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Silver is a beautiful precious metal, jewelry from which helps create a delicate and sophisticated look. They also love it because it looks appropriate at any age and with any skin type. However, silver also has disadvantages. For example, if metal is handled improperly, it turns black. Therefore, it is important for every owner of silver jewelry to know how to clean silver with and without stones. Here it is important to take into account the degree of contamination of the metal, the type of insert, and even the sample of the product.
Why does silver darken?
It's actually simple. With basic knowledge of chemistry, it can be determined that silver contains copper, which reacts with oxygen and moisture and oxidizes. Gradually, an imperceptible coating accumulates on the product, which soon manifests itself as darkening.
Another reason is sweat. Also, when wearing products on the body, any person will sweat. And now everything depends only on how much a person sweats when wearing the product.
Causes of loss of shine
As a result of the reaction, the metal darkens, sometimes becomes covered with yellow spots or a reddish patina appears, accessories lose their shine and attractiveness. Before considering options for how to clean silver jewelry with stones, it is necessary to determine the factors that contribute to oxidation. These include:
- high humidity;
- sweating;
- frequent changes in ambient temperature;
- contact with substances included in perfumes, cosmetics, household chemicals;
- exposure to household gas;
- reaction to onion juice, egg yolk;
- interaction with other metals when storing jewelry together.
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Methods for cleaning silver
Ammonia for cleaning silver
Alcohol is the most effective and proven way to clean metal, which is why it is often used not only at home.
Due to its properties, alcohol reacts with silver, which gives a positive effect.
To cleanse silver you will need:
- Water Water container Tooth powder Soft brush
- Add 50 milliliters of warm water to the container
- 4 teaspoons ammonia
- 2 teaspoons toothpaste
- Dip silver into the prepared solution
- Clean the product with a brush and wipe dry.
- Cleaning silver with foil and soda
To clean silver with foil you will need:
- Utensils Salt Baking soda Cooking foil Small rag Toothbrush
- Cover the container with foil
- In a separate bowl, heat water until boiling.
- Dissolve 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt in a container of water.
- Pour the solution into a container with foil
- Dip the product into the container
- Clean with a toothbrush
- Wipe dry.
Olive oil for cleaning silver
To clean you will need:
- Textile
- Olive oil
- First, you need to pour oil onto the fabric; start wiping your product
- After cleaning, you need to rinse the silver with hot water so that no traces of grease remain on it. Lemon acid
To prepare this cleaning solution, you need to dilute 6-7 packs of citric acid in one glass of water. Heat the resulting solution to boiling.
After heating, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. You need to leave your product in this solution for half an hour. After which you need to take out and wipe your product dry.
Banana peel for cleaning silver
It may seem strange, but you can also clean silver using banana peels. To cleanse you will need:
- Banana Peel Blender. You need to chop the banana peel and leave the silver product in this mixture. This will restore the original shine to your product, but strong darkening may not be removed.
- Potato broth. For this method of cleaning silver, you will need the water in which you boiled the potatoes. Dip the silver into the broth and leave for a quarter of an hour. After this, rinse it well with water.
Coca-Cola for cleaning silver
A very common way to clean silver is with a carbonated drink. In this case it will be Coca-Cola. Take a container in which you can boil the solution.
Before boiling, place your silver item in a container of soda water.
Boil for 10-15 minutes and leave to cool. Remove the product from the container and rinse it under running water, and then wipe it well with a dry cloth.
- Vinegar 9% Acids deal with stains best of all. For this cleansing method you will need:
- Vinegar 9% Capacity Soda. Pour 30 milliliters of vinegar into a container and add 1-2 tablespoons of soda. Place the product in the container and leave for 2 hours. After this, wipe the silver well and rinse under running water.
How to clean a silver chain at home
Unfortunately, cleaning a silver chain from blackness at home is somewhat more difficult than cleaning a pendant, brooch or earrings. This is determined precisely by the form of the decoration: the most significant contamination is located in hard-to-reach places, and it is difficult to remove them from there.
It will be easier to clean the blackness from a silver chain and cross if you “dismantle” the jewelry. Before the procedure, all pendants must be removed from the chain.
Particular care should be taken when handling products with “built-in” stones and organic matter. Often, products that are optimal for silver can be harmful for minerals. In such cases, use special chemicals and heating processes with extreme caution - when caring, you should always focus on the most delicate material in the jewelry.
To quickly and effectively clean a silver chain from blackness at home, you need to prepare the jewelry. You can first soak the chain in a warm soapy solution (with soap, shampoo or dishwashing detergent) for an hour, then rub it with a soft sponge, rinse and dry with a napkin. This will not return the original shine to the jewelry (the blackness will remain), but dirt, sweat and grease will come off, making it easier to clean the product.
Soap solution is the most gentle means for cleaning jewelry, although it is not the most effective. But in this way you can safely get rid of dirty deposits on blackened silver or jewelry with inserts.
There are two main methods for cleaning a silver chain at home: “wet” and “dry”. The first for chains is more effective: all kinds of liquid compounds reach the most inaccessible places - only finishing cleaning is done manually.
“Dry” methods do not imply complete immersion of the jewelry in a liquid medium, so it will have to be processed mechanically. It is strictly forbidden to use hard abrasives - they can damage soft metal. You need to apply force very carefully: thin chains, especially with simple weaving, break instantly.
To properly clean a silver chain without causing irreparable damage to the jewelry, you need to carefully select your working arsenal (only soft cloths, sponges, toothbrushes with especially soft bristles) and strictly adhere to the recipes described below.
How to clean jewelry with baking soda
Alternatively, you can clean a tarnished silver chain with foil and baking soda. This is a great way to instantly get rid of annoying plaque using improvised means that can be found in any housewife’s kitchen. What’s nice is that after using it, chains rarely need final mechanical cleaning.
This option involves the use of high temperature exposure, which triggers a chemical reaction. We do not recommend using it for blackened silver, as well as jewelry with stones and other inserts.
We proceed as follows:
Cleaning silver with hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide (peroxide) is found in almost every family medicine cabinet. This substance is quite soft and does not harm even delicate organic matter that is resistant to water (leather and wood - no!)
Cleaning a silver chain at home with hydrogen peroxide is simple and safe for both skin and jewelry. But you need to keep in mind that it is impossible to remove a thick coating of peroxide. This method will not work to remove blackness from a silver chain at home, but it is quite suitable for regular care.
How to clean silver with vinegar
It is quite possible to clean a silver chain so that it shines using ordinary food vinegar. It is better to use alcohol vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and other exotic vinegar.
Transparent food vinegar is sold in stores in concentrations of 6 and 9% - it is optimal for our purposes. It is better not to use concentrated vinegar essence - it is too caustic.
The action plan looks like this:
You can clean and wash a tarnished silver chain as part of regular care using the same vinegar. Just dampen a soft cloth with it and gently wipe the jewelry. You can keep it wrapped in this cloth and spread out for half an hour.
Clean with ammonia
A blackened silver chain can be restored to its original shine using ammonia and crushed chalk. However, you can clean a silver chain with minor stains with pure ammonia - simply wipe it with a cloth or cotton pad soaked in it.
It should be taken into account that the characteristic ammonia smell of ammonia cannot be called pleasant and useful, so all manipulations should be carried out with well-functioning ventilation or an open window.
If ammonia gets on your skin, eyes, or mucous membranes, immediately throw everything away and rinse with cold running water. If the pain and burning does not go away, consult a doctor immediately!
Using toothpaste
You can try to remove blackness from a silver chain at home with regular toothpaste. It is advisable to use a white paste, not gel-like, without abrasive particles or dyes. It is unlikely that you will be able to bleach a silver chain in this way, but large particles of dirt and grease will come off, and some of the original shine will return.
This is a purely mechanical method that requires accuracy and even pedantry. It is highly advisable to stretch the chain in such a way that the risk of breaking the jewelry is reduced and access to the spaces between links is simplified.
You can make an improvised tablet for such a case:
Special products for cleaning silver
For cleaning with professional products, use GOI paste. It is great for silver items. But you need to be extremely careful; choosing the wrong product can ruin your product.
Preparing for cleaning
Most often, it is the earrings that are inlaid with stones. This imposes certain restrictions on the choice of cleaning methods. Therefore, before you start fighting blackness, you need to prepare the accessory.
- Examine the earrings from all sides. Pay attention to the clasp, the stone and its fastening, and the surface of the metal. If there is any damage to the fastenings, contact a jeweler.
- Assess the level of pollution. It often happens that grease, dust and dirt have accumulated in the decorative elements of earrings. And to restore their former shine, just leave the earrings in a soap solution for 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare the necessary funds. After choosing a cleaning method, prepare a soaking container, a soft, lint-free cloth (a flannel or microfiber cloth will do), and your metal cleaning products.
Only after you have examined the jewelry and chosen the most suitable method, you can get down to business.
How to clean silver with stones
Cleaning silver items with precious stones can be done both in a jewelry workshop and at home. You need to pay attention to the quality of the stone.
There are stones that need to be cleaned with washing powder, some are less finicky and simply cleaned with laundry soap is enough for them.
- Silver jewelry with ruby and garnet should never be dipped in boiling water.
- When cleaning, be sure to look at the product and observe so as not to damage it or spoil the fastenings of the stone.
- Pearls should be washed with lukewarm water.
Cleaners with added alkali can destroy the shell of the stone and its structure.
The best remedy for blackness
Many natural stones, depending on their density, react to the temperature of the water when cleaning. Garnet, ruby and topaz are very sensitive to high temperatures and can change color. Do not use hot water to clean them. It is better to use glycerin, which is used to clean the surface with a cotton swab.
Medium density stones , such as malachite, turquoise and moonstone, are washed with a warm solution of laundry soap.
It is recommended to use cornstarch to clean pearls and turquoise. To do this, pour a pinch of starch onto the fabric and rub the product with it. Rub pearls until they shine with olive oil, using only a soft cloth.
Gems are cleaned only with medical alcohol, and high-density stones are washed in washing powder dissolved in warm water. These include emeralds, aquamarines and sapphires.
If a person does not understand what kind of stone is installed in his jewelry, then glycerin is suitable for cleaning. It is a universal tool for adding shine to natural stones. After processing, you need to polish the stone with a soft cloth until it shines.
Restrictions for some decorations
- If very darkened jewelry is antique, then it is better to contact a specialist, since the dark coating may turn out to be a special treatment.
- Jewelry with inserts that are attached with glue should not be soaked in water.
- After cleaning silver rings and earrings, it is not recommended to wear them immediately. The product must lie for several days to form a protective film.
Jeweler's tips for cleaning silver
Cleaning silver at home will not be difficult, provided that the product does not contain precious stones or other inserts. If you choose the wrong cleaning product or method, the product can only get worse.
If necessary, you can purchase special alcohol wipes that can be used to rub silver, or you can also use a velvet cloth. Jewelry shops can also help with the restoration of a silver item.
Cleaning silver is not difficult, but after that you need to properly care for it.
Table: cost of known funds
Semi-professional special preparations are relatively inexpensive. Moreover, you can choose the appropriate option for your jewelry, taking into account their shape and type of material. Available types of drugs:
| Name | Cost, rub. |
| Flurin | 320 |
| Adamas | 300 |
| Aladdin | 224 |
| Sano Silver | 500 |
| Town Talk | 220 |
Jewelry cleaning products
Silver Prevention Measures
Silver does not need to turn black if you care for it properly. During use, wipe with alcohol wipes, wash with soapy water and store in the correct place.
Silver should be stored in special boxes so that sunlight or moisture cannot penetrate there.
- Also, each product needs its own place, or at least a place. If you put all the silver in one pile, then it may oxidize against each other.
- You need to make yourself a new habit - constantly remove jewelry before coming into contact with water.
- This may seem strange, but silver is very susceptible to oxidation. Before taking water procedures, you need to put your jewelry in the box.
Perfume is one of the most influential substances on silver. Perfume contains a large number of chemicals that oxidize silver and can ruin the structure of the product.
How to save your cleaning results
No matter what jewelry is made from, they all require maintenance sooner or later. However, you can increase the period without cleaning, you just need to use and store your jewelry correctly. To do this, you need to know why silver darkens and how to neutralize this process.
Causes of silver contamination:
If you eliminate these reasons, you won’t have to clean your jewelry often. To do this, you need to follow the recommendations:
If you follow these simple recommendations, your jewelry will always look great and delight you with its aesthetic appearance.
Source
Photos of the best methods for cleaning silver
Cleaning earrings with organic inserts
Natural elements combined with silver look great and are suitable anytime, anywhere. But cleaning earrings with organic inserts requires a delicate approach.
Natural elements can be shells, ivory, petals sealed in resin, stones (amber, coral, mother-of-pearl), wood, etc. It is best not to wet such jewelry, or gently wipe the silver part with soapy water or use a school eraser, and the organic insert treat with a soft cloth. It is strictly forbidden to use acids, alcohol, ammonia, soda, etc., on such jewelry.
