Having various products made of precious metals, you periodically face the question of how to clean gold, silver or platinum so that they look like new. Earrings, bracelets, chains, pendants and rings become very dirty during socks and lose their original shine. But we want our jewelry to shine as before. There are only two ways to achieve this:
- Clean gold at home yourself.
- Give jewelry for cleaning to the workshop.
If your items have inserts made of natural pearls, precious stones, or black or green spots appear on them, then the second option is preferable for you. Improper use of cleaning products can damage precious stones and make natural pearls dull.
How to clean gold at home, you must first know people with a predisposition to allergic reactions. After all, while wearing jewelry, a large number of microorganisms accumulate on them in the form of plaque. Because of it, products become dull and inconspicuous. Openwork ornaments become soiled much faster than smooth ones. Sweat, dust and dirt accumulate in the patterns. All dirt on jewelry can irritate sensitive skin.
Simple tips will help you learn how to clean gold and get rid of plaque and dirt.
- First you need to wash the product in a soapy solution. For its preparation, liquid for dishes, washing powder or antibacterial soap and water with a temperature of at least 50 degrees are perfect. How to clean the gold in this solution? We dip all the products in the finished solution and leave it to go limp for 1-2 hours. After this time, with a toothbrush, gently clean each item. We use brushes with soft bristles only. Otherwise, it is possible to scratch the product. We pay special attention to the openwork, clasps and fastenings of stones on the jewelry. In such inaccessible places, dirty plaque gathers faster. After thorough cleaning, we wash the jewelry under a stream of cool water, dry it with a terry towel and polish it with a soft cloth.
- You should be aware that jewelry is not made of solid gold. The alloy must contain silver or copper. The number of milligrams of pure gold can be found by looking at a sample of the product. Any alloy tends to oxidize. From this, spots appear on the products. Therefore, you need to know how to clean gold with chemicals. For this purpose, a solution of ammonia (ammonia) is suitable . It can be bought at any pharmacy kiosk. We dilute the ampoule with ammonia with water so that its concentration is at least 25 percent. In the prepared solution we add all the decorations and leave for several hours. When ammonia and copper or silver oxides react, compounds are obtained that are highly soluble in simple water. After time, we remove the jewelry from the solution, wash it under running cool running water, dry it and polish it with a soft cloth.
- A mechanical way to clean jewelry involves the use of various pastes. Their composition is diverse. The basis is vegetable oil, petroleum jelly or soap solution. As abrasive particles, white magnesia powder, tripoli, lead carbonate or corundum are added to the base. You can buy professional paste for cleaning jewelry in specialized workshops or in a jewelry salon. This cleaning method is used in case of inefficiency of the first two. If after washing and treating with liquid ammonia, a coating or spots remain on the product. We apply a small amount of paste on a soft cloth and clean the product, moving in one direction. After cleaning, wash the decoration with water, dry and polish.
Do not use soda, tooth powder, and cleaning paste for kitchen utensils for this type of cleaning. These mixtures contain large particles that can spoil the appearance of the jewelry by scratching it. With this treatment, the weight of the jewelry is reduced, as the upper layer of gold is erased.