Gold products tend to tarnish. The appearance deteriorates under certain conditions, for example, when they are exposed to an aggressive environment. However, this does not mean that the service life of the jewelry has expired. It is permissible to consider available means to restore the properties of the metal. One option is ammonia. It is used diluted or mixed with other components. You just need to choose an effective and fairly safe way to clean gold with ammonia. In order not to spoil the product, you should correctly determine the concentration of the product.
Ammonia and ammonia: what is the difference and what is the strength
It is a mistake to believe that ammonia and ammonia are synonyms, names of the same chemical substance. They have similar properties, but different intensity of impact on precious metals. Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen in gaseous form. It can turn into liquid at room temperature and a pressure of 8.5 atmospheres.
Ammonia in gaseous form participates in the biological cycle, but a pure substance of high concentration is toxic, has a poisonous, suffocating and even neurotropic effect. In comparison, ammonia is used much more widely. It is distinguished by a slightly aggressive effect on humans. The full name is ammonia.
This is an aqueous solution of ammonia, or more precisely, ammonium hydrate obtained from it (concentration - 10-25%).
Ammonia and ammonia for cleaning gold products
How to clean gold with ammonia
Before you start cleaning, you need to study the nature of the contamination. Accumulations of dust that appear periodically or the reason lies in the oxidation of the metal. For simple contamination, water and soap are enough to make a solution. It will remove dirt and dust, and for more complex ones you can use this recipe:
- Pour the concentrated ammonia solution into any container.
- Then place the contaminated gold items there.
- The cleaning time depends on the degree and nature of the contamination and is chosen independently.
- In case of heavy contamination, it is necessary to soak the products in the solution overnight. In the morning, take out your jewelry, rinse and let dry.
- Then polish them with cloth or flannel. Polishing will remove any remaining dirt and plaque. After it, the products will shine.
To keep the need to clean gold jewelry to a minimum, you need to follow the basics of care. Remove products before using a shower or sauna, or using cream or cosmetics. Cleaning and regular maintenance of your gold will help keep your jewelry in its original condition.
Source
Is it possible to clean gold using ammonia, is ammonia safe: advantages and disadvantages of the method
Considering the difference in properties and level of aggressiveness when exposed to materials and living beings, it is best to clean gold with ammonia, which has been further diluted. In this case, the original color of the metal is restored and other properties of the product are preserved. Pure ammonia is not used in everyday life - it is a gas. If it is dissolved in water, after some time the substance will lose its properties. What will remain is just technical fluid. For this reason, different recipes are used specifically based on ammonia.
Safe compounds and tools
You can clean gold without damaging or scratching it using table or apple cider vinegar. The essence will need to be diluted in advance. A cotton rag is soaked in vinegar, dirty areas are wiped, the items are rinsed and dried.
Jewelry with precious stones should be treated with the utmost care. Gasoline, cologne or alcohol are suitable for cleaning them. How to restore shine to a diamond necklace:
- Dip a cotton swab in any of the liquids.
- Use smooth movements to clean the stones. It is better to do this with a soft cloth, as hard bristles can damage the frame.
- Wipe the items with a clean cloth and dry.
Safe tools for cleaning and polishing are a velvet or felt cloth and a soft eraser. Dry products are polished. This requires a lot of time and patience.
Safety precautions when working with ammonia and ammonia at home
When choosing a method for cleaning gold with ammonia, safety measures are also studied:
- prepare gloves made of impermeable material (rubber), prepare a respirator or mask, and, if possible, wear safety glasses;
- the room should be well ventilated when handling alcohol;
- Do not allow the product to come into contact with the skin or mucous membranes.
It is not recommended to manipulate ammonia for people with impaired vascular function (for example, diagnosed with VSD). They are especially susceptible to volatile components in the vapor.
Precautionary measures
Ammonia and ammonia are chemicals that have a number of properties that can be harmful to human health. When using, you must observe the following precautions:
- Use rubber gloves when handling gold.
- Due to the pungent odor of the solution, the composition should be diluted in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
- Before starting work, you must wear a mask, as ammonia is a toxic substance.
- Avoid contact with eyes and facial skin.
- Patients with vegetative-vascular dystonia are prohibited from working with the drug.
TOP 8 recipes with ammonia for gold shine
The cleansing effect is obtained by using ammonia of different concentrations with different components. Due to this, the properties of the resulting solution change, as well as the level of aggressive action.
Refined gold diamond ring
Cleaning with pure ammonia
Sometimes you can use undiluted ammonia (take a ready-made solution). Features of using this tool:
- prepare the container: glass or ceramics are suitable, plastic is the most neutral materials, they do not react with active compounds that can be formed when ammonia interacts with metal;
- they immerse gold jewelry in ammonia that needs to be restored to attractiveness;
- the products are left for several minutes or hours (depending on the complexity of the contamination), possibly from evening to morning;
- Remains of the substance from the surface of the jewelry are removed with water;
- clean with felt.
Important! Pure ammonia can be considered as a means for cleaning gold items that do not contain stones, without matte coating, with a minimum amount of impurities.
Cleaning gold jewelry
Recipe with water
Cleaning gold at home with ammonia is most often done using a less concentrated product. This method is suitable for cases where the contamination is weak or moderate. Brief instructions:
- Take dishes: made of glass, polymer material.
- Prepare a solution. The proportions of ammonia and water, respectively: 1 tsp, 250 ml.
- The gold is left in the working solution for 30 minutes.
- The products are washed and then dried with a lint-free cloth.
Other cleaning methods
There are ways to purify gold without using ammonia:
- Soapy water. You can not only wash it in it, but also leave it overnight.
- Concentrated salt brine. Dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of salt in a glass of boiling water, add gold and leave overnight. Sugar can be used in the same proportions.
- Brushing with toothpaste.
- A mixture of baking soda and detergent. Sometimes they put foil on the bottom of the dish and leave the processed decorations overnight.
In addition to the above folk remedies, there are professional cleaning pastes. The substance is applied to the surface using a soft brush, left for a few minutes and rinsed off.
The most effective way to remove significant contaminants is the use of ultrasound. The procedure is available in some jewelry stores.
The concentration of ammonia in solution and its dependence on the gold standard
To increase the hardness of gold, various additives are used, since this metal is quite soft in its primary form. Often, among the auxiliary components, silver and copper are considered the main ones. Their concentration can be different, which determines the shade of the patina when the finished product comes into contact with an aggressive environment (cosmetics, biological fluids).
Abrasive agents are not used to clean high-grade gold. The risk of damage is higher. For jewelry made from different types of gold, the appropriate recommendations are used.
Concentration of aqueous solution of ammonia for red gold:
- sample 375 – the upper limit is 15%;
- sample 585 – average 13%;
- sample 750 – the weakest possible, less than 5%.
Preparing the product for cleaning
To clean silver or gold with ammonia, you may need:
- Toothbrush;
- sponge, wool or flannel fabric (under no circumstances should you use abrasive substances or hard brushes to clean silver: they can scratch it and ruin the appearance of the product);
- a container for the solution (it should be borne in mind that it cannot subsequently be used for cooking);
- paper napkins;
- rubber gloves and tweezers.
Ammonia for gentle, effective cleaning of tough stains
When deciding whether ammonia is suitable for cleaning precious metals, you need to be aware of its effect on some items. For example, you cannot use aggressive substances to clean pearls, as well as other jewelry with organic stones. They will simply dissolve.
The ban also applies to products with a matte finish, since the surface layer is damaged. Ammonia cleans all other jewelry gently and in a short time.
Moreover, this product is used to eliminate the most complex contaminants.
Pros and cons of purifying gold with ammonia and ammonia
- Availability. Both products are sold without a prescription in pharmacies at a low price.
- Efficiency. Products regain their original appearance and shine (as after purchase), thanks to cleansing from many contaminants.
- Safety. By adhering to clearly defined proportions and following the instructions, the threat to health will be minimal.
- Suitable for cleaning items containing precious stones.
- Strong smell of ammonia.
- Not used when the decoration has a matte surface.
- Not suitable for pearl jewelry.
- Engravings and gemstones are cleaned by hand only.
- Gold will smell like alcohol for a long time.
Reviews
When I was getting ready to clean gold, I learned that jewelry with stones on it can be ruined. I began to look for a method that suits them. It turned out that “Fairy”, salt and ammonia can solve the problem. The components are taken in a 1:1 ratio. But just don't leave the gold in the mixture. It is applied to a ring or bracelet, and then cleaned with a soft brush, perhaps a toothbrush, for example. Moreover, salt is needed with small particles.
Angela Gusina, Krasnodar
Maria Ivanova, Moscow
I don’t bring my jewelry to such a state that it requires using “heavy artillery” means. From time to time I use peroxide and ammonia and add hot water. The result is good, most importantly, the reaction is fast.
I found an old ring, long lost at home. It had darkened and it was impossible to wear it. To clean, I took ammonia and shampoo - everything I found at home. The remedy works, but not quickly enough. I decided to also try a peroxide-based solution. This option removed the darkening in a shorter period of time.
Nadezhda Rimskaya, Leningrad
Will such cleaning do any harm?
It is not for nothing that gold is classified as a noble metal. Its advantages include not only its attractive appearance and high price, but also its strength and resistance to solvents. It is quite difficult to spoil gold items. Of course, if you act within reason. Stick to the recipe and observe the dosages, and then you will not risk damage to your jewelry.
Let us remind you: pure gold is a soft, ductile, but at the same time dense and heavy metal. 100% gold can only be found in bars. And in jewelry there is 38-75% gold (385 standard - 38%, 585 standard - 58%, 750 - 75%, etc.).
List of contraindications
Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, ammonia and most other home remedies are safe for gold. But you need to take into account that the products may contain stones and glue, which dissolve in an aggressive environment and deteriorate. It is not recommended to clean with home remedies:
- Jewelry with adhesive setting. Stones of complex shapes, as well as amber and pearls, are often glued. Such decorations should not be immersed in water or liquid solutions.
- Jewelry with organic inserts and soft stones: pearls, amber, coral, malachite, turquoise. They are very sensitive to various influences and to hydrogen peroxide in particular. Jewelry with the listed stones can be cleaned either by a specialist or at home with alcohol diluted in half with water.
Gold jewelry with sapphires, emeralds, quartz, aquamarine, topaz, beryl and other hard stones can be cleaned with peroxide and ammonia. As well as irradiated gold, matte, white.
Gold below 585 contains 50% or more different alloys, so it reacts more easily with strong oxidizing agents and alkalis. But it is stronger and practically not subject to deformation and scratches.
Cautions
Before cleaning gold items at home, you should familiarize yourself with a number of rules.
To prevent your jewelry from getting damaged:
- Use only soft materials and brushes. Of course, something tough and hard will clean your jewelry faster. But then there is a risk of leaving scratches on the product. They may not be visible to the naked eye, but if you look at the reflections through a magnifying glass, the gold will appear dotted with thin stripes and depressions.
- Avoid abrasive cleaning products. Powders and gels with hard particles also leave marks on the gold. After such cleaning, the gold can only be restored by polishing by a master.
- Do not use bleach or other aggressive substances. They can lead to loss of shine and stains on the product. Gold itself is resistant to most oxidizing agents and solvents, but additives in the form of silver, nickel, palladium, and copper are not.
- Use only glass and ceramic dishes. Metal containers will participate in a chemical reaction, but we don’t need that.
- Do not clean items of different samples, white and yellow, red gold, silver, in the same container. This may cause color changes.
- Prepare your jewelry for cleaning. Remove pendants from chains and sort different types of gold and items with different types of stones.
We recommend: How and with what can you quickly clean bronze products at home?
Correct technique
When starting to clean silver with ammonia, you need to prepare a solution by diluting 1 tbsp. l. alcohol in 10 tbsp. l. water. After this, put silver items in the liquid and leave for at least half an hour (soaking time depends on how firmly the blackness is ingrained into the precious metal, but no more than an hour). When the time is up, wear gloves, remove the product from the solution and wipe with dry wipes.
If the coating is not strong, to get rid of the blackness, you can moisten a woolen or flannel cloth with ammonia (it is advisable not to bend over the bottle because of the pungent odor). After this, rub the blackened surface well.
You can rid silver items of blackness by mixing ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, baby liquid soap and water in equal proportions. After this, put the silver in the solution and wait the time necessary for the blackness to pass. Dry the cleaned product with napkins and polish with a woolen cloth.
In case of very severe contamination, you can use a pure ammonia solution. To do this, put the silver in the product for fifteen minutes, then remove it, rinse and dry. When cleaning silver using this method, you must act carefully and do not lean over the product, so as not to be poisoned by the smell of ammonia.
