How to clean gold at home

Over time, even the most exquisite and expensive gold items lose their attractive appearance - they become dull and inconspicuous. To fix this, you can clean your gold at home with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. The method is highly effective and is best suited for cleaning bracelets, chains, ornate jewelry with many hard-to-reach places.

How to clean gold

There are several methods for cleaning gold jewelry at home:

Soak. Jewelry must be placed in a special liquid, which can be made from what you have in your kitchen, bathroom or medicine cabinet. After a certain time, the plaque can be removed with a simple soft cloth.
Polishing with improvised materials. Suitable if you need to restore a breathtaking shine to a product.
Mechanical cleaning. Applicable if contaminants have not responded to previous methods. Use with caution to avoid damaging the surface of your treasured piece of jewelry.

Soak

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Salt . Dissolve 3 tablespoons of table salt in a glass of hot water. Place the jewelry there overnight and rinse it in running water in the morning.
Dishwashing liquid . Mix a teaspoon of liquid detergent in a glass of water, add gold and place in a water bath. Boil the jewelry for a few minutes, then rinse off any remaining soap with water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.
Ammonia + washing powder . Dilute a teaspoon of ammonia and a tablespoon of powder in a glass of water and boil. Place the jewelry in the hot solution for 2 hours, and then wipe it with a cloth.
Liquid soap + hydrogen peroxide . Mix a teaspoon of soap and 2 tablespoons of peroxide with a glass of warm water. Place the gold in the solution for 20 minutes.
Soda + foil . Dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in a glass of hot water and pour into a container with a sheet of foil at the bottom. Place the jewelry there overnight, and in the morning, rinse it under the tap and dry it with a towel.

Polishing

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Velvet or felt rag . An old, proven method. Just take a piece of suitable material and sit comfortably in front of your favorite TV series: polishing can take quite a lot of time.
Eraser . A soft white eraser will not only add shine to the gold, but will also remove light deposits.
Vinegar . Soak a cloth in table vinegar and gently wipe the jewelry.
Lipstick . An interesting way for girls. Apply lipstick (preferably colorless) to a piece of cloth and rub it over the tarnished gold.
Beer and egg white . And this is more suitable for brutal men. Mix a little foam with the protein, soak a cloth in the solution and rub the jewelry.
Onion juice . The principle is the same: soak a cloth in the juice and polish your favorite gold items. Do not forget to thoroughly rinse and dry your jewelry at the end of the procedure.

Mechanical cleaning

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Of course, you can buy a special paste at a jewelry store. But if you want to effectively clean gold without leaving home, you can easily prepare something similar from scrap materials.

Remember: you should not use aggressive abrasives such as soda or sandpaper to clean jewelry; there is a high risk of damaging the surface of the precious metal. Therefore, we will use softer and more delicate mixtures.

Dentifrice . A little powder, an old toothbrush and a little patience will remove old plaque from gold.
Toothpaste + Vaseline . Works just as well as tooth powder, but more gently and gently.
Chalk + laundry soap . Pound the chalk (ordinary white one from the children's art set will do) into powder and mix in equal proportions with grated soap. Mix until you get a smooth paste and then rub the jewelry using a piece of cloth. To avoid streaks, be sure to rinse the gold under running water.
Chalk + ammonia . Grind the chalk and mix with ammonia until a thick mass is obtained. Clean the gold thoroughly with a toothbrush or cloth, then rinse and dry.

Tips before using peroxide

Do not be overzealous when rubbing the surface when cleaning semi-precious items . This is especially true in cases where peroxide with a resistance rating of more than 7% is used. These actions will entail a number of consequences:

Changing the shade of the coating.
The appearance of oxidation on damaged areas (scratches).
Erasing engraving.
Loss of clarity of cut and brilliance of stones.

Also, do not forget about the possible presence of rhodium in gold jewelry . If it is present in the product (which you need to find out when purchasing), then you should completely avoid using alcohol or strong peroxide when cleaning jewelry of this kind.

When caring for gold, you should not use sponges, brushes with synthetic bristles or toothbrushes . Tools of this type negatively affect the gold surface, namely, they erase the protective layer and, accordingly, scratch the metal. It is best to replace them with cotton wool, soft napkins, and so on.

How to clean gold jewelry with stones

Be especially careful with such jewelry. Remember that some gemstones require special care. For example, opal, turquoise or malachite can be scratched by abrasives, so forget about tooth powder, baking soda or salt. Ruby, garnet and topaz are sensitive to high temperatures and should not be washed with hot water. And amber, pearls, coral or ivory really do not like acids, alkalis and solvents - it is better to entrust cleaning to specialists.

If you are confident in your abilities, use the following methods for cleaning gold jewelry with stones:

Alcohol . Moisten a cotton swab with an alcohol-containing liquid (strong alcohol, cologne or alcohol lotion will do). Gently wipe the jewelry to remove grease and other contaminants.
Gasoline . Dampen an unnecessary soft toothbrush with it and treat the gold item. The fine bristles are great for removing dirt from hard-to-reach places.

Will such cleaning do any harm?

It is not for nothing that gold is classified as a noble metal. Its advantages include not only its attractive appearance and high price, but also its strength and resistance to solvents. It is quite difficult to spoil gold items. Of course, if you act within reason. Stick to the recipe and observe the dosages, and then you will not risk damage to your jewelry.

Let us remind you: pure gold is a soft, ductile, but at the same time dense and heavy metal. 100% gold can only be found in bars. And in jewelry there is 38-75% gold (385 standard - 38%, 585 standard - 58%, 750 - 75%, etc.).

List of contraindications

Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, ammonia and most other home remedies are safe for gold. But you need to take into account that the products may contain stones and glue, which dissolve in an aggressive environment and deteriorate. It is not recommended to clean with home remedies:

Jewelry with adhesive setting. Stones of complex shapes, as well as amber and pearls, are often glued. Such decorations should not be immersed in water or liquid solutions.
Jewelry with organic inserts and soft stones: pearls, amber, coral, malachite, turquoise. They are very sensitive to various influences and to hydrogen peroxide in particular. Jewelry with the listed stones can be cleaned either by a specialist or at home with alcohol diluted in half with water.

Gold jewelry with sapphires, emeralds, quartz, aquamarine, topaz, beryl and other hard stones can be cleaned with peroxide and ammonia. As well as irradiated gold, matte, white.

Gold below 585 contains 50% or more different alloys, so it reacts more easily with strong oxidizing agents and alkalis. But it is stronger and practically not subject to deformation and scratches.

Cautions

Before cleaning gold items at home, you should familiarize yourself with a number of rules.

To prevent your jewelry from getting damaged:

Use only soft materials and brushes. Of course, something tough and hard will clean your jewelry faster. But then there is a risk of leaving scratches on the product. They may not be visible to the naked eye, but if you look at the reflections through a magnifying glass, the gold will appear dotted with thin stripes and depressions.
Avoid abrasive cleaning products. Powders and gels with hard particles also leave marks on the gold. After such cleaning, the gold can only be restored by polishing by a master.
Do not use bleach or other aggressive substances. They can lead to loss of shine and stains on the product. Gold itself is resistant to most oxidizing agents and solvents, but additives in the form of silver, nickel, palladium, and copper are not.
Use only glass and ceramic dishes. Metal containers will participate in a chemical reaction, but we don’t need that.
Do not clean items of different samples, white and yellow, red gold, silver, in the same container. This may cause color changes.
Prepare your jewelry for cleaning. Remove pendants from chains and sort different types of gold and items with different types of stones.

We recommend: Folk and professional methods of cleaning jewelry

How to clean white gold

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White gold differs from ordinary gold in that silver, palladium or nickel are added to it to obtain a light shade, and the top is often plated with rhodium. It protects the jewelry and gives it a white shine.

Harsh methods are not suitable for such products, but the following will be useful:

Ammonia + hydrogen peroxide . Mix both liquids in a container in a ratio of 1:2. Place the gold in the resulting solution for half an hour, and then rinse in running water and wipe dry with a towel.
Sugar . Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in a glass of water. Soak the jewelry in the sweet solution for 10–12 hours: this will restore their former shine.

When you can and cannot use hydrogen peroxide

Pros of using hydrogen peroxide when cleaning and caring for gold jewelry:

Cheapness of the substance used. One package of peroxide will not cost more than 20-25 rubles.
Versatility of use. The remaining peroxide can be absolutely safely used for household needs or medical purposes (for example, healing skin wounds).
Possible repeated use.
Possible cleaning of gold jewelry.
Achieving long-lasting and high-quality results in the end.
The ability to mix hydrogen peroxide with various additional elements, which will enhance the effect.
High probability of complete cleansing of jewelry after just one use.

Despite the obvious abundance of advantages of using hydrogen peroxide when purifying gold, there are also a number of disadvantages:

Hydrogen peroxide cannot be used to clean gold items that have a thin layer of additional coating or a large number of small semi-precious and precious stones.
Hydrogen peroxide has adverse effects on the body. This is due to the chemical smell of this substance.

White and yellow, are there any nuances?

Rules for cleaning white gold items:

Use only soft cloth.
Do not use toothpaste, powder or rough brushes. Products made of white gold are plated with rhodium, which gradually wears off over time.
It is possible to clean with ammonia diluted with water or use a recipe based on beer with egg yolk.

The methods discussed above are suitable for cleaning yellow gold, but you need to know that any product must be cleaned individually. Because different gemstone inserts react differently to abrasives and other chemicals.

Which samples can withstand this treatment?

This cleaning method is suitable for all precious metal samples.

Important: The product sample indicates the gold content in the alloy and is controlled at the state level. The higher the standard of gold jewelry, the higher its vulnerability to damage.

5 samples are considered generally accepted in Russia:

375 (Au 38%)
500 (50.5% gold)
585 (58,5%)
750 (75,5%)
958 (96,6%)

999 - pure gold, hallmark for bullion. In the country's jewelry industry, there are products of 583, 900 and 916 samples, as evidenced by the stamp on the gold jewelry.

Efficiency of the method

The method of treating gold jewelry with soda is really effective. The risk of damaging the product when using soda is minimal. It will not damage the jewelry, but will only remove dirt and polish the surface.

The method does not require special preliminary preparation.
The products used in it can be found in any home.
It won't take much time.

If the damage to gold is deep and cannot be repaired at home, you must use the services of a specialist jeweler.

Video: three ways to clean gold

Status and pleasure, dream and daily accessory - gold jewelry. Products made from solar metal are worn for years, cherished and passed on by inheritance. It is with them that memorable events, pleasant memories and impressions are associated. The first gold earrings in a delicate earlobe are both scary and exciting. The first ring made of precious metal - and my classmates look with admiration. The first pendant in a bright package from the boy you like - and this birthday becomes the best.

A shimmering and alluring piece of sun on your finger – a ring. Drops with a sparkling stone shimmering in all shades of the rainbow, earrings in the ears. A noble snake with scales-links hugging the wrist is a bracelet. Wear gold with pleasure, because now you know how to properly care for jewelry.

Causes of blackening

Pure, 100% gold shines, does not oxidize, does not corrode, does not darken, and can sparkle for a long time and delight the eye with its beauty.

The reasons for blackening are as follows:

Products are made with the addition of a metal alloy (copper, palladium, silver). Each piece of jewelry contains a sample, depending on the composition of the alloy it is different. Additives make gold jewelry durable and wear-resistant. If there is a violation in the manufacture of rings or another item, it can turn black and stain the fingers black.
The second reason for darkening is the release of human waste products through the pores on the skin. Dirt, particles of sweat settle on gold and stains appear. For this case, you can prepare a composition for cleaning gold at home. Prepare a mixture of liquid soap and ammonia. Take a napkin, clean the item, then rinse well with water and wipe. You can rub a tissue with lipstick and then clean your jewelry. When you don’t have time or are afraid to clean your jewelry yourself, you need to turn to a professional jewelry workshop.
The third reason is the impact of household chemicals and cosmetics on gold items. Abrasive substances cause destruction on the surface of the jewelry and stains appear.
Many people think that the reason for the blackening of jewelry is related to mysticism. If a person is in danger or has a disease, it takes on all the negativity and turns black because of this.
If a drop of iodine gets on the ring, a gray spot will appear on this place over time. It is necessary to remove jewelry before visiting a sauna or swimming pool; the water contains a lot of chlorine, which also has a harmful effect on them.
There is no need to store gold rings and earrings in cardboard boxes. During storage, the products turn black because the cardboard contains sulfur.

NaHCO3, detergent

An easy way to remove dirt and add sparkle and shine to gold jewelry is to clean it using detergent, sodium bicarbonate.

It is not recommended to combine several methods of cleaning products at the same time - this can cause stains. Use only gentle detergents - aggressive compounds are dangerous for gold.

Mixture preparation, cleaning:

Combine NaHCO3 (30 g), detergent (30 ml).
Stir the solution, lower the decorations.
Leave in, remove after 5 hours
Clean the surface of the jewelry using a clean, soft cloth.
Thoroughly wash off the soap suds; you can use a brush.

After rinsing, dry. It is not recommended to dry it in the open rays of the sun - it will not be possible to avoid the appearance of stains.

Benefits of Cleaning Gold with Baking Soda

* Proven effectiveness. The method has been known for a long time and is used everywhere.

* Mild reaction of the sodium salt of carbonic acid with the chemical element aurum, in contrast to vinegar, boric acid or ammonia.

* Minimal risk of scratching or somehow mechanically damaging the surface of soft metal, especially if you use a solution rather than soda paste for cleaning.

* Ease of penetration of cleaning foam into pores and hard-to-reach places of jewelry.

* Lack of special skills, increased costs and preliminary training. Baking soda, water and soap or vinegar are found in every kitchen.

* Minimum time for the procedure. Long lasting effect.

* Most people, including children, are not allergic to the cleaning substance. You can easily clean silverware used by the whole family and gold spoons for babies with baking soda.

Cleaning a gold chain with lipstick

An interesting and unusual method that will allow you to get rid of stubborn dirt, fat deposits, as well as dark accumulations of dirt.

Instructions:

Take an old lipstick that you don't use and rub it all over the entire chain
Next, you need to leave the chain for a few minutes. After this, take a soft cloth and rub the product until shiny.
It is necessary to rinse the chain in hot water and polish it again

gold chain