How to cleanse silver at home from blackness

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

If there are silver items in the house, then the housewives are probably interested in how to clean the silver at home from the blackness that appears on serving items over time. Let's take a look at the best ways to cleanse with simple products and formulations found in every home.

Why does silver darken

Silver items look very noble. Jewelry like this never goes out of style. Silver figurines and small trinkets add respectability to the interior, and cutlery helps to create a spectacular table setting.

Over time, these products may darken due to the fact that they come into contact with moisture and oxides in the air. As a result, the noble luster is lost, and the object is covered with unevenly spaced dark spots.

Silver jewelry darkens on contact with skin and water. Spoons, forks, gravy boats and utensils also do not like the effects of moisture and are covered with a dull film that oxide forms on their surface.

Knowing how to cleanse silver at home from blackness, you can independently maintain products in good condition. You can eliminate this phenomenon and return the original shine to silver things with the help of simple cleaning compounds that any housewife can prepare at home.

When choosing a cleaning method, remember that jewelry with stones and gilding should not be completely immersed in cleaning compounds. It is better to give such products to a jewelry workshop for cleaning, so as not to spoil an expensive product.

Silver items need to be regularly looked after and stored correctly, then the plaque will not be too dense and will be removed even with improvised means. Silver jewelry should be taken off when you go swimming, washing dishes or peeling vegetables.

You need to store such things in special bags and boxes to reduce the oxidation process. You also need to clean it regularly, at least once a month, in order to promptly eliminate the resulting darkening on the surface.

Vinegar

Plain table vinegar can help freshen up silverware and jewelry in a short amount of time. The following steps are required for cleaning:

• heat a concentrated vinegar solution to 40 degrees;
• dip silverware in warm vinegar;
• hold for 15-20 minutes;
• remove the silver and wipe with a dry bike cloth.

This is an effective method, but there is a drawback: it cannot be used for cleaning large silver items and jewelry with stones. When caring for such products, you should know how to cleanse silver at home from blackness without spoiling the stone.

Foil and baking soda

You can also clean small silverware with baking soda and foil used to bake your food. To do this, on the stove, you need to heat about 150 ml of water to 60-70 degrees. Then put 50 g of soda in hot water, and then a little foil.

As soon as the reaction of soda and aluminum foil begins, silver jewelry should be dipped into the solution. Hold them there for a few minutes, and then remove and dry. Only jewelry without stones can be cleaned in this way, otherwise they will deteriorate.

Ammonia

With the help of ammonia, you can also restore freshness to a silver product. To do this, you need to dilute a teaspoon of ammonia in a glass of cold water and put a silver thing in the solution.

There should be no stones on the item, otherwise the jewelry can be irrevocably damaged. For products with pearls, this method of cleaning is especially dangerous, since ammonia, like vinegar, destroys the organomineral.

Lemon acid

A food grade citric acid solution can restore silver to its original shine. To do this, dissolve 100 g of citric acid in a glass of water, put a silver product without stones in the solution and hold it for about half an hour. Then pull it out and wipe it thoroughly with a dry fleece cloth until a shine appears.

Lipstick

If a silver piece with a smooth surface has darkened, you can clean it with lipstick. It contains titanium dioxide, which removes plaque.

For cleaning, you need to cover the silver product with a thin layer of lipstick, applying it with a cotton pad. Hold for a few minutes for the reaction to start, and then remove the lipstick with a piece of clean cotton wool.

Toothpaste

Rings, pendants and earrings with stones and patterns can be cleaned with toothpaste and an old toothbrush. For cleaning, only white paste is used, in which there are no abrasive compositions for removing tartar.

The tool is simply applied to the metal surface of the product with a brush, and then the jewelry is cleaned for several minutes. After the product is washed in water and wiped dry with flannel.

Knowing how to quickly clean silver at home from blackness without damaging the product, you can put in order silver products that require special care on your own. If you store them correctly, clean them regularly, then they will not lose their original appearance.

Summarize

1. To prevent the silver from darkening, it should be cleaned properly from time to time.
2. For silver items that do not have inserts of precious and semi-precious stones, you can use home remedies: soda, ammonia, citric acid, food foil.
3. Only silver without precious stones can be cleaned in solutions, otherwise you can ruin an expensive thing.
4. After cleaning, wipe the product dry with a soft, dry flannel, which will give the metal a shine.
5. If there are precious stones on a silver item, then you can clean it with ordinary toothpaste.
6. Do not use abrasive compounds for cleaning silver, as the surface of the product can be scratched.