Cleaning silver jewelry at home: features, effective methods and techniques. Five ways to clean silver jewelry
Any silver products fade, oxidize and blacken over time. Especially when it comes to jewelry made from alloys of this noble metal, which are constantly in contact with human skin. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to consider various options for how to clean a silver ring, and learn how to put them into practice correctly.
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Ways to quickly clean the ring
What you often encounter when wearing a silver ring on your hand all the time is household pollution. Dust, soap, hand cream, food particles, etc. clog into the recesses of the relief pattern on the ring, which significantly spoils its appearance.
Dealing with this problem is very easy. You need to immerse the jewelry for a few minutes in a soapy warm bath, and then gently go over all the edges with a soft natural bristle toothbrush. With the same success, any dishwashing detergent will help to quickly clean silver from surface contaminants.
If the metal has already begun to darken a little, the solution to the problem of how to clean a silver ring at home will have to be sought in other options. For example, a warm bath of 10% solution of ammonia and citric acid cleans blackness well and helps to cleanse silver jewelry without stones.
Without any chemistry
Trouble-free old-fashioned silver cleaning methods are simple and always available. For example, raw potatoes brighten well and remove oxide from the surface of silver products.
Remove the peel from the vegetable, wash, rub on a fine-mesh grater. Water is added to the potato pulp. Any silver items (cutlery, rings, chains, earrings) are immersed in this solution. As an option - immerse silver in a hot decoction of potato peel.
After 30 minutes, the products are taken out, washed well under running water, wiped and polished with a velvet or woolen cloth. Shine, complete absence of dirt and blackness on your favorite rings are guaranteed!
A similar effect can be achieved if silver rings are boiled for several minutes along with egg shells or garlic husks. The only condition is that the jewelry must be without stones.
Toothpaste
Most often, in response to the question of how to clean a silver ring at home, you can hear: “Tooth powder or paste.” The composition of the tooth powder includes substances that have good abrasive and whitening properties, so any contamination from the metal surface is removed perfectly. Toothpaste works similarly, but more delicately.
To quickly remove oxidation products from silver, you need to moisten in water and generously sprinkle the product with toothpowder. Then proceed to cleaning, using a brush with soft short bristles or a velvet cloth. After thoroughly rubbing all the darkened and contaminated areas, the remnants of the tooth powder should be washed off with cool water. Wipe the decoration dry with a cotton cloth.
Toothpaste should be used in the same way. But in order for the procedure to be more effective, it is recommended to apply the cleaning composition to the jewelry and leave it in this form for 35-50 minutes. Then move on to cleaning.
Baking soda
It is not so easy to remove dirt on a ring with a relief pattern or engraving by conventional methods. This is where baking soda is needed, which has excellent fat-dissolving and cleansing properties.
Option 1. A pasty slurry is made from soda and a few drops of water. A small amount of the composition is applied to a cotton pad and the product is cleaned thoroughly, but without strong pressure. When the ring becomes shiny again, it is washed, dried and polished with velvet.
Option 2. To complete the task, you will need a teaspoon of soda, the same amount of salt (coarse-grained rock or "Extra"), any liquid dishwashing detergent, water, aluminum foil, a saucer.
You need to cover the saucer with foil, put silver jewelry in one layer. Sprinkle on top and evenly distribute salt and soda. Drop some detergent. Boil water, pour silver. After 10-15 minutes, jewelry can be removed - there is no trace of blackness and dirt even in the most inaccessible places.
How to completely remove blackness from a silver ring?
Strongly blackened silver will help bring back to its original form a highly effective composition, which includes three components: tooth powder (paste), soda and ammonia, mixed in equal proportions. The mixture is applied to the silver jewelry with a toothbrush or cotton napkin. Wash off with cool water.
The mixture is quite aggressive, therefore, when working with it, hands must be protected with rubber gloves. It is often not recommended to use this method, since microcracks may appear on the silver under the action of abrasive particles. For a more delicate cleaning, you can not add soda, using only ammonia and toothpaste.
Only classic white toothpaste can be used to polish and brighten rings or silver earrings, without any additives. Popular transparent or colored gels are not suitable for these purposes.
How to clean silver rings with stones?
Silver jewelry encrusted with semi-precious stones is recommended by experts to be cleaned with special products that are sold in jewelry stores. But not always and not everyone has the opportunity to acquire such funds. You have to look for alternative ways.
At home, you can clean a ring with a stone from blackness with a 10% solution of ammonia and laundry soap. The soap is rubbed on a grater, an aqueous solution of ammonia is added to it. The mixture is heated to 85-90 degrees, cooled slightly and applied to the ring with a toothbrush. The inlaid areas and the place of attachment of the central stone are treated with a cotton swab dipped in a cleaning solution.
Silver items with precious and semi-precious stones are best cleaned with a weak solution of ammonia (5 drops per 150-200 ml of water). It is enough to apply a little liquid on a cotton napkin and wipe the ring with cubic zirconia or another stone. You don’t have to worry about the safety and strength of fastening stones - ammonia is not afraid of them.
It is better not to clean silver jewelry with pearls, amber, corals on your own. The composition of these semi-precious stones contains organics that are sensitive to the effects of aggressive chemicals and environments. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is advisable to give jewelry with such stones for cleaning to a jewelry workshop.
Cleaning silver with stones at home is an easy task. You can return the product to its original appearance even without contacting a jeweler. It is not necessary to buy expensive products, because folk methods for cleaning silver are no less effective.
Why silver things turn black
Silver is easily oxidized, this feature is inherent in the metal. If the proportion of silver in the alloy is small, then the jewelry will blacken very quickly. This happens as a result of a chemical reaction.
In addition, rings and chains, pendants and earrings made of silver turn black when exposed to moisture. The highest quality jewelry is considered to be made from 925 samples. They fade less often and are more durable, so when buying it is important to pay attention to the quality of the alloy.
Preparing items for cleaning
First you need to remove the dirt and grease residues that are present on the surface of silver jewelry. There are several ways. You can wash rings and earrings with soap, a liquid concentrate works well. You can also use diluted dishwashing detergent or shampoo. Dirt must be removed necessarily, because this will make the cleaning process more easy. It is enough to put the jewelry in the solution, and then hold it there for several minutes.
All hard-to-reach places should be brushed with a toothbrush, but care must be taken to ensure that the bristles are soft. After the cleaning process is completed, the items must be thoroughly rinsed in clean water.
How to clean products
There are many options for how to clean silver with stones at home using improvised means. It can be ammonia, in a 10% solution of which jewelry is soaked. In another case, you can soak a cotton wool in ammonia, and then wipe the surface. But this method cannot be used if the jewelry is with pearls, because the color of the pearl will change. But silver with stones in this way will be cleaned very quickly.
There is another option. It consists in cleaning items with a special solution that is made at home. To do this, combine hydrogen peroxide and liquid soap in a container, and then add ammonia. All ingredients should be thoroughly mixed.
The soaking time must be chosen individually for each decoration, because the degree of contamination may be different. After using the solution, the objects must be rinsed, and then wiped thoroughly with a soft cloth.
Every housewife has citric acid. With its help, dark plaque will come off very quickly. Take an enameled dish, place a copper wire in it and pour in citric acid. For 1 liter of water you need to take 200 g of acid. Put the dishes on the stove, dip the rings into it, boil it for a quarter of an hour. Rinse items and wipe dry.
Clean items with soda, 2 tbsp. l. pour in 0.5 liters of water. Put the solution on fire. When the water boils, put a piece of foil and decorations into the container. It only takes a few minutes to see great results.
There is another version of the solution. In 1 liter of water, mix soda, salt and dish detergent, taking 1 tbsp of each ingredient. l. Place the silver in the solution and boil for 30 minutes.
Before and after cleaning You can clean things from blackness if you put gruel on them, it is made from soda. You need to clean with a soft cloth until the shine returns to the decoration. Hard-to-reach places can be cleaned with a toothbrush.
A decoction of potatoes has proven itself well, it will help restore shine even to very dull objects. Place a piece of foil in the water left after boiling the potatoes. Immerse silver with pearls in water, hold for 10 minutes. In addition to potato broth, you can use the water in which the eggs were boiled.
Perfectly cleans metal toothpaste and toothpowder. But this method cannot be used for products with patterns or stones. If you want to quickly rid silver items of plaque, buy special napkins. They are available in jewelry stores.
Silver jewelry needs care, as the metal tends to oxidize and blacken over time. This process comes from sweat drops that fall on the surface and give a chemical reaction - the silver darkens. In order to protect silver jewelry, you need to remove them before working with your hands, that is, washing, cooking, washing dishes. Water also changes the color of the silver. The surface of the stone can be damaged by a fine fraction.
How to clean silver with stones with jewelry
The safest and most effective way to clean gemstone jewelry. Using such solutions, you do not need to be afraid that the decoration will be covered with a coating or lose its radiance.
After treatment with a jewelry care product, the surface of silver and precious stone is covered with a thin protective layer. A huge advantage of cleaning with a special tool is accessibility to remote places, working with the smallest patterns. For polishing, you can use a piece of suede in addition to cotton fabric.
How to clean silver with stones with ammonia
The method is not bad, albeit ancient. In order for everything to work out correctly, ammonia (10% solution) should be purchased at the pharmacy. Pour 9 drops of ammonia (not aluminum) into a plate and dip the jewelry into the liquid. Action time - 10-15 minutes. Next, you need to take a soft cotton cloth and wipe it. If there is not much ammonia and it is not possible to soak the jewelry, a cloth soaked in ammonia (for wiping) is used. In addition to cotton, you can take a wool product. Grinding time approx. 20 min. 
How to clean gemstone silver with toothpaste
Any toothpaste except for children's will do. The paste is applied to a disposable cloth or a napkin. In a circular motion, the toothpaste is rubbed into the surface of the jewelry. Instead of a cloth, it is convenient to use a toothbrush with soft bristles. In this case, the paste must be diluted with water so that particles of cleaning agent do not remain in the most inaccessible places. After cleaning, the paste is washed off, and the decoration is rubbed to a shine. Under no circumstances should toothpaste be left on patterned silver, as it is very difficult to remove cleaner from complex patterns.
How to clean silver with soap stones
To prepare a cleaning solution, you will need laundry soap, warm water, a toothbrush and a cotton cloth for polishing. Laundry soap is lathered in warm water to a good solution consistency. With the help of a toothbrush, always with soft bristles, the soap solution is rubbed over the surface of the jewelry, giving more effort to the most inaccessible places. After the jewelry is cleaned with a toothbrush, you need to leave it for 30 minutes. in soapy water. Next, the surface is polished with a cloth to a shine.
How to clean silver with stones with soda (chalk)
- The method should be combined. It is better to clean the silver part with soda, and wipe the stone with soapy water. Baking soda will scratch the gemstone. Using a cotton swab, soda is rubbed over a silver surface to a shine. To improve the result, you can leave the rubbed jewelry for 1 hour. The stone is wiped with soapy water. A bar of laundry soap is lathered into a small container with warm water. After the soda is removed from the surface, the stone is lathered and washed off. Next, the decoration is polished with a soft cloth. Instead of soda, white chalk is also used.
- To work, you need baking soda and water. Soda - 2 tbsp. l., water - 0.5 l. Soda dissolves in water and is placed on the stove until it boils. After you need to turn off the fire, put a piece of foil and silver in boiling water. Observe the result within a short time.
Cleaning silver jewelry with silver is an easy task. If you follow the rules, the result will be quite spectacular. If there are such jewelry in the house, it is better to have a supply of used silver cleaning products, since it is quite expensive to take your jewelry to jewelry workshops. Also, the change in the appearance of silver is affected by its storage in a period free from wear. Silver darkens faster under the sun's rays, it is stored in a rag in a box. Complete darkening cannot be avoided. You can only reduce the time between cleaning and improve the appearance of the product when it needs it.
How to properly store jewelry?
Jewelry made of gold, silver and platinum is recommended to be stored in a case with velvet upholstery - away from heat and direct sunlight.
Remove jewelry when doing housework, washing your hands, or going to bed.
Keep gold and silver away from mercury. Mercury can be found in whitening cosmetics and medicinal ointments, and even in small amounts can destroy gold and silver.
Emerald is a fragile stone and can break or form cracks from sharp blows.
amethyst and topaz often fade when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Turquoise turns green under the influence of perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, acetone, water, acids, and also depending on the state of the body of its owner. Under the influence of sunlight may lose color intensity.
Pearls, mother-of-pearl and coral are soft stones, easily damaged by physical influences, and under the action of soap suds, cosmetics, perfumes, acetone, water, acids and sunlight, they become cloudy and lose their luster. Sensitive to the individual acid-base environment of the owner.
Jewelry made of gold and silver with rubber inserts do not like water, acetone, acids, salt, mercury and sulfur, high and low temperatures. They lose their elasticity and cracks appear on them. Sharp objects can easily damage soft rubber.
How to properly clean jewelry?
Gold cleaning
Jewelers say that gold items will shine like new if they are cleaned in three steps:
take some GOI paste (sold in the market) and smear a piece of fabric with it. Rub the gold item on this cloth.
wash your earrings, ring, chain or other jewelry with a soft brush in a soapy solution with the addition of ammonia (ammonia) in the following proportion:
1 tsp ammonia + 1 tbsp. liquid soap + 1 cup hot water.
rinse the product with clean water and dry with a piece of cloth or a soft cloth
Silver cleaning:
The reason for the darkening of silver is most often the increased humidity of the room. Also, silver darkens if it is stored near preparations or medicines containing sulfur.
The reason that the silver has darkened sharply can also be the deterioration in the health of the owner.
Plaque on silver can be removed in two ways:
chemical - as described above for gold - in three stages
mechanical - clean the product with tooth powder or finely crushed chalk using a soft brush.
Gems:
Diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, quartz, topaz, ordinary beryl, aquamarine - products with them can be cleaned in a solution of any washing powder with a soft brush, but only if the metal of the product is gold or platinum.
Turquoise, opal, apatite, malachite, moonstone should be cleaned in the same way, but only in a liquid soap solution.
Before washing the jewelry, check if the stones are fixed in it with glue. If so, wash very gently do not use hot water
To prevent stones from getting dirty and losing their shine, remove rings with stones when washing your hands.
Rings with topaz, citrine, rauchtopaz, zircon and amethyst are especially demanding on the purity. But a diamond ring will calmly react to the careless attitude of its mistress or owner. The noble brilliance of a diamond will manifest itself even in such conditions!
For the care of complex jewelry, we recommend contacting a private jeweler or jewelry workshops that restore, renew or simply repair jewelry.
And for gold, ammonia is just right. Removes grease and dirt stuck to it. I constantly chains do such prevention.
Regarding silver, I confirm the method of cleaning by boiling in potato broth. The search for information is caused by the unfortunate hit of iodine on a wedding ring. The effect is emerald green and brown spots along the rim. I'll try the tips, I'll tell you what helped.
In order for your gold jewelry to last you as long as possible, you need to take care of it. This will help regular cleaning of the surface from dirt and dark deposits. I will tell you how to do it correctly and what tools can be used in the process.
How to clean gold rings
To clean gold at home, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive substances. As personal experience shows, it is quite possible to get by with improvised means that can be found in every home.
Before cleaning the ring, it is worth remembering one simple rule - the choice of detergent must be based on the type of surface of the product. The ring can be smooth, embossed or encrusted with stones.
4 ways to clean smooth rings
Smooth gold jewelry without stones and other decorative inserts is the easiest to clean. A relatively new accessory can simply be polished with a soft cloth.
If you have been wearing solid gold rings for a while, you will have to resort to other methods. I offer several viable options.
| Illustration | Instructions for action |
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Method 1. Soap solution
If you soak a gold item in soapy water for several hours, it will return to its original luster. Then it remains only to wipe its surface with a soft cloth. Suede or flannel is best. Instead of liquid soap, you can dissolve a small amount of baby shampoo in warm water. |
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Method 2. Toothpaste
Another affordable tool that can clean gold rings. Rub the paste on the smooth surface of the accessory, rinse and wipe dry. The brush for the procedure should be chosen with soft bristles that will not scratch the jewelry. |
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Method 3. Bulb
Personally, I have not resorted to this method, but some people use half an ordinary onion to clean gold. She rubs the surface, thereby cleaning it from dirt and dark deposits. |
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Method 4. Washing powder
Pour water and some laundry detergent into a small bowl. Heat the water, and as soon as it boils, lower the accessory into it. Boil the ring for 15 minutes, then rinse it under warm running water and wipe it with a piece of soft cloth. |
Embossed surfaces
Using ammonia, you can clean rings with a relief surface. Its use has a number of advantages.
Alcohol:
- effectively cleans gold products from pollution;
- adds shine to jewelry;
- does not leave streaks behind;
- does no harm.
So, how do you clean a embossed gold ring?
- Dilute three teaspoons of alcohol in a glass of hot water;
- Leave the product to soak.
Since the ammonia solution has a characteristic unpleasant odor, in the process of soaking the ring, it is worth covering the vessel in which it is located with a lid.
Rings inlaid with stones
Gold rings with stones should be cleaned very carefully. Some gemstones are very sensitive to external influences, so they must be handled with care.
The instructions will tell you how to care for the stones.
| Illustration | Type of stone |
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Turquoise
If the stone in the ring is turquoise, remember one important rule. In no case do not leave it in warm water and, moreover, do not lower it into a soapy solution. You can use a special tool bought in a jewelry store or give the ring for cleaning to professionals. The price of the second option is not the lowest, but a positive result is guaranteed. |
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Pearl
Such a product can be cleaned in soapy water, then rinsed thoroughly. Next, lay the accessory on a soft cloth and let it dry naturally. To enhance the effect, use a moisturizing soap and filtered water. |
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Swarovski crystals
Such stones in rings cannot be wetted, so for their cleaning it is necessary to use special napkins for crystal, velvet cloth or felt. |
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hard stones
For rings with diamonds, topaz, beryl, quartz or other hard material, almost all cleaning agents are applicable - ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, soapy water, etc. |
Preventive measures
To make the question of how to clean gold rings as rare as possible, you need to follow a few simple rules for their operation:
- Remove rings periodically. This must be done before hard physical work with your own hands, before going to the pool or hygiene procedures.
- Use gloves. From regular exposure to detergent on the surface of the ring, gold can lose its luster. When washing dishes or floors, wear rubber gloves.
- Store jewelry properly. To do this, you should use a box upholstered with velvet from the inside. Put especially expensive accessories in it, and put the box in a dry place, protected from direct sunlight.
Finally
Today I told you not only about how to clean a gold ring at home, but also how to store it properly. Follow these recommendations and your jewelry will serve you for a long time. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the video in this article - there you will find many useful instructions.
If you have any questions, ask me in the comments.