How to clean silver: effective cleaning methods at home

Author: Alorous

September 29, 2022 10:13

Community: Idea Factory

Tags: How to clean silver ideas creative silver tips photo tricks cleaning

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You want to wear your favorite jewelry 24 hours a day and not take it off, but silver items begin to darken over time. This can occur under the influence of soap, skin care products, or simply high humidity. Cleaning silver jewelry at home will save your favorite rings and bracelets and return them to their original appearance.

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The procedure does not take much time, and the number of options is extensive. Liquid for cleaning silver can be bought in a store, or prepared from improvised means. Some of them are already in your home, while others will have to run to the store. Professional cleaning products cost money, but at the same time they guarantee almost 100% results. After this, you just need to take care of the jewelry, preventing history from repeating itself. To remove blackness from 925 silver, you don’t have to go to a jewelry store; you can use soda, ammonia, peroxide, vinegar and similar products. Citric acid, toothpaste and even Coca-Cola will help clean a silver chain, bracelet, ring or cross!

Cleaning with foil and baking soda

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You can clean silver using baking soda and foil in a few minutes. This recipe is considered one of the fastest and most effective. First of all, you need to boil water, add soda to it (50 g/1 liter of water). After boiling, pour the solution over the darkened decoration. Due to the chemical reaction of silver sulfide with soda and aluminum, the blackness will disappear in a couple of minutes. After this, all you have to do is wipe the jewelry dry. This is the most effective silver cleaner. It is important to remember that you should never use dry soda, it will only ruin the metal.

Olive oil.

Some claim that silver jewelry can be cleaned efficiently and safely with just oil. The silver should be coated with vegetable oil and then simply washed with soapy water, but this method is very dubious. Sunflower oil cannot boast of high cleansing properties, unlike olive oil. You should take a cotton swab and soak it in oil. Next, rub the chain with it and then wash off the remaining oil. There was no trace left of the dark coating. If the internal parts of the links are still dirty, repeat the procedure.

Ammonia

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Another way to restore your jewelry to its former shine is to wash the silver with a solution of ammonia and water. Ammonia is considered an excellent solvent; it will help to better clean silver from plaque or dirt without damaging the product itself. Pour water into a small container, add ammonia in a ratio of 1 to 10, put in the decorations and leave them for 30 minutes. If after half an hour it was not possible to return the shine to silver, you need to keep it longer in the solution. After the procedure, all that remains is to wipe the rings, chains or bracelet dry. Cleaning silver with ammonia at home is very simple and quick.

Features of cleaning small links

The main way to properly clean a chain with small links is to use a special brush with thin bristles or a simple toothbrush. The preliminary step should be soaking in a cleaning solution prepared according to one of the current recipes. Next, mechanical cleaning with a brush until dirt is completely removed from the links.

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Cleaning a chain with a cross

The procedure for cleaning a silver chain with a cross is practically no different from cleaning jewelry without a cross or pendant. However, it is better to remove the cross from the chain so that the surface underneath is as clean as possible.

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide also cleans silver well, but its use can lead to unexpected results. The fact is that the substance can both oxidize and reduce compounds. In one case, when using peroxide, you will get a brightened product, in another - jewelry with plaque or stains. It all depends on the amount of impurities in the silver product. You can clean silver from blackness using peroxide with the addition of ammonia, but even in this case you need to act with extreme caution. It would be best to test the product on a small area of the product; if it becomes lighter, the procedure can be continued.

How to clean a silver chain at home

Unfortunately, cleaning a silver chain from blackness at home is somewhat more difficult than cleaning a pendant, brooch or earrings. This is determined precisely by the form of the decoration: the most significant contamination is located in hard-to-reach places, and it is difficult to remove them from there.

It will be easier to clean the blackness from a silver chain and cross if you “dismantle” the jewelry. Before the procedure, all pendants must be removed from the chain.

Particular care should be taken when handling products with “built-in” stones and organic matter. Often, products that are optimal for silver can be harmful for minerals. In such cases, use special chemicals and heating processes with extreme caution - when caring, you should always focus on the most delicate material in the jewelry.

To quickly and effectively clean a silver chain from blackness at home, you need to prepare the jewelry. You can first soak the chain in a warm soapy solution (with soap, shampoo or dishwashing detergent) for an hour, then rub it with a soft sponge, rinse and dry with a napkin. This will not return the original shine to the jewelry (the blackness will remain), but dirt, sweat and grease will come off, making it easier to clean the product.

Soap solution is the most gentle means for cleaning jewelry, although it is not the most effective. But in this way you can safely get rid of dirty deposits on blackened silver or jewelry with inserts.

There are two main methods for cleaning a silver chain at home: “wet” and “dry”. The first for chains is more effective: all kinds of liquid compounds reach the most inaccessible places - only finishing cleaning is done manually.

925 sterling silver chain in the Sunligjh catalog
“Dry” methods do not imply complete immersion of the jewelry in a liquid medium, so it will have to be processed mechanically. It is strictly forbidden to use hard abrasives - they can damage soft metal. You need to apply force very carefully: thin chains, especially with simple weaving, break instantly.

To properly clean a silver chain without causing irreparable damage to the jewelry, you need to carefully select your working arsenal (only soft cloths, sponges, toothbrushes with especially soft bristles) and strictly adhere to the recipes described below.

How to clean jewelry with baking soda

Alternatively, you can clean a tarnished silver chain with foil and baking soda. This is a great way to instantly get rid of annoying plaque using improvised means that can be found in any housewife’s kitchen. What’s nice is that after using it, chains rarely need final mechanical cleaning.

This option involves the use of high temperature exposure, which triggers a chemical reaction. We do not recommend using it for blackened silver, as well as jewelry with stones and other inserts.

We proceed as follows:

Line the bottom of a small saucepan or bowl with foil.
Place the chain in a container with foil.
Pour 1 liter of water, add 50 grams of soda.
Place the container on the fire and bring to a boil.
Turn off the heat and wait 5-10 minutes.
We remove the clean chain, wash it, and dry it.

Cleaning silver with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (peroxide) is found in almost every family medicine cabinet. This substance is quite soft and does not harm even delicate organic matter that is resistant to water (leather and wood - no!)

Cleaning a silver chain at home with hydrogen peroxide is simple and safe for both skin and jewelry. But you need to keep in mind that it is impossible to remove a thick coating of peroxide. This method will not work to remove blackness from a silver chain at home, but it is quite suitable for regular care.

So:

We degrease the silver (you can dip it in vodka or alcohol).
Add 50 ml of peroxide to 1 liter of warm water.
Place the chain in the solution for a couple of hours.
Remove, wash, dry.

How to clean silver with vinegar

It is quite possible to clean a silver chain so that it shines using ordinary food vinegar. It is better to use alcohol vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and other exotic vinegar.

Transparent food vinegar is sold in stores in concentrations of 6 and 9% - it is optimal for our purposes. It is better not to use concentrated vinegar essence - it is too caustic.

The action plan looks like this:

Pour half a glass or a glass of vinegar into the saucepan.
We put the chain there.
We put it on the burner.
Heat the vinegar slightly, but do not bring it to a boil.
When the chain brightens, remove it, rinse it under running water, and dry it.

You can clean and wash a tarnished silver chain as part of regular care using the same vinegar. Just dampen a soft cloth with it and gently wipe the jewelry. You can keep it wrapped in this cloth and spread out for half an hour.

Clean with ammonia

A blackened silver chain can be restored to its original shine using ammonia and crushed chalk. However, you can clean a silver chain with minor stains with pure ammonia - simply wipe it with a cloth or cotton pad soaked in it.

It should be taken into account that the characteristic ammonia smell of ammonia cannot be called pleasant and useful, so all manipulations should be carried out with well-functioning ventilation or an open window.

It's simple:

Mix 30 ml of alcohol with a pinch of crushed chalk.
We stretch the chain on a smooth surface (not wood or similar materials - this composition is destructive for them).
We put on thin gloves (do not allow ammonia to come into contact with unprotected skin).
Rub the decoration with ammonia-chalk paste.
We thoroughly rinse the chain under running water and dry it.

If ammonia gets on your skin, eyes, or mucous membranes, immediately throw everything away and rinse with cold running water. If the pain and burning does not go away, consult a doctor immediately!

Using toothpaste

You can try to remove blackness from a silver chain at home with regular toothpaste. It is advisable to use a white paste, not gel-like, without abrasive particles or dyes. It is unlikely that you will be able to bleach a silver chain in this way, but large particles of dirt and grease will come off, and some of the original shine will return.

Silver chain of the CHRYSOS brand

This is a purely mechanical method that requires accuracy and even pedantry. It is highly advisable to stretch the chain in such a way that the risk of breaking the jewelry is reduced and access to the spaces between links is simplified.

You can make an improvised tablet for such a case:

Take a piece of thick thick cardboard.
Cover the cardboard tightly with cling film (no gaps, in several layers, otherwise it will get soggy).
Loosely lay out the fastened chain on the tablet.
We fix several links with tailor's pins.
Squeeze a little paste onto a soft brush.
Clean the jewelry, moving the pins as necessary.
We remove dirt from the spaces between the links using a toothpick. Metal objects (awls, needles) must be used extremely carefully so as not to damage the soft metal.

How to clean silver with stones

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You can clean silver rings with stones in a jewelry store or at home. You should focus on the density of the stones. Aquamarine, emerald and sapphire can be cleaned with washing powder; laundry soap will help remove grease and dirt from malachite, moonstone, opal and turquoise. Silver earrings with ruby or garnet stones should not be immersed in hot water. It is important to clean jewelry with inserts very carefully and carefully: do not damage the insert itself or loosen the fastenings. Products containing amber, coral or pearls should be washed with lukewarm water and soap. Aggressive cleaning agents can destroy the structure of the stone.

Vinegar.

You can often find a recipe that calls for dipping the jewelry in a container with a vinegar solution for several hours. This is not the best option, since if there are other decorations on your silver item (stones, precious dust), they may be damaged. It is a completely ready-made blackhead remover. But, it is necessary to put the product in it for a fairly long period of time - 60-90 minutes. Next, the decoration should be washed until the unpleasant smell inherent in vinegar disappears. Both 6% and 9% compositions are suitable.

How to clean rhodium plated silver

Rhodium is a noble platinum group metal that is sometimes used to coat silver jewelry, giving it shine and durability. You can clean rhodium-plated silver at home with special liquids for cleaning jewelry, napkins or a velvet rag soaked in warm water. A bath of soapy water helps remove stains from rhodium-plated silver; the jewelry is immersed in water for a few minutes. Some people prefer to wipe such products with cotton swabs soaked in glycerin. If all of the above methods do not help, it is better to take the jewelry to a jewelry workshop. Specialists will restore the rhodium-plated coating using the galvanic method.

Why does silver jewelry darken?

A silver chain around the neck darkens for several reasons:

interaction with air, which contains sulfur and nitrogen compounds that negatively affect silver;
frequent contact with water, so it is recommended to remove jewelry while taking water procedures;
interaction with human sweat, and for each person the oxidation process occurs at a different rate;
contact with cosmetics, household chemicals and perfume.

Rapid darkening of silver jewelry, such as a chain or cross, may indicate a small amount of silver in the composition - the faster the oxidation process occurs, the less of this metal was used.

Jeweler's tips for cleaning silver

You can properly clean tarnished silver at home without difficulty if the jewelry is not inlaid with stones or other inserts. An incorrectly selected cleaning agent can destroy the structure of the stone and damage the fastenings. You can rub the silver so that it shines like new with a velvet cloth or special napkins, usually sold in jewelry workshops. There, the master will help restore the appearance of silver jewelry, if this cannot be done on your own. With the help of special equipment and clean products, this will take no more than an hour. Polishing silver items is not difficult, but it will be pointless if you do not take care of the jewelry in the future.

Ammonia

An equally common method is ammonia. You need to mix soap and ammonia in the correct proportions, where you should dip the silver item for half an hour. This method will not cause any harm to silver, but your room will be filled with a not very pleasant smell while this mixture is working. This technique is best performed in an open space.

Should I resort to using clear varnishes?

On the Internet, in various forums and elsewhere, you can find user advice on how to maintain the shine of silver chains for a long time. One of them concerns the use of clear varnish. For example, the one that girls and women use to apply to the nail plates. Under no circumstances should you do this. Yes, varnish prevents the product from coming into contact with oxygen, but at the same time it negatively affects the aesthetics of the chain. In addition, the varnish begins to crumble over time, as the links are mixed during wear, destroying the fragile structure of the coating.