you were wearing became very dark. After hydrogen sulfide baths, a sulfur coating may even appear on the product. Of course, the best solution would be to remove jewelry before swimming, but if this does not happen, then here are several ways to clean silver from sulfur:
- Despite the fact that the method with ammonia is the leader in efficiency in cleaning silver, in this case it may be pointless. Boiling in an aluminum pan will be most effective. If you don't have an aluminum pan, add a piece of foil. The rest are water, soda and salt. Decorations are placed in the pan, the water is brought to a boil, soda and salt are sprinkled on top, one teaspoon at a time. You need to boil for a few minutes. The jewelry should lighten in a matter of minutes. This method is also effective for cleaning cupronickel.
- It's also worth trying brushing with whitening toothpaste. The main thing is that there is a whitening component present. Remember that the brush should have soft bristles.
Myths and reality
Even in ancient times, people attributed the change in the color of silver to its magical properties, claiming that a person whose body had darkened jewelry was sick or was under constant stress. Poor health is the main sign of “aging” of metal on the body.
And today such a statement holds true. According to research, people suffering from various ailments and wearing silver objects on their bodies often complain that the metal very quickly darkened and lost its shine.
Stress, hormonal changes, taking medications, using cosmetic lotions, creams, etc., even intense exercise - all of the above and more directly affect the tarnishing of silver jewelry.
Superstitions have surrounded silver for centuries. Witches, only by looking at a certain product that had changed color, could recognize the casting of the evil eye and damage to a person.
So, the evil eye was seen by blackened earrings or a chain. And if the ring on the finger of an unmarried girl darkened to black, this served as a sign of celibacy.
The dishes in the house, made of silver, also turned black with time. If such tarnishing and darkening occurred very quickly, they said that evil spirits were present in this house.
In such cases, special rituals were performed on the owners of blackened silver that could protect them from evil spirits and intentions.
There was a belief that the noble metal was protection for its owner from evil forces. And if a piece of jewelry turned black on the body, it means the silver drove away evil forces that could cause harm. Especially in this case, they believed in the protective abilities of the pectoral cross,
which, when worn constantly, darkened greatly, which means it drove away evil vibes from the owner, absorbing everything bad in order to protect it.
The scientific world takes a different look at the darkening of silver metal
Does silver turn black from the evil eye or from human illness? There is some truth in this, but modern science has long found the reasons for the “aging” of the noble metal.
- Stress and sports. When a person is worried, anxious, or simply doing physical exercise, the work of the sweat glands accelerates, due to which the release of sulfur dioxide through sweat increases. Clusters of sweat glands on the body are concentrated in the armpits, under the knees and on the neck. It is on the neck that in most cases you can see silver chains, tarnished and blackened from constant interaction with sulfur salts released later from the body.
- High humidity. Silver turns black directly from environmental influences. If air humidity is increased, a luminous noble product can instantly become covered with a dark coating. Silver items can quickly turn black if the owner travels to an area with a humid climate. Also, jewelry silver can become covered with a dirty film, even if the owner just took a walk in rainy weather.
- Contact with chemicals. Household chemicals used at home when cleaning, as well as ordinary decorative cosmetics used by women, when they come into contact with metal, immediately lead to the formation of a dark coating on silver. Often, even the juice of fruits and vegetables has a detrimental effect on silver. So, ordinary onions have a negative effect on products, especially rings. It is recommended to remove silver jewelry rings when cooking.
- Oxygen and sulfur are the main “pests” for silver. Even if the product is used extremely rarely, lying quietly on a shelf, the noble metal reacts with the air in the room, due to which it also darkens over time.
How to clean radiated metal
Argentum coated with rhodium has a very attractive appearance and dazzling shine. In order for a product to last for a long time, it must be stored correctly and properly care for its appearance. We will answer the question of how to clean radiated silver below.
All types of cleaning that are suitable for ordinary silver will not work. The rhodium plating has a thin layer that is very easy to damage or wear off. Therefore, cleaning methods should be gentle and gentle.
As a preventive measure, just warm water will do, under which you need to rinse the jewelry. To add shine, rubbing should only be done with soft cloths, fleece, velvet or suede.
Soap solution. For it you need to prepare soap shavings and dissolve them in warm water. Bathe your jewelry in this solution. You can use a cotton pad.
Glycerol. Wipe the decoration with glycerin and a cotton swab. Then polish with a soft cloth.
What products are suitable for cleaning jewelry?
In a jewelry store, the seller should get a special product and wipes for cleaning brass and copper. Precisely brass and copper. It is important to choose the right substance according to the material of the decoration.
Silver products are only suitable for silver-plated jewelry. Be careful!
In our store we use this product and wipes for copper and brass:
You can usually buy them on Ozone or in specialized stores. Ozone also has a lot of products for cleaning silver (they are not uncommon, unlike copper and brass) - you can choose absolutely any.
How to clean gold-plated silver
To clean gold-plated silver, it is best to use proven methods. Namely soda and ammonia. Soda (50 grams) must be diluted in 1 liter of warm water and the products should be immersed there for several hours.
In the case of ammonia, it must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 1. Immerse and rinse jewelry.
Which jewelry darkens more often than others?
We study statistics in detail. Let's explore the issue by looking at each category separately.
We see that necklaces and bracelets suffer the most.
Single cases:
- 4 necklaces per thousand sold;
- 6 bracelets per thousand sold;
- one pair of earrings per thousand sold.
The result is predictable. The wrist (bracelets) most often comes into contact with water. And a necklace is often found with perfumes, care products, and sun rays.
