How to clean silver at home

In many families, there are products made of silver, which are appreciated and are inherited. But often the precious metal tarnishes and shows the formation of a black coating. In this case, the owners try to return the products to their original condition. In this article, we will tell you how to clean silver at home.

Reasons

for blackening silver There are many prerequisites for blackening silver. Below are the main reasons that contribute to the blackening of the precious metal: 

• Silver on the human body tarnishes due to contact with sweat containing sulfur, and as a result of its reaction with the precious metal, sulfide is formed.
• Sterling silver jewelry contains copper, which tends to oxidize, resulting in a bad-smelling green coating on the surface. Most of all, this is manifested when particles of household chemicals come into contact with the product.
• Dirt, dust, or grime will also blacken silver.
• Soil contact with the product, especially if the owner works in the garden or plants indoor flowers.
• Contact with varnish, grease, wax or soot.

] Of course, esotericism says that wearing blackened silver can lead to trouble, but there is a grain of truth in this statement. Scientists' studies have shown that with various diseases, a person sweats profusely, and already sweat contains sulfur, which enters into a chemical reaction with silver. It turns out that there is also an explanation for this, but only from a scientific point of view. But in order to preserve the original appearance of precious metal on jewelry, we will explain how you can clean silver.

The best ways to clean silver at home

How and what to clean silver at home worries many owners of jewelry made of precious metal. And this is facilitated by several methods that have been tried more than once by jewelers with extensive practical experience. And these methods will help, especially when people are going to clean silver. 

Cleaning with soda and water

In order tousing this method clean silver at home, you need to get a relatively small piece of foil, for example, from the wrapper in which the chocolate was wrapped. Below are instructions for cleaning products made of noble metal from blackness: 

•  Place a silver product with foil in a small saucepan or bowl.
•  Boil 1 liter of water and add 50 grams of baking soda.
•  Bring the resulting liquid to a boil.
•  Pour silver with this agent, which removes blackness from the product.
•  After 20 minutes, the decoration is removed from the solution and washed with tap water.
• Next, you just need to wipe it with velvet.

But experts warn that you should not clean silver with dry water, otherwise it will scratch the precious metal. The stones with which the product is inlaid will suffer especially.

How to clean silver with ammonia

Before you clean silver from blackening with ammonia, you need to get a jar that is hermetically sealed. The procedure itself does not take much time.

The jewelry must be dipped into a container and completely filled with ammonia, and then the container must be closed and left for 10 minutes. If there are no stones in the product, then you can shake the jar a little so that the ammonia thoroughly cleans the silver. Then the jewelry is washed off with clean water and wiped with a dry napkin.

Purification with hydrogen peroxide. 

You can also clean silver at home with hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. To do this, you need to have the following things: 

•  Peroxide and ammonia
•  A container with a sealed lid [
•  Warm water without chemical impurities] · 
• Soft cloth.

In order to clean the product, you need to pour ammonia and peroxide into the jar in a ratio of 50 to 50, then add the decoration there and cover the container for 20 minutes. After the required time has elapsed, the silver is taken out with tweezers and washed in clean water, and then wiped with a soft cloth.

But experts do not advise cleaning silver jewelry with an unknown chemical composition with hydrogen peroxide, otherwise the product will fade even more. Cheap jewelry also cannot be cleaned in this way, otherwise the glue-set inserts will fall off.

Cleaning with citric acid

People who ask the question: "How can you clean silver", do not realize that in practice an interesting method is used. Youclean silver can alsowith citric acid. This method also does not require anything supernatural - there are enough items that everyone has in the kitchen. To bring silver jewelry to its original form, in addition to citric acid, you need to have a saucepan. half a liter of clean drinking water and a soft cloth. A saucepan filled with water is put on fire and citric acid is poured into it. Then silver is placed there, covered with a lid and boiled for 30 minutes. Further, the procedure is standard: the jewelry is washed with water and wiped with a velvet cloth. But if this method does not work, then the pollution is older, they can be removed with peroxide with ammonia.

Cleaning with vinegar

Cleaning of silver jewelry can be done by simply soaking the jewelry in 9% white vinegar. Every person in the kitchen has this item. The process is as follows: jewelry is folded into a jar and completely filled with vinegar. Recent stains are removed in 20 minutes, while older ones will take 2-3 hours. Next, the product must be removed from the liquid, rinsed and wiped. But if you cannot achieve the desired result, you can add soda to the vinegar, and after a couple of hours the effect will surpass all expectations.

Ultrasound

High-quality silver jewelry is also cleaned in ultrasonic cleaners. They can be found in laboratories or manufacturing workshops, as well as in jewelry. The capacity of such a sink is filled with soapy water or gasoline. Then the device is activated and the silver is cleaned. The procedure itself lasts from 10 to 30 minutes. Even the most contaminated products are cleaned, but after using an ultrasonic bath, the product must be rinsed, otherwise it will turn yellow.

Silver with stones

Cleaning of silver with stones at home should be done carefully and the following rules should be observed: 

•  Stones do not like high temperatures] · 
• Aggressive reagents destroy the inserts. · 
• Long soaking damages products.

Jewelers add artificial inserts to modern silver jewelry, the details of the manufacture of which are unknown. Because of this, products with stones are afraid of overheating, otherwise this will lead to darkening of the crystal, and the spots that appear will be difficult to remove.

Acids, alkalis, too, cannot be used to clean silver jewelry with stones, but they are soaked for no more than 30 minutes. But experts recommend cleaning such jewelry only in specialized workshops, as the owners risk damaging the crystal.

How to clean blackened silver

Such items require delicate handling, otherwise the top layer will be seriously damaged. In this regard, it is better to use a solution of baking soda and soap. The procedure is simple: the jewelry is soaked in it for half an hour.

But there is an even more powerful method. Several peeled potatoes are placed in a container of water, and then silver items are lowered there. After three or four hours, the jewelry is removed and rinsed with water. The remaining plaque is removed with an eraser.

How to keep silver from darkening

To maintain the shine of a silver piece, you need to follow these instructions: 

• · Store jewelry in a dry place out of sunlight. It is desirable that their contact be excluded.
•  Before cleaning or showering, rings and bracelets should be removed and placed in the box. It is also not recommended to leave them before cosmetic procedures.
•  Silver that has gotten wet should be wiped off as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Also, silverware should not be stored in places with high humidity, in smoky rooms. Ideal storage space is a well-ventilated area and a dry, dark box. And about caring for the product, starting from the time of purchase, do not forget that then you do not wonder how to clean the silver at home.

As you can see,ways to clean silver at home there are a great many. Each owner chooses the method himself, depending on the degree of blackening and contamination of the product. It happens that it is enough just to rinse in salt water, and it happens that a long procedure or the use of ultrasound is needed. But experts note that it is better not to clean expensive silver items on your own, but it is better to contact a jewelry workshop, otherwise you can accidentally spoil a beautiful thing.