How to clean gold at home to make it shine

Sooner or later, the time comes when darkened and tarnished gold jewelry ceases to please the eye. I would like to put the products in order, restore their attractiveness, and even without unnecessary financial investments. Below we will describe life hacks that will help you clean gold at home using improvised means, without giving it into the wrong hands.

Gold jewelry

The most common reasons why gold darkens or turns black:

the share of gold
in the jewelry: with a standard of 585 and below, the products will darken faster;
the decoration is new
and the top polishing layer applied by the manufacturer for a better presentation is darkening - the problem is temporary and will disappear as this layer wears off;
wearing conditions
: exposure to aggressive environments, mercury, iodine, pollution.

In any case, if gold items have turned black, they can and should be cleaned.

More time and attention will be needed if the decoration has a complex design or is made with inlay

How to clean gold at home

The easiest way is to use special tools. They are designed specifically for jewelry and will not harm them, quickly and efficiently removing dirt and plaque.

Ultrasonic device

This device is very effective and makes it possible to perfectly clean gold earrings or other jewelry in hard-to-reach places. However, the device is expensive, and not everyone can afford such a purchase.

But what to do if there are no special tools at hand? It is acceptable to use available and inexpensive materials, the main thing is to understand how to properly clean gold with their help.

Professional paste

This composition can be purchased at a jewelry store for a reasonable amount. It is economical and the product will last for a long time, in addition, it is not difficult to use, just follow the instructions for use. There are also foams and sprays that can cope with plaque and dust on precious metal.

NaHCO3, foil

Ordinary foil will cope perfectly with dull shine and dirt. It is recommended that the first use of the composition be carried out with caution and that the concentration of the solution be reduced.

Recipe for preparing and cleaning gold items:

Line the bottom of a transparent glass container with foil.
Place the products and first rinse with warm water.
Pour hot water (220 ml) sodium bicarbonate (20 g), salt (20 g).
Stir the solution until the salt crystals disappear.
Pour over the jewelry and leave for 8-12 hours.
The final stage is to clean the product with a soft cloth, rinse with a stream of warm water, and leave to dry. Wiping is not recommended.

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How to clean gold with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is used in combination with ammonia and soap to clean gold from blackness at home. For 50 ml of 3% composition you need to take 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 1⁄2 teaspoon of liquid soap. Mix the substances and dilute with 200 ml of heated water.

How to clean gold at home in this way? It is better to pour the resulting solution into a ceramic, glass or plastic container and place the items there for 15 minutes. Then wash the gold from the cleaning agent and dry with a cloth.

White and yellow, are there any nuances?

Rules for cleaning white gold items:

Use only soft cloth.
Do not use toothpaste, powder or rough brushes. Products made of white gold are plated with rhodium, which gradually wears off over time.
It is possible to clean with ammonia diluted with water or use a recipe based on beer with egg yolk.

The methods discussed above are suitable for cleaning yellow gold, but you need to know that any product must be cleaned individually. Because different gemstone inserts react differently to abrasives and other chemicals.

Cleaning gold with ammonia

This is a powerful remedy that dissolves even old stains. The following sequence of work must be followed:

Mix 1 teaspoon of ammonia with 1 tablespoon of any soap or dishwashing gel.
Dilute the composition with 200 ml of hot water.
Cool the solution and pour it over the decorations.
After 1–2 hours, remove the products and wash in running water.
Polish gold jewelry with a flannel or wool cloth.

This composition should be used with caution when cleaning products with stones of both natural and synthetic origin.

Table vinegar, sodium bicarbonate

The easiest way to clean precious metal is to use a combination of NaHCO3 and table vinegar. The product does not have an aggressive effect, it is recommended even for jewelry with precious stones.

The recipe for preparation and use is simple:

Combine sodium bicarbonate (20 g), table vinegar (30 ml), wait until foam appears.
Soak a soft cloth with the mixture.
Wipe the gold jewelry without using any force.
Cover the precious item with an even layer of the remaining mixture and leave for half an hour.
Rinse with plenty of warm water and dry.

Cleaning is carried out infrequently - once every six months is enough.

How to properly clean gold earrings or rings with stones

Jewelry with stones requires a delicate approach and careful handling. In order not to damage the product, you must follow the following rules:

If possible, polish the stones every day with a soft cloth, cleaning them from dust and sweat;
use alcohol less often to clean jewelry, otherwise stones such as pearls, malachite or turquoise will lose their shine; it is better to use cologne;
do not use abrasives or sharp objects even if the jewelry darkens significantly;
when processing products with stones, exclude methods in which it is necessary to immerse the object in a cleaning composition;
When using brushes for cleaning, choose those with soft bristles;
clean jewelry with stones using a cotton swab dipped in the selected composition;
Gold jewelry should be cleaned regularly, even if you rarely wear it;
if you are using a special composition, carefully read the instructions before starting work.

Clean gold only with proven substances, and if you doubt that you will do everything correctly, it is better to entrust this work to a professional.

NaHCO3, detergent

An easy way to remove dirt and add sparkle and shine to gold jewelry is to clean it using detergent, sodium bicarbonate.

It is not recommended to combine several methods of cleaning products at the same time - this can cause stains. Use only gentle detergents - aggressive compounds are dangerous for gold.

Mixture preparation, cleaning:

Combine NaHCO3 (30 g), detergent (30 ml).
Stir the solution, lower the decorations.
Leave in, remove after 5 hours
Clean the surface of the jewelry using a clean, soft cloth.
Thoroughly wash off the soap suds; you can use a brush.

After rinsing, dry. It is not recommended to dry it in the open rays of the sun - it will not be possible to avoid the appearance of stains.

How to clean gold from blackness

If your jewelry has darkened and lost its former luster, there is no need to contact a jewelry workshop. You can solve the problem yourself by using one of the remedies below.

Sugar syrup

Add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar to 200 ml of hot water, stir thoroughly and cool the liquid. Then place gold items in the syrup and leave for 10–12 hours.

Afterwards, wash the items from the sweet composition and remove moisture from the surface with a soft cloth.

Dishwashing liquid

Pour 1 teaspoon of detergent into a glass of water and stir the solution. Place jewelry in a container with the composition for 8–10 hours, then wash the items in plenty of running water and dry well.

Toothpaste

To clean heavy stains, use a composition without abrasive particles, otherwise you risk scratching the product. Apply the paste to the jewelry and scrub the metal using an old toothbrush or rag. For hard-to-reach places, a cotton swab is suitable. After cleaning, rinse the gold and wipe thoroughly with a cloth. If the product is not too dirty, it is better to use a more gentle method, leaving the toothpaste to be used for its intended purpose.

Saline solution

The cleaning composition is prepared in the proportion of 2 tablespoons of salt per 200 ml of water. Stir the product thoroughly until all the grains have melted and add the items to be cleaned into it. After 8 hours, remove the jewelry, wash and polish well with a soft cloth.

A mixture of baking soda and fine salt

It removes plaque well from the surface of gold chains or rings. You need to use it like this:

mix 2 tablespoons of finely ground salt, soda and citric acid;
dilute this composition with water to a paste;
Taking a ring or earrings in your hands, you need to rub this mixture into them;
then rinse the product under cool water and dry it thoroughly.

You can also use the above products in the following recipe:

Cover the bottom of any container with foil;
put gold there;
pour salt, soda and any dishwashing detergent on top (take all ingredients one tablespoon at a time);
add hot water;
After half an hour, you can rinse the product under cold water and wipe dry.

Lipstick

A cosmetic product will help if the gold is not too dirty. A small amount of the composition is applied to the surface and the metal is polished with wool or flannel until it acquires its original appearance and attractive shine.

Liquid soap solution

Dilute 1 teaspoon of liquid soap in a glass of water and stir thoroughly. Pour the product over the decoration, first placing a soft cloth under it, and leave for 20 minutes. Then wash the product under the tap and wipe dry.

Onion

Peel the onion and chop it on a grater or meat grinder. Collect the mixture in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice well. Moisten a soft cloth with the resulting liquid and clean off dirt and blackness on the product. Then wash the jewelry and dry it with a piece of cloth.

Soap paste

Grind a bar of soap on a grater and dilute with water to form a paste mixture. Apply the cleaner liberally to the jewelry and leave for several hours. After the paste has hardened, clean the gold with a soft brush, wash in plenty of water and polish with wool or flannel.

Beer and egg white

The white of one egg is diluted with a small amount of alcohol and stirred until a homogeneous composition is obtained. Then the cleaning agent is applied to the gold item, after moistening a cloth with it, and the metal is wiped. Afterwards, wash the jewelry under running water and polish it with a cloth.

Cleaning paste

To make an effective gold cleaner, you will need the following ingredients:

chalk;
toothpaste;
laundry soap;
petrolatum;
water.

All components are taken in equal proportions, and soap and chalk are pre-crushed, and toothpaste is used that does not have whitening properties. The ingredients are mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed and applied to the jewelry. After 30 minutes, the composition is washed off and the product is thoroughly polished.

Ammonia, peroxide and soap

in a glass of boiled water you need to stir a teaspoon of ammonia and 50 ml of liquid soap;
now you can add 40 ml of hydrogen peroxide;
put gold earrings or a ring into the prepared mixture and leave for 15 minutes;
then you just need to rinse the product in cool water.

We should not forget that the use of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia should be strictly limited so that the chemical reaction that inevitably occurs during such a procedure cannot damage the jewelry.

How to purify gold from iodine

Using iodine, it is easy to get dirty and also to smear a ring or bracelet. Cleaning with ammonia at home will not give any results; you cannot wash off such a stain with water, but you can use hyposulfite. This composition is easy to buy in a specialized store for photography enthusiasts.

You can use one of the methods described below:

Soak the jewelry in water with liquid or grated soap diluted in it, then clean the jewelry with a brush.
Among the cleaning products, there is the following composition: grated soap, chalk, a little Vaseline and warm water, which you need to mix and apply to the fabric, and then polish the gold items.
It’s a good idea to boil 250 ml of water in a saucepan with a small amount of soda and vinegar. Then put chains, rings and earrings there and boil them for 10 minutes.
Onion juice applied to a soft flannel or microfiber polishes gold items well. Use this cloth to thoroughly wipe the jewelry.
A mixture of egg white and beer, as well as rubbing the product with mustard powder, will help get rid of strong blackness.

You want to save the efforts made to clean gold chains and rings for a long time. That is why it is important to follow the rules so that the products remain clean and sparkling for as long as possible, and surprise with their brilliant appearance:

It would be a good idea to regularly clean your jewelry with toothpaste.
Once or twice a week, you can place a chain overnight between two halves of raw potatoes.
Gold must be stored in a place that will be well protected from dust. Ideally, this could be a box or a box covered with fabric.

How and with what to clean a gold-plated product

To increase demand for a certain group of goods, jewelry stores now offer products not made of pure gold, but only with a small coating. Such jewelry requires special care, as scratches may appear on the surface.

Gold-plated jewelry cannot be cleaned using standard methods applied to gold. It is advisable to use a cotton pad soaked in wine alcohol or beer. You can use regular raw egg whites. An aqueous solution with a small amount of vinegar is considered a good solution. First, use a moistened cotton pad, then rinse under running water and dry in the open air.

How to care for gold items?

To ensure that your rings, bracelets and chains get less dirty and need cleaning as little as possible, follow these simple recommendations:

remove jewelry while doing homework;
do not take a bath or shower without first removing the rings from your fingers and taking out the gold earrings from your ears (the same applies to visiting the pool);
play sports without decorating yourself with jewelry, sweat leads to the formation of plaque and dust “sticking” to the surface;
if you are taking medications, put off gold jewelry until the end of the course of treatment, as some medications increase sweating;
do not leave jewelry on an open shelf, table or dressing table, as they will quickly become dusty; it is better to place them in a box and put them in a closet, chest of drawers or desk drawer.

Of course, the optimal solution would be to go to a jewelry workshop, where a specialist will carefully clean it without any difficulty or risk of damaging the product. In addition, you can purchase a special product that will do a good job of removing plaque and darkening of the metal. However, such substances have a high cost and therefore are not particularly popular; most people prefer to use home remedies for this purpose, which are not difficult to find in every home.

Useful tips and recommendations for cleaning precious metal

Harsh chemicals offered to remove tarnish, stains, and dirt are not always suitable for delicate items.

Low-grade gold jewelry can be damaged irrevocably; it can only be restored using professional methods. The use of NaHCO3 is a gentle cleansing recommended for getting rid of defects at home.

The combination of sodium bicarbonate, table salt, foil, vinegar allows you to achieve good results without going to the workshop.

There are many recommendations to increase the effect of using homemade formulations:

do not use iodized salt - exposure to iodine can damage the surface of products, cause uneven color, stains that eat into the structure of gold;
carry out procedures no more than once a month - precious metal tends to wear off;
when using foil, it is not recommended to use detergents, even the safest ones;
soda ash is a good substitute for cooking powder; you can purchase the drug at a hardware store;
Do not polish with sodium bicarbonate - damage and scratches will inevitably form on the surface;
If there are porous inserts, cleaning is carried out with gentle chemicals - do not use baking soda.

Expert opinion

Carefully!

After cleaning your jewelry for the first time, be sure to ensure that alkaline compounds do not damage the surface. If spots or stains are noticed, refuse further manipulations and contact a specialist.

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.