Almost every woman has a silver chain in her jewelry box, and some fashionistas have an impressive arsenal of dozens of similar jewelry. These can be traditional neck chains, bracelets, anklets, threaded earrings, and so on. This is not surprising: such jewelry is inexpensive, undemanding in terms of outfit, and is always in trend.
Even when properly stored and worn infrequently, silver is prone to darkening and accumulation of contaminants. It is not difficult to clean silver from blackness at home. Stores sell a lot of special products designed to care for jewelry: from the long-known GOI paste to patented innovative compositions.
Cleaning a silver chain at home can be done without the use of special products. Surely there is something in your kitchen, bathroom or medicine cabinet that will return the decoration to its original appearance.
Causes of darkening of silver
- Interaction with air, which contains chemical compounds that react with silver. Most often these are compounds of nitrogen and sulfur.
- Excessive humidity.
- Contact with human skin and sweat, and in different people the process of metal oxidation can occur at different rates.
- Interaction with household chemicals, cosmetics and some food products.
- Low silver content in the alloy from which the jewelry is made. The less, the faster the product turns black.
How can you clean the energy of a silver chain?
Silver is a real amulet for a person, absorbing all the negative energy of ill-wishers. This metal releases “dirt” as easily as it absorbs it, so cleaning it is not so difficult.
- Water.
Water is the main assistant in removing negativity from silver. It makes the energy of the decoration neutral. The best way to clean metal is with water from a spring or clean stream. The chain is placed in liquid at dawn, and the owner says that he wants to charge the silver with positivity, to protect himself from enemies and envious people. The decoration should be in the water for two to four hours.
Cleaning Features
- Due to the large number of small weaves, cleaning a silver chain is a little more difficult than, for example, a ring or a cross. Cleaning each link with a toothpick is very labor-intensive, so it is advisable to purchase a small brush with soft bristles or use an old toothbrush, also soft.
- Since silver is a soft metal, you cannot use scrapers, abrasives, rough matter, or household chemicals to clean it.
- Before cleaning, all pendants must be removed from the chain and cleaned separately.
Cleaning silver with baking soda
There are two ways to remove black deposits from a chain with soda:
- Dilute the powder with water to a pasty state (about 1 to 3). Rub the chain with the resulting mixture and clean until the jewelry regains its former appearance and shine. Afterwards, rinse the chain with clean water and dry thoroughly (it is convenient to do this by laying the chain on a paper towel).
- In addition to soda, you will need a saucepan and food foil. Cover the bottom of the pan with foil, place the chain there, and fill with water so that it covers the decoration. Add two tablespoons of baking soda, place the pan on the heat and boil for 5 minutes.
We do not recommend cleaning jewelry with “dry” soda. The powder may leave scratches on the metal surface.
Professional products
A blackened chain can be cleaned either in special workshops or on your own. There are specialized products that allow you to clean metal from blackness. In some cases, such as stains, they will be more effective and the cleaning time will be reduced. But when purchasing, you need to be careful, since cleaning products for gold are completely unsuitable for silver and vice versa.
Paste GOI
GOI paste was invented back in the 30s of the last century and is still used successfully.
You can buy it in stores that sell tools and building materials. There are 4 types of paste based on the degree of abrasiveness:
- Coarse (No. 4) - for initial surface treatment and stain removal. After its use, the surface becomes matte.
- Medium (No. 3) - for basic polishing, removing light blackness. The metal takes on its normal appearance.
- Fine (No. 1 and No. 2) - used for final polishing and adding a glossy shine.
Sanding requires some skill and precision of movements, otherwise scratches can easily be left on the product. Before cleaning the chain, it should be prepared:
- Brush with toothpaste or powder using a toothbrush.
- Soak in a solution of ammonia in water with a drop of detergent (the method is described above).
- Rinse in cold water.
Grinding process:
- Dip a piece of soft cloth in gasoline and apply a small amount of paste.
- Rub on a metal surface to distribute the paste evenly.
- To clean heavy stains, use coarse or medium paste.
- Finish the process with a fine paste to add shine.
- Rinse the product under running water and wipe dry.
Attention! GOI paste cannot be used for products with gold plated and stones.
Cleaning liquid “Talisman”
A popular Russian-made product based on inorganic acids. As a result of a chemical reaction, it dissolves black and yellow plaque in a few minutes. Before use, you must carefully read the instructions, because “Talisman” is not suitable for blackened silver, jewelry with stones, or stainless steel.
Mode of application:
- Wear protective gloves.
- Pour a little product into a non-food container.
- Place the chain in it for 2 minutes.
- Remove and rinse with running water.
Advice! If the chain is heavily soiled, you can additionally clean it with a toothbrush after treating it with Talisman.
Connoisseurs Silver Cleaner
Professional cleaner for silver jewelry. The cleaning liquid quickly returns jewelry to its original appearance, removes dirt, stains and tarnish. Available in a plastic jar, the kit includes a basket and a small brush. To clean the chain, simply place it in the solution for 5-10 seconds, then rinse and polish with a soft, lint-free cloth. The product is suitable for jewelry with inorganic stones.
Foam "Silbo"
The product is designed to clean and restore silver items, giving them their original shine. The active foam formula allows you to clean dirt in the most inaccessible places, between links and stones. After cleaning, a film forms on the surface of the silver, protecting it from oxidation and contamination.
Instructions for use:
- Remove the cap and spray a small amount of foam onto the product, spreading evenly.
- Place the chain in a cap or any non-food container.
- Leave for 3-4 minutes.
- Rinse and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.
The product is not allowed to be used for jewelry with blackening, organic and soft stones, or enamel. It is also not suitable for cleaning gold and steel.
Why does silver turn black?
Silver is one of the noble metals. It is low-active and resistant to chemical influences, but up to a certain limit, sulfur is its eternal enemy.
In addition, the jewelry industry does not use pure silver, which is soft and prone to deformation, but its much stronger alloys with other metals. They, for the most part, are responsible for the intensity of blackening of the chain.
Clearing the chain of blackness means removing the accumulated layer of sulfide and impurities. But sometimes a noble patina is applied to a product intentionally, through galvanization, blackening, and oxidation. Blackened silver is cleaned with products specially designed for this purpose.
There are several main factors that influence the process of blackening of a noble metal.
Number and composition of ligatures. These are the aforementioned metals added to silver to create a hard alloy. The higher the grade stamped on the product, the fewer additives it contains. The composition of the ligatures also matters. Silver almost always contains copper impurities, which accelerates the process of dark plaque formation.
Skin care cosmetics. Our skin needs care, but the cosmetics we use do not add “health” to silver. Well, it doesn’t like gel showers, lotions, creams and other cosmetics!
Household chemicals. Silver doesn’t really like even innocent dishwashing liquid, let alone more aggressive household chemicals? True, it takes a lot of effort to get it onto the neck chain, but the bracelets suffer quite noticeably from household chemicals.
Kitchen work. Sulfur-containing and other silver-aggressive elements are found in many products. They are even found in eggs and onions! So it is better to remove the silver before cooking.
Natural body secretions . Human sweat and fat also contain sulfur compounds that are harmful to silver. If the silver chain has turned black on your neck, it means that you have been wearing it for a long time without cleaning it or have not taken it off during training and other physical activities, during which sweating increases. Unfortunately, rapid blackening of silver may indicate health problems: problems in the endocrine, hematopoietic, nervous or urinary systems. In a person who is not very healthy, the sweat becomes more caustic and saturated with sulfur, and a sulfide layer forms faster.
In folk mythology, silver is credited with protective properties. Allegedly, its blackening indicates a flow of negative energy directed at the owner - he has been jinxed. From a materialistic point of view, this correlates with health problems: silver has turned black - a person is sick, and the reasons for this can be different.
How to prevent blackening of silver?
As we can see, cleaning a silver chain at home is quite easy.
But in order to ensure that this procedure has to be performed as rarely as possible, adhere to the following recommendations:
- Remove the chain daily and wipe with a soft cloth.
- During water procedures, be sure to remove silver jewelry, and also try not to wear it in rainy weather.
- Remove the chain before playing sports.
- If possible, try to ensure that the product does not come into contact with cosmetics or medicinal ointments containing sulfur.
- Do not store silver jewelry together with others; it is better to allocate a separate box for them, at the bottom of which place foil and a packet of silica gel.
- Carry out preventative cleaning every two months.
- If the product has stones or is of high value, it is better to entrust the cleaning to a specialist.
How to save the result
Preventing the appearance of dark deposits on silver is much easier than cleaning it from the surface of the jewelry. To make the chain shine longer and please the eye, it is useful to pay attention to a number of recommendations:
- Before taking a shower or bath, swimming in a pool or river, or applying masks or creams to the neck area, remove the silver chain.
- It is better to cook, wash, wash windows and do other housework by removing your jewelry.
- Remove silver items from your neck at night. Wipe the chain with a clean cloth. This procedure will eliminate the grease and dirt accumulated during the day.
- Store silver in a dry place away from the bathroom and medicine cabinet.
- Once a week, wash the chain with laundry or tar soap, going over it with a toothbrush.
- Periodically polish the silver item with a flannel or cloth moistened with alcohol.
- Line the bottom of the box in which the chain is stored with foil. Place a packet of silica gel there.
Cleaning silver chains is a painstaking job that requires precision and concentration. The treatment can be carried out using both home and professional means. From available materials, ammonia, soda, hydrogen peroxide, and salt will cope well with the cleaning task. If you are planning to use a professional product, you need to carefully study the instructions.
Cleaning silver with vinegar, olive oil, potato peelings, egg yolk
Vinegar:
Pour table vinegar over the decoration and leave for a couple of hours. The blackened coating will soften under the influence of vinegar and easily remove from the surface of the decoration. After vinegar treatment, the chain must be rinsed with clean water and dried.
Olive oil:
Soak a piece of soft cloth in olive oil and gently wipe the surface of the metal. If the blackness is difficult to remove, rub the problem areas. Afterwards, the decoration must be degreased (you can do this with a mild soap solution), rinsed with warm water and dried on a dry towel.
Potato peelings:
Wash the potato peelings, fill them with water, and place a silver chain in the water. Boil over low heat for 15 minutes. Instead of potato peels, you can use the water in which you boiled the potatoes.
Egg yolk:
You will need a chicken egg yolk, a cotton pad and a little time. Soak the disc in egg yolk and thoroughly rub the entire surface of the silver chain. Leave the decoration so that the yolk layer has time to dry, and then rinse under running water. This method will not only help remove blackening from silver, but will also provide protection against the rapid appearance of new darkening. The secret is that egg yolk protects the metal surface from oxides that cause blackness.
If the cleaning methods described above are not suitable, you can buy a special silver cleaner at a jewelry store.
Important: before using such a product, be sure to read the instructions and make sure that it is intended specifically for cleaning silver jewelry from blackness.
Cleaning silver with lipstick
The secret of this product is simple: the lipstick contains titanium dioxide, which helps remove impurities. There is also a lot of fat in lipstick, which will help polish the chain to a shine. Cleaning jewelry with lipstick is easy: rub it on the chain, then remove any remaining makeup using a cotton pad. It is convenient to clean with lipstick if the surface of the jewelry is more or less smooth, so for chains with complex weaving it is better to choose a different cleaning method.
Third life hack: Clean silver with toothpaste
Another cleaning product that is available in any bathroom and in any travel bag is a tube of toothpaste, preferably without fragrances or dyes.
Apply toothpaste to a soft sponge or cloth or toothbrush and methodically wipe the darkened ring or chain with it over and over again. Then we rinse the silver thing, especially carefully washing the paste from hard-to-reach places, and you’re done!
Your favorite silver sparkles like the white teeth from a Colgate commercial or the Forest Balsam you know from childhood.
You can clean silver with a makeshift paste of water and tooth powder, which is still sold in pharmacies. But, as in the case of soda, you should not use it to clean things with rhinestones, pearls and precious stones.
Method two: Clean silver with ammonia
This life hack was also used by our grandmothers, who were not spoiled by the abundance of cleaning products in multi-colored plastic jars.
This method is homemade and cheap, quick and simple: add a few drops of ammonia to warm water, as when washing windows, put a silver chain or ring in there for 30-40 minutes, take it out, rinse and wear it for health.
This technique allows you to safely clean even items decorated with precious stones. But it is not suitable for allergy sufferers and citizens with a particularly sensitive sense of smell who cannot stand the smell of ammonia.
Cleaning silver with Coca-Cola
If you have a bottle of Coca-Cola on hand, you won’t have to make any special efforts to remove the black deposits from a silver chain. Pour the fizzy drink into a cup or glass and dip the decoration into the liquid. When 2-3 hours have passed, take out the chain - the blackening on its surface will disappear. If there is a lot of blackness and some areas still look darkened, scrub them gently with a soft cloth or a soft-bristled brush. All! All that remains is to rinse the product under running water and dry.
