Humanity got acquainted with silver at the dawn of civilization. Today, this noble metal is used not only for jewelry and fine trinkets for the home, it is also used in the electronics and electrochemical industries. Silver is a natural enemy of bacteria. Some airlines use water treated with this substance on board aircraft. It is also used to decorate cakes (additive E174). And all the girls have long known that if you wash your face with silver water, you can preserve youth and beauty for a long time.
Over time, silver darkens, it appears plaque. In this article, we will tell you how to clean silver from blackness at home. And what mistakes should be avoided.
Why does silver darken
Silver is a precious metal. It is not oxidized by oxygen even when heated. Where does the dark coating come from in this case? This phenomenon occurs for two reasons:
- The appearance of silver sulfide. It is formed with excess moisture in the presence of at least a small amount of divalent sulfur. She, in turn, always in low concentrationpresent on human skin as part of hydrogen sulfide released during sweating. Thus, the more often you come into contact with silver items, the faster they turn black.
- Silver is indeed chemically inert to both oxygen and nitrogen. But it is not used in its pure form - it is always an alloy with other substances, most often copper. For example, in products of the 960th sample - 96% pure silver and 4% copper. Thus, upon contact with air, dark copper oxide is formed on the surface. Accordingly, the lower the sample, the more impurities in the alloy, and the faster the thing turns black.
Before you learn how to effectively clean silver at home, you need to remember that there are a number of factors that speed up the process of darkening. For example, silver should not come into contact with any sulfur-containing products (eggs, onions, a number of medicines, sometimes even an excess of hydrogen sulfide is observed in the air) or aggressive chemical environments.
Eraser
In order to clean silver from blackness at home, an ordinary eraser is often used. This is a very simple method, even a child can use it. The effect is based on a simple mechanical action (it is better to use the hard side of the eraser) and is only achieved if the decoration has only lost its luster.
In addition, the result can only be obtained on a flat surface, without relief. Strongly darkened and patterned things cannot be cleaned with an eraser.
Olive oil
How to clean silver witholive oil? This substance will not affect either silver sulfide or sulfur oxide in any way. But it works great as a polish in the company of a cotton pad or a small piece of soft felt. So, if there are no large dark spots on the product, and the surface needs to be given additional shine, then we moisten the cloth in oil and bring the metal to the desired gloss with smooth movements. This is not to say that this is a fast way, but there is nothing complicated in it.
Instead of olive oil, you can use any other (vegetable oil).
Toothpaste
This recipe is for those who want to know how to effectively clean silver. To do this, you just need to coat the thing with toothpaste and leave it like that all night. After the dried substance is removed with a soft cloth, and the metal surface under it again becomes shiny. The effect is based on the presence in the toothpaste of substances that corrode plaque. Therefore, for such procedures, pastes with a whitening effect are best suited, in which the concentration of active ingredients and acids is higher.
There is another option, how to clean silver. The paste is immediately rubbed into the surface with a toothbrush, and plaque is also removed due to mechanical action. Tooth powder is used for the same purposes. Blackness disappears due to the action of abrasives. The method is effective, but can lead to undesirable consequences: scratches often remain on the metal surface.
In general, after brushing with toothpaste, the result will be good, but deep blackness isthe product will not remove.
Potato decoction
People have known for many years how to clean silver with potato broth. Previously, in rich houses, cutlery made of this noble metal was cleaned with the help of potatoes. To do this, the objects were placed in a still hot liquid and left in it for 30–50 min. Then the silver was rubbed dry without washing.
However, it is not necessary to boil potatoes. You can grate one tuber, pour it with a glass of water and let it brew for 15 minutes. Then strain the infusion and lower the silver thing into the resulting liquid. The holding time is 20 minutes, then the product must be washed and polished with a soft cloth.
The method is good, especially in cases where you need to clean a lot of things, such as cutlery. But it only helps with slight darkening.
Ammonia
It's time to learn how to quickly clean silver at home with ammonia. This method was previously used by collectors of ancient medals, coins and other items, as professional tools were not available.
So, ammonia is a solution of ammonia, which dissolves silver sulfide well. Therefore, we prepare a solution for cleaning: for 0.5 liters of water - 1 tbsp. l. ammonia. The latter can be bought at any pharmacy.
The decoration is placed in the solution, aged in it for up to 1 hour. Then it must be removed, rinsed well and polished dry.
The following recipe is also often found: ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are mixedin equal proportions, and silver is kept in this composition for 5 minutes. The reaction is immediately visible - the liquid hisses and the blackness dissolves before our eyes. Thus, the answer to the question of how to quickly clean silver has been received. But this method is not recommended for use: the mixture is too aggressive and reacts with all impurities in the alloy. Accordingly, the lower the sample, the worse the result will be. But if you absolutely need to try this method, then pre-test: apply the composition on the back surface of the product in a small amount and evaluate the result.
Vinegar
There is another option, how to clean silver at home quickly. To do this, use acetic acid in a three percent concentration. At home, there is usually either nine percent table vinegar or seventy percent acid - they need to be diluted to the desired level.
You can simply wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in acid. But the purification reaction goes much better when heated. Therefore, pour three percent vinegar into a container (necessarily enameled), lower the product into it and heat it over low heat. Under no circumstances should boiling be allowed. After the liquid has warmed up, remove it from the stove, wait for it to cool and take out the silver. Then rinse and wipe dry.
The method is quite effective, but it should be remembered that the acid acts on silver as a destructive factor. Therefore, use sparingly and with caution.
Citric acid
Howclean silver from blackness with citric acid? In fact, heating this noble metal in an acidic environment gives a very good result. And according to its properties, citric acid is much more aggressive than acetic acid. But if you are careful, you can use it.
Prepare a solution: 50 g of acetic acid powder in 250 ml of water. Next, we put silver things in the solution, put a piece of copper wire (catalyst) there and heat the liquid in a water bath (it’s easier to prevent overheating and boiling). We stand things for 15 minutes, then we take them out and wash them several times.
Acid destroys silver, so you need to rinse thoroughly, and everything is better in a soda solution that neutralizes the acidic environment. Then things are polished to a dry state.
Soda and foil
Also often asked how to clean silver at home with baking soda. This is the simplest and most effective substance that can be found in any kitchen. Moreover, when using this substance, you can not only clean the product, but chemically restore silver from its sulfide.
Recipe:
- We take 1 tbsp. l. baking soda.
- Add to 250 ml of water.
- Pour the liquid into an aluminum container.
- We drop silver into it.
- Bring to a boil and boil for another 15-20 minutes.
- We cool, we take out the products.
- Rinse and polish until dry.
Aluminum cookware is a must, as the presence of this metal ensures the release of atomic hydrogen intoalkaline environment and restores silver.
There is another recipe for how to clean silver from blackness with soda. They make a plate out of foil (it is made of aluminum), pour a little heated water into it, and put one teaspoon of s alt and soda. In such a liquid, the product is kept for half an hour, then washed and wiped.
Another option on how to clean silver at home using soda and foil: the items are wrapped in foil and boiled in a soda solution for 20 minutes. Then washed and polished. The principle of all three methods is similar: the reduction of silver in an alkaline solution in the presence of aluminum.
Safety
It is important to know not only how to clean silver at home, but also how not to spoil it:
- Do not use homemade abrasives such as baking soda or s alt. From them scratches appear, each of which is a focus of future blackness. Each time the product will become more difficult to clean.
- Carefully use all cleaning methods where the component is acid. Such an aggressive additive, if the dosage is incorrect or the exposure time is exceeded, can pit the metal surface.
- Don't forget your own safety: be careful when working with acids and hot media.
Products with gilding, stones or enamel
How to clean silver with inlays of stones and enamel or gold-plated elements at home? Unfortunately, none of the above methods work. Such methods can ruin the thing, for example, the stone will fade or change color, enamel will deteriorate, scratches will appear on the gilding, etc.
Therefore, such things should be taken to a jeweler for cleaning or use one of the professional pastes. The procedure is carried out with the help of cotton swabs, the places where stones or enamel are located are skipped. For gold-plated jewelry, a universal remedy is selected that is suitable for cleaning both silver and gold. However, such things darken less.
How to remove dark plaque in jewelry workshops
What is the easiest way to clean silver? Take it to a specialist who can easily cope with this task. Of course, this is more expensive than cleaning the kitchen with improvised means. But it is also much safer, as there is no risk of damaging the product.
Jewellery workshops use several cleaning methods: professional cleaning solutions, wet wipes with an impregnation that dissolves plaque, polishing pastes, dry polishing wipes, ultrasonic cleaning. After all the procedures, a transparent coating is applied to the silver product - it will protect the metal from the appearance of black spots for a while.
