Jewelry and household utensils made of silver tend to darken over time and lose their original charm. This can occur due to contact with the skin, with cosmetic preparations or substances that contain sulfur ions. And the dishes darken under the influence of household gas, from contact with egg yolk, detergents and even salt. To avoid such a nuisance, you do not need to look for any special ways. Cleaning silver at home is a doable procedure, especially since there are a lot of proven methods.
You can restore the former shine to silver products, but care must be taken not to harm them. Silver - soft metal and abrasive substances will not bring him any benefit. Of course, you can buy a tool with which you can clean silver at home and in any hardware store or in a shopping center where jewelry is sold. But they cost quite a lot of money. And since we started cleaning silver at home, then we will use the well-known "grandmother" methods.
We will analyze in detail the most famous methods of cleaning silver products that are used by ordinary people who do not have extra money and time to go shopping to find suitable compounds.
The first, most common method is cleaning silver at home using ammonia. The solution is prepared as follows: for one liter of ordinary water, only two tablespoons of alcohol are taken. If you want to enhance the effect of the solution, you can use hydrogen peroxide and ordinary washing soap as additional ingredients. Silver products are kept in such a solution for no more than 15 minutes. Then it remains only to wipe them dry with a soft fleecy cloth and admire the result.
The second way. If you do not have the above substances at hand, then try cleaning silver at home with soda and salt. These substances are always at home and are very suitable for cutlery. We dilute 2 tablespoons of tea soda in 500 grams of water and put the solution on fire. After boiling, lower the silver appliances there and boil for 15 minutes. But in a salt solution, which is prepared in concentrations equal to one teaspoon of salt per glass of water, silver is aged for several hours, and then it is also boiled. The process seems a little time consuming, but very efficient.
The third way. Vinegar, citric acid, or, do not be surprised, Coca-Cola are used as cleaning products. These substances do not require boiling. In order to clean silver at home with their help, it’s enough just to warm up the liquid in a water bath, then in a warm state, applying it to a soft cloth, wipe the darkened silver well. The dark plaque disappears, as if it had never happened.
The fourth way. It is effective to clean silver at home with toothpaste, lipstick, and polish silver rings using a regular school eraser. For silver chains, this method will not work, but you can replace the above “tools” with a solution of tooth powder. It turns out to be quite liquid, as it is prepared in a proportion of 5 parts of water to 2 parts of powder. Using a toothbrush, all the details of the precious jewelry are thoroughly washed, and then the silver item is simply washed under the pressure of running water.
If cleaning silver at home did not satisfy you, then you will have to use special tools. But, having spent it, you will receive your jewelry not only cleaned, but also protected by a thin film, designed for the silver surface to resist harmful effects in the future.