11 Easy Ways to Clean Silver and Gold at Home

How to clean silver at home

Unlike gold, which simply tarnishes slightly, silver can develop a layer of black patina that detracts from the appearance of the item. But there are effective ways to clean silver that do not require expensive pastes and powders. You just need to find easily accessible products in your closet that are found in every home. To remove blackness you can use:

Powdered chalk;
Dentifrice;
Baking soda;
Ammonia;
Salt;
Lemon acid;
Vinegar.

Something from this list will certainly be found in the far corner of the closet and you can proceed directly to cleaning the product.

How to clean jewelry at home

Among the additional recipes that can be used to clean gold jewelry is a mixture of gasoline. If you notice too much plaque on the accessories, you need to dilute gasoline with water in a small amount and clean it with a toothbrush. This way, it will be easier to clean gold jewelry, because the dirt will immediately fall off, you won’t have to put in a lot of physical effort. You just need to rub it a little with a brush - up to 10 minutes.

In general, in order not to wonder how you can clean silver jewelry, we note that a special product for cleaning accessories made of this metal is effective. It can be bought in stores.

Thus, you already know how to clean gold and silver jewelry, so it will be easier for you to navigate so as not to damage the product. The main thing is to follow the cooking recipes exactly! Good luck to all!

Gold cleaning

When worn frequently, gold jewelry becomes dull and becomes covered with dust and greasy stains. Then it is necessary to clean the products; for this, the following available means are used:

To remove minimal contamination, use a soap solution. To do this, warm water is mixed with soap shavings or shampoo. The decoration is placed in the liquid for 2 hours. Then the dirt should be cleaned with a soft bristle brush and polished with velvet.
To remove stubborn stains, ammonia is used. A clean rag is dipped in ammonia and the metal is wiped, and then the product is rinsed with soapy water and polished.
Mix crushed chalk, Vaseline, soap shavings in a 1:1 ratio to obtain a homogeneous mass. Apply the product to dirty areas with a napkin and wipe. Rinse the product with water and dry.
Add 2 tbsp to 100 ml of boiled cooled water. spoons of salt, stir. Immerse gold items in a salt bath for 12 hours, then rinse under the tap and wipe.
Mix 25 g of white clothes powder and 200 ml of water. Place the jewelry in the liquid, after 60 minutes, rinse and wipe with a flannel napkin.
To clean white gold, use a solution consisting of ammonia and water (1:1 ratio). It is recommended to add 2-3 drops of shampoo to the liquid. The jewelry is dipped into the liquid, after half an hour, rinsed with water, and wiped.

To ensure that gold does not lose its shine for as long as possible, it is important to properly care for it. To do this, do not forget to take off your bracelet, ring or other item while cleaning or cooking. Protect your jewelry from chemicals that discolor the metal.

To store gold jewelry, prepare a separate box; separate each piece of jewelry with soft napkins to prevent scratches from appearing on their surface. When cleaning, it is strictly forbidden to use hard brushes and aggressive chemicals.

Basics of high-quality cleaning of silver products

Silver items need to be cleaned quite often. The metal rapidly darkens with regular wear, thus reacting to the sulfur contained in human sweat. Fortunately, metal is not capricious and can be easily restored even at home.

Lukewarm soapy water can easily remove greasy deposits. The effectiveness of the approach will increase significantly if a glass of this composition is diluted with a tablespoon of ammonia. We soak the item for several minutes, after which the surface should be cleaned with a soft cloth.
A comprehensive measure will get rid of blackness at home. First, soak the products in a soap solution for at least two hours. Then rinse and wipe with a soft cloth. Then we apply a paste of tooth powder and ammonia to the surface. Rub it in with a soft cloth and scald with boiling water. Then wash under running water and polish until sparkling.
If you urgently need to clean your silver, but don’t have any household chemicals on hand, you can use the juice of raw potatoes. We rub it into the blackened surface, leave it for an hour, after which we perform mechanical treatment again and wash the product.

These techniques are absolutely not suitable for processing silver jewelry with diamonds or other precious or semi-precious stones.

Cleaning silver with baking soda and foil

If the silver has become very dark, you can use a very effective cleaning method - using foil and soda. All you need to do for this is cut out a piece of food foil, place it in a saucepan and spread silver items over the surface. Fill it all with water so that the decorations are completely hidden and place the container on the stove. When the water boils, you need to pour a tablespoon of soda into it. A violent reaction will begin and foam will form - don’t be alarmed, as a result of the chemical process, silver jewelry will be cleaned just perfectly and can be removed within 10 minutes. Polish them with flannel and no one will distinguish old jewelry from new.

When baking soda is added, abundant foaming will begin - this chemical reaction will completely remove all contaminants.

How to clean diamonds and other stones at home?

Stones require special care, but this does not mean that owners of such jewelry need to turn to professionals. At home, capricious products can also be cleaned, you just need to remember their specifics:

Sapphires, aquamarines and rubies are distinguished by their increased density, so in their case they can be cleaned with warm water and washing powder or hair shampoo.

Tip: Topazes, garnets and rubies can change their original color when exposed to high temperatures, so only lukewarm or cold water can be used to process them.

Caring for zirconium, diamonds, cubic zirconia is not at all difficult. They respond well to treatment with ammonia or a solution based on laundry soap. Durable and dense diamonds are even allowed to be rubbed with soft brushes.
Turquoise, pearls and coral react negatively to the effects of chemicals. The most you can do with them is wipe them with flannel.

We recommend: Where can you return energy-saving light bulbs that have expired?

Experts categorically forbid soaking products on which stones are glued to the surface. They are difficult to clean even mechanically; it is better not to try to do this at home and trust the professionals.

Citric acid is a great remedy!

You can clean silver with citric acid in just 15 minutes. To do this, you will need a glass liter jar, into which you need to fill half of the water. Place the jar in a water bath and let the water boil. After boiling, 100 grams of citric acid is poured into the container and (!) a piece of copper wire is placed on the bottom of the jar. After this, you can dip your jewelry into the resulting solution. The product must be kept in boiling water for 15 minutes. Then dry and polish them with a soft cloth.

Advice! The copper wire can not be placed at the bottom of the jar, but can be used as a loop/loop for stringing products. After you put all your rings, earrings and bracelets on it, it will be very convenient to place such a bunch in a boiling solution of citric acid and remove it from it.

How to clean silver jewelry at home

Most people still prefer accessories made of this metal. Firstly, it is beautiful and the color is shining, and secondly, products made from it are not so expensive. There is just one drawback: the metal can tarnish or even turn black. To take care of this ahead of time, you need to know how to clean silver jewelry at home. Valuable advice will come in handy, so here is a list of the best cleaning options:

Water with soda. At the same time, you should not add too much soda, only a little per glass of water. Then, you should leave the accessory for 20 minutes and remove it, then dry it with a soft cloth.
Washing powder. To prepare this recipe, you should bring a tablespoon of washing powder to a boil in plain water, and then leave the products for 20 minutes. Remove and wipe and dry.

If you are wondering how to clean tarnished silver jewelry, then you should resort to other methods. For example, you can prepare a special remedy at home that will help. So, you should mix 5 glasses of water, 2 teaspoons of ammonia and 1 tablespoon of tooth powder. Rub your accessories with this mixture and then rinse with warm water. Shine is guaranteed.

As for how to clean silver jewelry from blackness, you should use a solution with soda, to which you need to add a couple of drops of ammonia, and all this per liter of water. Wipe with a soft cloth and rub until shiny.

The most important point is if you don’t know how to clean silver jewelry with stones, because you can’t rub them, otherwise the diamonds might just fall out. To do this, it is recommended to use a very simple remedy: buy a regular hydrogen peroxide solution at the pharmacy. Take the product and dip it in it for a few seconds. Wipe with a soft cloth without pressing and then the stones will sparkle, and the accessory will become bright and catchy.

Thus, to clean silver jewelry at home, you don’t need to use any overly expensive products; it’s enough to make do with what you have at hand, which is a huge plus.

Cleaning silver with ammonia

This is probably the easiest way to clean silver. You just need to buy a bottle of ammonia (10%) at the pharmacy, pour it into a suitable container and place silver jewelry in the liquid for 15-20 minutes. After which the products must be removed, rinsed in running water and polished to a shine.

In fact, cleaning silver only seems like a difficult task. You will need no more than an hour to put your jewelry in order, and you can do everything yourself, without the involvement of expensive specialists - jewelers.

Methods for cleaning silver items

Silver items tarnish from time to time and become covered with dark spots. To clean silver, use the following methods:

Place the decorations in a bowl with a foil-lined bottom. Sprinkle the rings with soda until it covers them. Then cover them with a second piece of foil, fill them with hot water, and rinse after 10 minutes.
Cover the bottom of the bowl with a sheet of foil, place the silver on it, cover the jewelry with baking soda, salt, and add 5 drops of dishwashing liquid. Then pour boiling water into a bowl, and after 15 minutes, rinse and dry the products.
A regular eraser removes dirt and blackness from the surface of silver. This method is only suitable for smooth products without indentations.
Mix crushed chalk with ammonia until a creamy consistency is formed. Apply the mixture to a soft-bristled brush, wipe off the dirt, and rinse the jewelry.
Chop the potatoes, add 100 ml of water and put silver in there. After 5 minutes, the jewelry is taken out and polished with velvet.
Mix toothpaste with baking soda and ammonia in equal quantities. Apply the mixture to the jewelry, rub, and then rinse thoroughly. This is an aggressive method that allows you to remove stubborn stains.

If you are going to clean blackened silver, be careful not to scratch its surface. It is recommended to rinse silver with a matte surface with soapy water; hard brushes and abrasives are prohibited.