Silver has been known since ancient times and was of great value until they learned how to smelt it artificially. Up to this point, gold was valued much less, there are very few silver deposits, even if compared with gold mines. From Sanskrit, silver is translated as light, and in Ancient Russia the name of silver was borrowed from the ancient Indian word "sarpa" - the Moon and the Sickle.
Like other precious metals, silver is marked with a breakdown. The figure, for example, 925 means that this is how much pure metal is in the product per 1000 parts of the alloy. Previously, zinc and copper were traditionally used for the alloy, but today, most self-respecting manufacturers have abandoned the use of zinc due to its proven harmfulness and use other safe metals.
Whether quality silver or not, it darkens over time, as any metal oxidizes. Although many superstitious individuals believe that this is damage, but there is only a chemical reaction with objects that surround a person in everyday life. The following factors can cause silver to oxidize:
- wetWednesday;
- direct contact with cosmetics;
- human sweat;
- domestic gas and rubber;
- egg yolk and onion.
Despite this, silver does not lose its popularity, and it can be easily polished. How to clean silver at home? This will be discussed in the article.
Ammonia
Effective cleaning of silver jewelry at home is done with ammonia. This tool is considered the simplest and most affordable, which allows you to get rid of dirty plaque on silver. You will need to purchase a 10% solution. The cleaning procedure is recommended to be carried out in a small glass container where silver items are placed. After 20 minutes, the silver is thoroughly washed with warm running water and dried. This recipe is suitable for products that are not very oxidized or can be prevented in this way.
Ammonia and toothpaste
In this case, the silver is first cleaned with an old toothbrush and toothpaste. After that, the products are immersed in ammonia for 15 minutes. This recipe is suitable for silver with strong oxidation, but not for jewelry with stones.
Ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and baby liquid soap
All ingredients are mixed in equal parts and diluted with a glass of water. Silver is added to the mixture for a quarter of an hour. After the metal has dried, it must be polished with a woolen cloth.
Tooth Powder
Silver must be soaked, but only in warm water and immersed in a container of dentifrice powder. In this case, you will need to rub the products with a cloth made of wool or suede. At the end of cleaning, the silver is washed from the powder and dried.
Baking soda
To clean, you will need to dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in half a liter of water, the mixture should be heated over a fire. After the solution has boiled, a small piece of food foil is thrown into it and silver items are placed. After 15 minutes, you can take out the silver and rinse with water.
S alt
Cleaning silver jewelry at home can also be done with s alt. It will take 200 ml of water and one teaspoon of s alt. As soon as it is well mixed, silver items can be immersed in the solution and left for several hours, at least 4. If the silver is heavily soiled, it can be boiled in the solution for about 15 minutes, but not jewelry with stones.
S alt, baking soda and detergent
One liter of water will require a tablespoon of soda, s alt and dishwashing detergent. It is better to knead in an aluminum bowl. The container with the solution must be put on a small fire, add decorations and boil for about 20 minutes. After that, pull out the silver, dry it and wipe it with a piece of suede cloth.
Potatoes
This recipe can be combined with cooking. After the potatoes are cooked, the water from under it must be drained into a separatecontainer, add a little foil and immerse silver jewelry, boil for about 5-7 minutes. After that, the products are removed, dried and polished.
Vinegar
Cleaning silver jewelry at home will be effective if you use 9% vinegar, which is heated and jewelry is immersed in it. After 10 minutes, the silver can be pulled out, dried and rubbed well with suede.
Water after boiling eggs
After the eggs are cooked, the water should not be poured out, but simply cooled. Jewelry is placed in a warm liquid for 15 or 20 minutes. After this time, the silver jewelry is pulled out, washed very well and rubbed with a natural cloth.
Citric acid
Effective cleaning of silver jewelry at home does not require a lot of money or a lot of effort. For example, use citric acid. To dilute the composition, you will need a bag of the product, about 0.7 liters of water and a small piece of copper wire. The entire composition is placed in a water bath. Jewelry is placed in the solution and boiled for 30 minutes. After the procedure, the decoration should be dried and polished.
Drink "Coca-Cola"
How else is silver cleaned at home? The methods may seem strange, but they are effective. Many have heard about the washing and cleaning properties of Coca-Cola, and its use for silver is no exception. To clean jewelry, you will need to pour a drink into a container, immerse silver in it and put it on a slow fire. After 7 minutes, the jewelry must be pulled out and dried.
Rules for cleaning silver jewelry with stones
Cleaning products with precious or semi-precious metals and not inlaid with silver makes a big difference, especially if it is done at home. In this case, the density of the stone is very important. The higher it is, the easier it is to clean silver items.
How to clean silver jewelry at home, you already know. But what if they are with stones? If the product contains an emerald, aquamarine or sapphire, then they can be cleaned even with a powder, use a toothbrush and even heat.
Do not use laundry detergent or other abrasive products to clean items inlaid with turquoise, moonstone, opal or malachite. Although these stones also have a high density factor, they can still be scratched after aggressive cleaning.
In no case should stones such as ruby, garnet and topaz be exposed to heat. They may even change color after immersion in hot water.
Silver items inlaid with glass or enameled stones are no exception. Such jewelry can also be cleaned, but only in a “soft” way. For example, a cotton swab is placed in tooth powder and the dirt is gently brushed off. Previously, cotton wool can be immersed in ammonia. Under no circumstances should abrasive products or high temperatures be used. Such stones do not tolerate mechanicaldamage.
Cleaning silver with stones of soft and porous structure
What other methods are known? How to clean silver jewelry with soft and porous stones? These stones include mother-of-pearl, pearls, ivory and amber. Never use ammonia-based, acidic, alkaline or abrasive cleaners.
Amber and pearls can be soaked in warm but not hot water and wiped with a soft cloth. You can add a little laundry soap to the water. If there are corals in a silver item, then it is better to clean it without touching the stone itself, as it is too sensitive to almost any impact.
How to achieve silver shine
In addition to wanting to see your silver in a perfectly clean condition, it is desirable that it also shine.
How to clean silver at home to a shine? For polishing and getting glare on products, GOI paste is used. In principle, all the above methods of cleaning products allow you to achieve shine. But sometimes, even if all the dirt is gone, the silver seems faded. In fact, such a plaque is the thinnest layer of corrosion. Therefore, to obtain shine, it is best to use special polishes. They safely remove plaque from the surface of the metal and give them the attractive look they had when they were purchased.
For polishing, it is better to use a sponge made of cellulose, as it will not scratch the silver. They come with some polishes. The sponge is wettedmeans and reciprocating movements, that is, up and down, but not in a circle, clean the product. After polishing, the product is washed with running water and wiped dry with a clean and soft cloth.
Prevention measures
Try to always dry your silverware after swimming in a river, bath or pool. Best of all, take them off before going into a humid environment.
If you use rubber gloves for washing dishes, it is better to remove the rings. Remember that silver does not tolerate contact with rubber.
