How to clean silver using ammonia and Coca-Cola

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Author of the article

Svetlana Pavlikhina

Reading time: 3 minutes

Beautiful silver jewelry quickly darkens, loses its shine and luster. You can clean silver with Coca-Cola. This method is relatively new, but is not inferior in effectiveness to traditional methods.

Cause of blackening of noble metal

Several factors are responsible for darkening. The main reason is the environmental effect. If silver is kept dry and in a clean environment, its properties are stable. But such conditions are difficult to maintain. Most people wear silver jewelry rather than store it in an air-conditioned glass display case.

Expert opinion

Irina Kovtun

The darkening of silver items is caused by oxidation, which occurs, for example, when exposed to sweat. Blackening also depends on the pH factor of the skin, so for some people the products darken faster and more intensely.

Silver products are also affected by air and sulfur contained in the atmosphere. It is worth mentioning chlorine, which serves as a disinfectant.

Some people use rings and bracelets for a long time without blackening; for others, the silver darkens after a few days of wear. But you shouldn't give them up. Try cleaning silver from blackness at home. There is no need to use expensive chemical cleaning agents. Try cleaning your jewelry with regular kitchen ingredients.

Why does silver darken?

Knowing the reasons for the darkening of silver, you can control the oxidation process. The following factors can affect the metal:

Human sweat. During constant wear, silver oxidizes, so it is better to remove it during active physical activity.
Storage method. Silver should not be stored near water or in direct sunlight.
Impact of cosmetics. Some cosmetics contain sulfur-containing substances. It is this chemical element that negatively affects the metal and causes it to darken.
Exposure to water. Even if there is a high level of humidity in the room, the silver will turn black.

Important! The sample of silver is also of great importance. The more impurities and alloys, the faster the decoration will darken.

Choosing a cleansing method

Silver forks, spoons, jewelry look great, so keep them clean:

Natural remedies for removing plaque from silver at home can be no less effective than industrial substances. But test their effect on a small area of the product to make sure there is no risk of surface damage.
If special fabric or chalk wool is not available, use high-quality cotton pads.

New or antique silver spoons, other utensils, and jewelry look best in a clean, shiny state. It's a beautiful metal, but it darkens quickly, especially when not in use. Don't be afraid of cleaning. If carried out correctly, it will not harm the product. It will shine like new!

Important! Do not clean radiated silver with abrasives. The best methods are vinegar and citric acid.

How to clean silver: popular methods

You want to wear your favorite jewelry 24 hours a day and not take it off, but silver items begin to darken over time. This can occur under the influence of soap, skin care products, or simply high humidity. Cleaning silver jewelry at home will save your favorite rings and bracelets and return them to their original appearance.

The procedure does not take much time, and the number of options is extensive. Liquid for cleaning silver can be bought in a store, or prepared from improvised means. Some of them are already in your home, while others will have to run to the store. Professional cleaning products cost money, but at the same time they guarantee almost 100% results. After this, you just need to take care of the jewelry, preventing history from repeating itself.

Cleaning Methods

There are many options for cleaning silver at home. The choice depends on your capabilities and time. The simplest thing is to take your silver items to a jewelry store. Cleaning is done quickly and efficiently and is not expensive.

When cleaning silver at home, you can get rid of blackness using several proven methods. The most popular home method is to soak the jewelry in a special solution, which can be purchased at a household chemical store.

A good way to clean silver is using home remedies: baking powder, baking soda, toothpaste. Since the time of our grandmothers, oxidized surfaces have been cleaned with ash.

Ammonia

The first cleaning agent is ammonia (ammonia).

With ammonia you can not only clean your ring and other items, but also restore their shine. Soak a soft toothbrush in ammonia and brush the silver surface. Wipe with a piece of cloth.

Before cleaning silver with ammonia, wear rubber gloves - the product is very caustic.

Soda

Mix baking soda with water to create a thick paste. Apply, leave for 1-2 hours, rinse with water, dry.

Vinegar

A proven folk recipe is cleaning with vinegar. Add 1 tbsp to 1 liter of hot water. l. vinegar. Immerse the silver items to be cleaned in the liquid for 15 minutes.

Take it out and dry it with a cotton cloth.

Coca Cola

Coca-Cola is not just a drink. In addition to the well-known geyser with Mentos candies, this soda can lighten tarnished silver. The secret of its multifunctionality is citric and phosphoric acid.

Immerse your silver earrings in Coca-Cola for a few minutes and enjoy the result.

Copper + citric acid

4 tbsp. l. Dissolve citric acid in ½ liter of hot water. Place a piece of copper (wire, copper coin) into the solution, add silver. Leave for 30 minutes, remove, rinse.

Important! Cleaning with citric acid may create micro-scratches. But they are visible only during a professional inspection of the item.

Lemon acid

If you don’t have a special cleaning liquid, ammonia, on hand, citric acid will help clean silver spoons.

Removing stubborn dirt

The stubborn stains will be cleaned by boiling.

In this way, you can return the jewelry to a light shade and remove black deposits in hard-to-reach places.

Algorithm of actions:

Pour Coca-Cola into a small container (use half the volume of the container).
Contaminated decorations are placed at the bottom. The sweet soda should completely cover them.
Place the bowl with decorations on the stove and turn on the burner.
Boil the decorations in Cola for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them in the soda until it cools completely.

As soon as the Cola has cooled, the jewelry is removed, washed under running water and rubbed with a cloth until shiny. There will be no trace left of gray plaque and black dirt.

Features of cleaning products with gilding and stones

To ensure that the cleaned silver is pleasing to the eye after the procedure, when cleaning, pay attention to other materials present on the jewelry. The electrochemical reaction, on the one hand, cleans silver from blackened plaque, on the other hand, it can damage zirconium, precious stones, and pearls. Be careful with glued jewelry, that is, jewelry that has glue in addition to metal. Hot water can disrupt the structure of the glue and separate the joints of materials.

To clean gold-plated jewelry, you can use alcohol, but without dyes or various other impurities. This is also a safe method for cleaning diamonds. Pure alcohol is recommended, available in every pharmacy. Place the items in a container with alcohol, after an hour, clean with a brush and dry.

How to clean silverware

Regardless of frequency of use, silver cutlery needs regular cleaning.

Important!
To maintain the attractive appearance of the appliances, they are never washed in the dishwasher. Noble metal requires careful handling and manual cleaning.

The most popular method is to rub the products with tooth powder. It is quite soft, and at the same time penetrates into the recesses. Ammonia is also used:

Combine alcohol and water in a ratio of 1:10.
Place the dishes in the solution for 30-60 minutes (depending on the degree of contamination).
Rinse the devices with running water.

Cleaning Rules

I clean the silver carefully, but do not achieve the desired result... Is this a familiar situation? Then check out some rules to ensure your jewelry is as clean and shiny as possible:

When using a cloth, wipe the item with long, firm, up and down strokes. After cleaning, polish the silver with short, quick strokes (to keep it shiny).
Soaking with foil can be done overnight and cleaned the next day.
Wipe the silver with a soft towel or cloth to avoid scratching it.

What to do to prevent silver from turning black

It is necessary to regularly pay attention to silver products - clean and polish them. It is also important to pay attention to the rules for storing and using silver:

It is better to keep all products in a dry and dark container (box, case, etc.);
prolonged contact with food, medicines and rubber should be avoided;
before visiting the shower, swimming pool, washing dishes, visiting the bathhouse or gym, jewelry must be removed;
Before applying the cream to your hands or face, it is also advisable to remove jewelry.

Proper storage

One thing is to clean and polish your silver item to remove any tarnish or stains. A completely different topic is maintaining cleanliness and shine. The following few tips will help you keep your silverware and jewelry looking its best. They will shine even long after cleansing:

If you buy silver jewelry, wear it. Once you purchase cutlery made of noble metal, use it. However, it is important to polish these items regularly. Silver suffers the most when not used or left idle for a long time. Therefore, do not store it “for a rainy day” or “until better times”, but use it regularly and for its intended purpose.
If you need to put away a product made of precious metal, and you want to preserve its freshness after a long period of “idleness,” maintain cleanliness, and prevent the appearance of a dark coating, cover it with a thin layer of olive oil and wrap it in a cloth or paper napkin. This will delay the appearance of blackening to some extent.
Wash silver cutlery and other items made of precious metal separately from other dishes and kitchen utensils. It is advisable to wash them in a plastic basin to avoid scratching the metal sink or other objects.

Important! Do not use silver jewelry in environments where sulfur and iodine are present (spas, mineral springs...). These substances accelerate and support oxidation, therefore causing blackening.

How to make silver shine

After cleaning the jewelry from oxidation products and removing dull plaque, the jewelry is polished. This procedure allows you to restore shine to already cleaned jewelry.

Napkin

Jewelry stores and workshops sell a special cloth for polishing silver. You can purchase it and rub your jewelry every time after cleaning. These napkins will effortlessly restore the shine to dull jewelry.

Tooth powder or paste

Apply a small amount of tooth powder to an old brush or cloth and rub the silver until shiny. Then remove any remaining powder with a clean cloth.

Toothpaste is used in the same way for cleaning. Only after not decorating should be rinsed under running water.

Silver polish (GOI paste)

This substance is made on the basis of chromium oxide and copes well with even the most persistent stains, quickly returning shine and luster to the metal. The paste is produced in the form of a solid green bar.

To begin with, take an unnecessary piece of cloth and soak it in gasoline, then apply a paste to the stain, rubbing the cloth with it like soap.

This will allow the substance to be evenly distributed over the surface..

Rub the products with a napkin until they shine. This procedure may be troublesome, but the result will exceed all expectations.

Soda and ammonia

Soda powder is mixed with a drop of ammonia to obtain a thick paste. It is applied to the surface of the silver product and rubbed with a brush or hard cloth.

As soon as the metal shines, the mixture is washed off under running water, and the jewelry is rubbed with a cloth until shiny.

Cleaning blackened silver

These items must be cleaned with extreme care. For these purposes, a regular soap solution with a pinch of soda added is suitable. The cleaning technology described above using raw potatoes is also suitable.

Important! Cleaning technology using foil should only be used if it is decided to completely remove blackening from the surface of the decoration.

Cleaning Gilded Silver

Gilded silver requires special care. It cannot be cleaned with products that contain even the smallest abrasive particles, not to mention salt and soda. For cleaning, it is better to use a microfiber cloth or a piece of suede.

Gold-plated silver can be cleaned with the following products:

To remove stains and greasy deposits, moisten a cloth in alcohol or vinegar solution, for the preparation of which 30 ml of 9% table vinegar is dissolved in a glass of water. After this, the item is washed with water, wiped and polished with suede.
Gold-plated jewelry can be soaked in regular beer for half an hour, then rinsed with water and polished with a soft cloth.
Heavily contaminated items are washed in a warm solution of soap, ammonia and water. To do this, take a drop of liquid detergent and a couple of drops of alcohol into a glass of water. The decoration is soaked in this product for half an hour, after which it is washed and dried well.

How to clean a silver chain and cross from blackness with ammonia

Ammonia is an excellent silver cleaner. You can use it at home if you are indifferent to the smell of ammonia. How to clean a silver chain from blackness with ammonia? Very simple! Add 2 tablespoons of ammonia and 4 tablespoons of water, and then soak the silver for 5-10 minutes. When you're done, simply take out the silver and dry it with a soft cloth. But be careful: ammonia can damage pearls and stones, so it's best used to clean minimalist silver jewelry.

Caring for silver products - cleaning them from blackening at home

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Cleaning silver with Coca-Cola is one of the most extravagant ways to remove dirt from this metal. Despite the fact that Coca-Cola is a food product, it does an excellent job of removing oxide and other contaminants on the surface of silver, restoring its shine and original appearance. In this article, you will learn how to properly clean silver with Coca-Cola, as well as several other products for cleaning cutlery and jewelry made from this alloy.