Weaving a gold chain can be very different - from the simplest to the complex Arabic or Bismarck. It is not always the more complex the weaving, the more beautiful it is. The choice of a gold chain depends on tastes, preferences and financial capabilities. But the more complex such bindings are, the more dirt gets clogged up in them.
If you want to restore the shine and original appearance of the product again, then you just need to clean the gold chain. To understand exactly how and what to clean gold chains with, let’s figure out what kind of gold is used in the jewelry.
Features of gold jewelry
585 yellow gold, the most common today, loved by jewelers and buyers. Consists of 585 parts of actual gold. The rest is copper and silver. Platinum is added to white gold. All these additives make gold stronger, but do not protect against scratches.
Gold is not afraid of chemical reagents. It does not react with alkalis or acids and dissolves only in aqua regia. Does this mean you can use chemicals to clean it? Advice - not worth it. There are many reliable ways to clean a gold chain and make it shine again without using harsh products.
Useful tips
There are a few more simple rules that must be followed when cleaning chains made of gold:
- If when cleaning a product it is necessary to exert mechanical force on it, then for these purposes it is necessary to use a soft cloth, a cotton swab or disk, or a toothbrush with soft bristles.
- The bottom of any container in which the product is cleaned is first covered with metal foil. If cleaning requires boiling the chain in a cleaning solution, then the bottom of the pan in which this procedure is performed is covered with a cotton cloth.
- It is best to dry items naturally after cleaning them by laying them out on a soft cloth towel. It is especially important to comply with this requirement when cleaning jewelry with precious stones, the mechanical or thermal impact of which can lead to their peeling off or deterioration of their decorative characteristics.
Eight easy ways
There are many ways to clean a gold chain at home and more. They can be used to not only clean a gold item of dirt, but also to give it its original shine.
Method one - gold cosmetics
Such cosmetics include special care kits for gold jewelry. It must have a special brush. With its help, you can clean a gold chain in difficult places without leaving scratches. What do we mean by difficult and difficult to reach places? The joints of links in weaving or the fastening of a lock - most often this is where dust accumulates.
Method two - soap, toothpick and toothbrush
You can arm yourself with a wooden toothpick and slowly remove dirt from the gold chain. But first soak your product in warm water and soap.
After an hour or two, home remedies will do their job. You can take it out, wipe it with a flannel or simply dry it with a paper towel. A soft, old toothbrush is suitable for cleaning. Wet it in a soapy solution and carefully clean all dirty areas. But those places that the brush cannot reach can be cleaned with a wooden toothpick.
After cleaning the gold chain from dirt with soap, rinse it in warm water and wipe dry. Then it can be polished.
Method three - ammonia
Using an ammonia solution, you can not only clean the chain, but also give it shine without makeup and additional effort.
Recipe:
- 1 teaspoon of ammonia or 10% ammonia;
- 1 tablespoon of washing powder;
- 1 glass of well warm water.
Mix all this and leave the gold chain for up to 3 hours.
This recipe has one drawback - the smell. We recommend wearing a mask and kneading in a well-ventilated area. For example, this can be done near an open window or on an open balcony.
After three hours, rinse the gold chain with running water and wipe dry. If there is no deep dirt in the lock area or between the chain links, then you're done. If you're left, pick up a toothpick. If you're not satisfied with the shine, we polish it.
Ammonia quickly purifies gold. You can simply pour hot water into a saucepan, add ammonia to it, place a gold chain in the solution and close the lid. After a few hours, the chain should shine.
The composition should be 1 to 10. For one portion of ammonia, add 10 portions of water.
Method four - toothpaste or powder
Tooth powder not only cleans teeth, but also polishes many household items to a shine. The gold just shines from it. But here it is necessary to take into account that such funds should not have any foreign inclusions. Otherwise, the metal can be easily damaged.
The same point applies to toothpaste. For example, whitening toothpaste is dangerous not only because it destroys tooth enamel, but also scratches gold with small particles. Choose a homogeneous paste, without additional unnecessary effects.
Method five - chalk
We have already rubbed chalk between our fingers on the gold ring. It is unlikely that this method of cleaning the house will help clean a gold chain, but it will definitely add shine. We believe that it is better to attribute it to polishing gold.
Method six - vinegar
There are two options - make a vinegar solution and soak the chain for a while. And the second is to wrap the product with gauze soaked in a 9% vinegar solution. It all depends on the degree of pollution.
Method seven – salt and lemon juice
A)
For this option for cleaning gold at home, coarse table salt is suitable. Prepare porridge from salt and a couple of tablespoons of citrus juice. It is believed that not only lemon juice, but also orange juice is suitable.
Rub the gold jewelry with the product until it shines. Be careful not to let the salt crystals scratch the thin metal.
B)
Mix a spoonful of salt, baking soda and dish washing solution in equal proportions. Fill with hot water and place the product in the prepared container.
But there is one small nuance here - you must put foil on the bottom of the dish!
Method eight - for those who are bored
Beer and egg white. We have not tested this gold chain cleaner at home, but many bloggers recommend it. Whip the mixture with a whisk. The chain is immersed in this solution for half an hour, then washed and rubbed with flannel.
Drugs
Experts prefer to clean jewelry with various types of preparations. They can also be used at home.
GOLD CLEAN
A French-made liquid cleaner that allows you to remove greasy deposits, residues of perfumes, cosmetics, and soap substances. Suitable for processing gold-plated, gold, platinum jewelry. The chain is immersed in the prepared solution for 2 minutes, the container with the decoration is scrolled (shaken) several times. The product is removed and rinsed. Additionally, after drying, they are polished with special Gold Cloth napkins.
The drug is quite expensive, from 1000 rubles. Before using the product, you should additionally study the manufacturer's instructions.
When using chemicals, you need to protect your hands from damage; for this, wear rubber gloves.
Flurin
The substance is domestically produced and consists of mineral and organic acids, aliphatic alcohol, a corrosion inhibitor, and other components (reagents) that allow not only to remove contaminants, but also not to damage soft metal. It is a solution, sold in small bottles. Suitable for both gold and silver.
Having poured the required amount of solution into the cup, I immerse the product in it for 7 minutes. Additionally, what has not come off is removed with a toothbrush and rinsed. Dry with a cloth or paper napkin. The cost of Flurin varies between 300-400 rubles.
Disposable wipes for caring for jewelry “JEWELRY WIPES”
An alternative, quick way to remove any dirt from gold jewelry is to treat it with special disposable wipes. Sold as a tube filled with 25 wipes. The cost is within 300-400 rubles.
Each polishing cloth measures 12.7x7.6 cm and is impregnated with a special substance (a mixture of sodium sulfite and aluminum oxide). Suitable for gold, platinum, silver items decorated with sapphires, diamonds, rubies.
Use is simple - take out a napkin and wipe the contaminated item without much effort. Additional washing of the product is not necessary. When using, it is advisable to protect your hands with gloves, or wash them with soapy water after the procedure.
Grandmother's methods for cleaning a gold chain
Mustard powder
for many grandmothers it remains a panacea. Some people use it to clean and wash dishes, windows, and crystal. And there is a grain of truth in this. This product copes well with grease stains and adds shine to any product.
Onion juice.
If you are not confused by the fact that you need to get juice from the onion, which is rubbed into the chain, then the method is very simple and original. By the way, it gives effect quite quickly. Just don’t forget to rinse your chain after the onion paste, otherwise the smell will haunt not only you, but also those around you.
Jewelry cosmetics and special devices
If you are afraid of ruining your jewelry with improvised means, special cosmetics used by professional jewelers will come to your aid. You can purchase such products in jewelry stores and online.
There are three main types of caring cosmetics:
- Solutions that remove traces of oxidation in minutes.
- Wipes, dry or wet, polish, remove dirt, and do not clog chain links.
- A paste that removes significant darkening and preserves the shine of jewelry for a long time.
When purchasing any jewelry cosmetics, be careful, read the instructions for use and follow safety precautions.
There are also specialized devices that clean jewelry with ultrasound. Working at a certain frequency, such a device removes the most difficult to reach contaminants. This method is quite convenient, since such an ultrasonic bath will only take 15 minutes.
There are also non-standard cleaning methods
At home, some recommend using lipstick for cleaning. Our experiments have proven that this method is a myth. Lipstick adds shine to the product, but it is just grease that remains on the gold for a long time and does not wash off using conventional methods.
In addition, wearing a greasy chain around your neck will not only stain your clothes. Dust will quickly stick to the grease.
You can use Goya paste. It comes in a variety of colors and the color depends on the particle size. We recommend using Goya's green paste to clean your gold chain at home. The paste both cleans and gives shine to the product.
If you are a lover of gold jewelry, then buy such a pencil - it will last for a long time, and you will not have to figure out ways to clean a gold chain at home.
How to clean the product?
How to wash a chain largely depends on the chosen cleaner. The procedure may vary:
- Spread the product over a soft cloth and polish gently. If necessary, dirt should be removed from the links using a toothpick, and then the product should be rinsed and dried.
- Pour the solution into the container and lower the chain into it. Then leave it for the required amount of time depending on the type of cleaner and wash the jewelry.
- Place the accessory in a bowl and fill it with cleaner, then leave it for 5-15 minutes.
- Cleaning is done using sponges and brushes.
How can you rub gold until it shines if you are not impressed with the results?
First of all, it is worth remembering that gold must be cleaned very carefully, without leaving scratches or denting it when cleaning.
Gold chains can be hollow. These products look the same as the full ones, only they weigh half as much. It is machine woven and is very easy to tear and wrinkle. To give it shine, you will need:
- soft flannel or other fabric with fine but very dense pile. You should not use coarse fabrics such as linen for this;
- chalk powder if you didn't use it for cleaning. If you cleaned gold with chalk, then it will still shine;
- Goya paste or special jewelry paste.
We wipe the gold jewelry with flannel, trying not to leave threads in the links of the chain and not to crush it. The decoration will shine. In addition, using chalk, which is rubbed between your fingers, you can remove minor scratches from the product.
History of origin
The skill of making gold chains has come to us since ancient times. People who believed in the sun god wore yellow jewelry. In Ancient Egypt, rulers and pharaohs, when they passed away, took gold jewelry with them to their tombs, which symbolized the majesty and divine origin of the deceased.
Many wore a gold chain as a talisman, putting a sacred meaning into it - “the infinity of a closed circle.”
Modern gold chains come in elegant, massive, thin, thick, and various shapes and configurations. Jewelry craftsmen make a variety of products, where everyone can choose a chain to suit their taste.
Thanks to scientific and technological progress, today you can find gold of various shades: pink, red, white and even green, to which precious metals are added.
Some tips on how to keep gold clean and shiny without cleaning
A gold chain is a piece of jewelry that we wear all the time. Therefore, its contaminants can become:
- Chlorine in water.
Don't forget to take off the chain when you go into the pool. Chlorine, which is used to treat pool water, and other disinfectant solutions, is unlikely to have a good effect on the appearance of gold. - Summer, heat, dust, sweat.
It is these four components that merge together that create the very dirt that you will then have to clean. Based on this, if you are going to jog, it is better to remove the chain. - Winter clothes.
Crew neck sweaters, items made of down or fabric with long pile - all this can get stuck among the links and not only stain the chain, but also break it. - Long hair
has the ability to get caught in knots. It is better to tie them up, thereby revealing the neck line, decorated with a gold chain.
When should you wear a gold chain if it gets dirty in the summer and breaks in the winter? In any season. Just try to take care of your jewelry without allowing it to become dark or dirty. Rinse it in the evening in summer, and in winter check it for integrity and remove excess threads.
Pollution prevention
It is recommended to remove gold jewelry, including chains, at night, during water procedures, visiting the pool, and physical activity. This way you minimize the impact of sweat, oil and cosmetics, which spoil the appearance of your jewelry.
It is better to store chains in special tablets with individual cells for each decoration. Keep them away from moisture, direct sunlight, and extremely high or low temperatures. And for a short time you can hang the chain on a special tree hanger: this way it will not get lost or get mixed up with other jewelry.
Take care of your favorite jewelry regularly, and it will not need radical and time-consuming cleaning methods!
08.03.21
