Silver has been known since ancient times and was of great value until it was learned to melt it artificially. Up to this point, gold was valued much less; there are very few silver deposits, even if compared with gold mines. Silver is translated from Sanskrit as light, and in Ancient Russia the name of silver is borrowed from the ancient Indian word "sarpa" - the Moon and Sickle.
Like other precious metals, silver is marked with breakdown. A figure, for example, 925 means that it is just so much pure metal in the product per 1000 parts of the alloy. Previously, zinc and copper were traditionally used for the alloy, but today, most self-respecting manufacturers have abandoned the use of zinc because of the evidence of its harmfulness and use other safe metals.
Regardless of whether high-quality silver or not, it darkens over time, as any metal oxidizes. Although many superstitious personalities believe that this is spoiling, but only a chemical reaction occurs with the objects that surround a person in everyday life. The following factors can cause silver oxidation:
- humid environment;
- direct contact with cosmetics;
- human sweat;
- household gas and rubber;
- egg yolk and onion.
Despite this, silver does not lose its popularity, and it can be easily polished. How to clean silver at home? This will be discussed in the article.
Ammonia
Effective cleaning of silver jewelry at home is done with ammonia. This tool is considered the simplest and most affordable, which allows you to get rid of dirty plaque on silver. You will need to purchase a 10% solution. The cleaning procedure is recommended to be carried out in a small glass container where silver items are placed. After 20 minutes, the silver is thoroughly washed with warm running water and dried. This recipe is suitable for products that are not highly oxidized or can be prevented in this way.
Ammonia and toothpaste
In this case, to begin with, silver is cleaned with an old toothbrush with toothpaste. After this, the products are immersed in liquid ammonia for about 15 minutes. This recipe is suitable for silver with strong oxidation, but not for jewelry with stones.
Ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and baby liquid soap
All ingredients are mixed in equal parts and diluted with a glass of water. Silver is added to the mixture for a quarter of an hour. After the metal has dried, it must be polished with a wool cloth.
Dentifrice
Silver needs to be wetted, but only in warm water and immersed in a container with powder for brushing your teeth. In this case, you need to rub the product with a cloth of wool or suede. At the end of the cleaning, the silver is washed from the powder and dried.
Baking soda
For cleaning, you need to dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in half a liter of water, the mixture should be heated on fire. After the solution has boiled, a small piece of food foil is thrown into it and silver items are placed. After 15 minutes, you can get silver and rinse with water.
Salt
Cleaning silver jewelry at home can also be done with salt. It will take 200 ml of water and one teaspoon of salt. As soon as it mixes well, silverware can be immersed in the solution and left for several hours, at least 4. If the silver is heavily contaminated, then it can be boiled in the solution for about 15 minutes, but not jewelry with stones.
Salt, Soda and Detergent
One liter of water will require a tablespoon of soda, salt and dishwashing detergent. Knead better in aluminum dishes. The container with the solution must be put on a small fire, add decorations and boil for about 20 minutes. After that, pull out the silver, dry it and wipe it with a piece of suede fabric.
Potatoes
This recipe can be combined with cooking. After the potatoes are boiled, the water from under it must be drained into a separate container, add a little foil and immerse the silver jewelry, boil for about 5-7 minutes. After this, the products are removed, dried and polished.
Vinegar
Cleaning silver jewelry at home will be effective if you use 9% vinegar, which is heated, and the jewelry is immersed in it. After 10 minutes, the silver can be removed, dried and wiped well with suede.
Water after boiling eggs
After the eggs are boiled, the water should not be poured out, but simply cooled. Jewelry is placed in a warm liquid for 15 or 20 minutes. After this time, the silver jewelry is pulled out, washed very well and rubbed with a natural fabric.
Lemon acid
Effective cleaning of silver jewelry at home does not require large expenses or a lot of effort. For example, use citric acid. To dilute the composition, you need a bag of product, about 0.7 l of water and a small piece of copper wire. The whole composition is put in a water bath. Decorations are placed in a solution and boiled for 30 minutes. After the procedure, decorations should be dried and polished.
Coca-Cola Drink
How else is silver cleaned at home? The methods may seem strange, but they are effective. Many have heard about the washing and cleaning properties of Coca-Cola, its use for silver is no exception. To clean the jewelry, you need to pour the drink into the container, immerse the silver there and put on a slow fire. After 7 minutes, the jewelry must be removed and dried.
Rules for cleaning silver jewelry with stones
Cleaning products with precious or semi-precious metals and non-inlaid silver has a big difference, especially if it is carried out at home. In this case, the density of the stone is very important. The higher it is, the easier it is to clean silver items.
How to clean silver jewelry at home, you already know. But what if they are with stones? If the product has emerald, aquamarine or sapphire, then they can be cleaned even with a powder, use a toothbrush and even heat.
Do not use detergent or other abrasive products to clean items inlaid with turquoise, moonstone, opal or malachite. Despite the fact that these stones also have a high density coefficient, after aggressive cleaning they can still be scratched.
In no case should stones be exposed to heat such as ruby, garnet and topaz. After immersion in hot water, they can even change color.
No exception are silver items that encrust glass or enameled stones. Such jewelry can also be cleaned, but only in a “soft” way. For example, a cotton swab is placed in a tooth powder and the dirt is carefully cleaned. Previously, cotton wool can be immersed in ammonia. In no case should you use abrasive products and high temperatures. Such stones do not tolerate mechanical damage.
Cleaning silver with soft and porous stones
What other methods are known? How to clean silver jewelry with stones of soft and porous structure? These stones include mother of pearl, pearls, ivory and amber. In no case should you use ammonia-based cleaners, acidic, alkaline and abrasive substances.
Amber and pearls can be soaked in warm, but not hot water and wiped with a rag with a soft structure. You can add a little laundry soap to the water. If there is coral in a silver product, then it is better to clean it without touching the stone itself, since it is too sensitive to almost any effect.
How to achieve a sparkle in silver
In addition to the fact that you want to see your silver in perfectly pure condition, it is desirable that it also shines.
How to clean silver at home to shine? For polishing and obtaining glare on products, GOI paste is used . In principle, all of the above methods of cleaning products can achieve a shine. But sometimes, even if all the dirt goes away, the silver seems faded. In fact, such a coating is the thinnest layer of corrosion. Therefore, to obtain a shine, it is best to use special polishes. They safely remove plaque from the surface of the metal and give them the attractive look that was upon purchase.
For polishing, it is better to use a sponge made of cellulose, as it will not scratch the silver. With some polishes they come in the kit. The sponge is moistened with a means and reciprocating movements, that is, up and down, but only not in a circle, clean the product. After polishing, the product is washed with running water and wiped dry with a clean and soft cloth.
Preventive actions
Try to always wipe the silver items after bathing in the river, bath or pool. And best of all, remove them before you are in a humid environment.
If you use rubber gloves for washing dishes, it is better to remove the rings. Remember that silver does not tolerate contact with rubber.