Gold jewelry loses its luster over time. The metal becomes dark, dull. In order for gold products to always have an attractive appearance, they must be cleaned regularly. You can leave this work to jewelers, or you can do everything yourself. How gold is refined, we will consider in the article.
Jewellery is made from different types of gold, they differ in shade. Yellow gold is considered the most popular. To clean it, you can purchase a special tool in a jewelry store.
And if there is no special agent, how is gold purified? Cheaper methods are available, the end result will be just as good. Consider the most popular of them.
Hydrogen peroxide
How to clean gold at home with this tool? You will need:
- water - 1 cup;
- peroxide - 50 ml;
- ammonia - 1 tsp;
- liquid soap - 1 tsp
The components are mixed and placed in a ready-made solution of gold for 20 minutes, and then thoroughly washed in clean water, dried. The decoration becomes clean, as when purchased.
Ammonia
How to clear gold from blackness? This will allow ammonia. Ammonia can also clean other people's gold, since hand-bought jewelry often does not shine.
To put the metal in order, you will need:
- warm water - 200 ml;
- ammonia 10% - ½ tsp;
- shampoo - 1 tsp
The components must be mixed and the gold placed in this solution for several hours. This procedure should be carried out in a well-ventilated area so as not to inhale the pungent odor. After the jewelry is wiped with a dry cloth.
But this method is not suitable for processing jewelry with precious stones - they fade.
Detergent
How to clean gold from iodine? Dish detergent can be used.
Pour a glass of water into a small saucepan, add a few drops of detergent and put decorations. Bring water to a boil, boil for another 10 minutes, then remove, rinse and dry.
S alt
And how can you purify gold? S alt will help:
- It is necessary to prepare a solution of hot water (150 ml) and s alt (60 g). Place gold jewelry in it. Leave for a few hours.
- Then take it out, rinse under cold water and dry with a towel.
S alt is an effective remedy for dirt, jewelry regains its original beauty and brilliance. The method is suitable for different types of jewelry, inincluding stones.
Foil
You can try cleaning the gold with baking soda. To do this, you still need foil and water. 50 g of soda is dissolved in hot water (500 ml). The foil is placed at the bottom of a deep container. Decorations are placed on top and poured with a solution of soda. Leave for 10 hours, then rinse in cold water and wipe dry.
What to do if all else fails?
If the above methods do not help, perhaps the dirt is deeply ingrained. How is gold purified in this case? Mechanical cleaning required.
You need to act very carefully. To avoid scuffs and scratches, do not use abrasive products, there are more gentle ones. These are special cleaning pastes. A small amount is applied to a toothbrush with soft bristles and the surface of the product is carefully treated with smooth movements. After some time, the paste is removed with a napkin, the gold is rubbed with alcohol. After that, you need to wash it with water and wipe it dry.
Folk remedies
How else is gold refined? The following methods are effective:
- A napkin is soaked in onion juice or vinegar and rubbed with gold items. Leave for 2 hours. Then they must be rinsed with clean water and dried.
- Helps to remove dirt on jewelry and regular lipstick. Titanium dioxide, which is part of it, will help in this. Lubricate a cotton pad with lipstick and process jewelry. After a while, wipe with a clean cloth.
- You can clean yellow gold with sugar. Enoughdissolve one teaspoon in a glass of water and put decorations. After 3 hours, they must be removed and wiped dry.
- A mixture of petroleum jelly, honey, soap and water helps. The components must be mixed in the same amount and the surface of the products must be treated. But for jewelry with stones, this method is not suitable.
- Mustard powder provides an excellent effect. They wipe the surface.
White gold
Yellow gold cleaning methods are not suitable for white. This material is more prone to scratches and therefore requires more careful handling.
You can try this:
- Only soft materials are used for cleaning. The surface of such jewelry is treated with rhodium. It is a rare metal of the platinum group. It is quickly erased, so the processing is carried out with a cloth with soft pile.
- Use a solution of water and ammonia. Precious items are kept in it for an hour, and then wiped with a dry cloth. It is advisable not to leave moisture on such gold, as this may damage the metal.
- Powders and pastes are not suitable for cleaning.
- There is another recipe for removing pollution. Beer (2 tablespoons) is mixed with egg yolk. Gold jewelry is treated with this mixture using a soft cloth.
With precious stones
Now we know how gold is refined. But these methods are not suitable for cleaning products with stones. Such products may not tolerate moisture well. Special tools needed:
- Dirt is removed with cottonsticks soaked in cologne, and the frames are rubbed with a soft toothbrush dipped in soapy water.
- Before cleaning, you need to see how the stones are fixed. If they are glued, then water should not be used. To do this, you can choose an alcohol solution, it cleans grease stains well. Then wipe the surface with a damp cloth and dry.
- Diamond jewelry is cleaned with ammonia. They need to be placed in a solution (6 drops per 200 ml of water) for half an hour. Then wipe with a cotton swab and blot with paper.
- Petrol is used for cleaning. Soak a toothbrush with soft bristles in gasoline and work on the jewelry.
For precious stones, the hardness factor is used. Knowing this indicator, you can choose the appropriate purification method. Turquoise, malachite, opal, apatite are considered soft stones. They do not tolerate prolonged contact with moisture.
For high-quality cleaning of products with precious inserts, an ordinary soap solution is suitable. It is enough to rinse the jewelry in it for a few minutes, then wipe it dry. Vinegar and ammonia are not suitable for amber, pearls, coral. But you can use the following methods:
- Alcohol and water are diluted in a ratio of 1: 1. This solution is suitable for high-quality cleaning.
- Pearls are treated with soapy water. Dip a soft brush into it and rub the pearls. The product must dry naturally. The gold cut is wiped with a cloth without touching the stone.
- Coral and amberprocessed with suede or flannel fabric.
Gold chain cleaning
Gold chains are quite popular jewelry. But over time, they can darken, accumulate dirt. The following methods are used for cleaning:
- You need to prepare a solution of warm water and laundry soap. A gold chain is placed in it for several hours. Then brush the surface with a hard bristled toothbrush. After that, the jewelry is washed with cold water and laid out on a towel to dry.
- To remove old stains, repeat the above procedure several times or use deep cleaning. To do this, you need ammonia (25%). Place a chain in a container and pour ammonia, leave for 2 hours. Then rinse with water and dry.
- Excellent effect gives the use of a mixture of chalk, vaseline oil, soap, water. The components must be mixed in equal proportions. In the resulting solution, moisten a napkin and wipe the entire chain. Then rinse in clean water and dry. The chain will return to its original luster.
Care
You can use special tools that clean the gold with high quality and help restore the original appearance of the jewelry. They appear as:
- solution;
- cleaning paste;
- spray;
- wet and dry wipes.
The choice of remedy depends on the type of gold and the presence of precious stones. In this case, it is possible not only to clean the gold items with high quality, but also to prevent damage.surface.
Cleaning rules
All of these methods can be harmful if used inappropriately. Common mistakes include:
- surface treatment with a stiff brush and abrasive;
- cleaning precious stones and gold with the same product, especially if it is not intended for stone processing.
Thus, it is necessary to remove contamination from gold carefully, choosing the right means. And if there are dark spots or dirt that cannot be washed off, then it is preferable to entrust such processing to a professional. In this case, you can not worry about the quality of work and the final result.
