How to clean silver at home?

Today, silver objects, whether jewelry, cutlery or stylish trinkets, can be seen in any home. But over time, this noble metal blackens, such a peculiarity. And so the question of how to clean silver at home, arises before all fans of silver “stuff”.

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When to clean silver?

Initially, beautiful and shiny silver items begin to fade over time, lose their luster and become covered with an unpleasant coating of black, bluish or greenish color. The need to clean jewelry silver occurs more often than tableware, as jewelry is constantly in contact with human skin and if you regularly wear a silver ring or chain, you will need to clean them at least once every 2-3 months.

Silverware does not darken at such a fast speed, as it is less exposed to the environment, and we use silver forks and spoons for so often.

Before answering the question of how to clean silver at home, we will find out the reasons for the darkening of the noble metal.

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Causes of Darkening Silver

People believe that the darkening of jewelry indicates problems with the health of the person who wears them. In particular, if a silver chain or ring is blackened, then this is a sign of serious problems with the stomach, liver or intestines. However, doctors are skeptical of such "folk signs."

The main reason for the darkening is that jewelry is not made of pure silver, but of its alloy with copper, so we list some reasons that may affect the appearance of the jewelry:

1. Since silver is a noble metal, it is inert to organic acids and alkalis. However, with prolonged contact with air, the surface of the jewelry is covered with a thin film of sulfide coating, which is the result of darkening and loss of attractive shine.
2. Jewelry has close contact with the skin, which means that the secretion of sweat glands can greatly affect their appearance. The increased sulfur content in the sweat leads to a rapid darkening of silver, but the excess of nitrogen in human sweat practically does not affect the appearance of jewelry. This can explain the fact that the same silver jewelry blackens at different speeds, since they belong to different owners.
3. Cosmetics that you use can also spoil the appearance of silver, as it contains sulfur - a substance that can quickly react with silver and form a dark colored compound.
4. High humidity is also one of the reasons for the darkening of the noble metal. Silver jewelry does not like too humid air and frequent contact with water.

Important! All these nuances must be taken into account in order to properly care for silver. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time to return the products to their original shine, look for different options for how to clean silver at home, and they will darken again.

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How to clean silver at home?

Before choosing the right product, it should be remembered that the use of coarse abrasive products can damage the surface, since silver is a very soft metal. Therefore, when choosing a cleaning method, choose the most gentle and gentle, but at the same time effective methods.

Before cleaning silver at home, wash the product thoroughly in warm water and soap. You can add a little ammonia or baking soda to the water: 1 tbsp. l on 1 liter of water. Hold the product in soapy water and then rinse thoroughly. Then you can begin the process of cleansing the product from dark plaque.

We suggest using proven tools at hand.

Baking soda

The most affordable and effective way is baking soda cleaning:

1. Cook a little slurry by lightly moistening soda with water.
2. Take a little of the prepared mixture on your fingers and gently wipe the product.
3. Continue the procedure until the black patina leaves the product and the silver sparkles.

Important! Silver should be cleaned with soda carefully, being careful not to scratch the product, since soda is an abrasive cleaner.

Another option on how to clean silver at home is to boil it with foil and soda:

1. Take a pot of sufficient volume and cover its walls and bottom with a layer of food foil.
2. Place the blackened cutlery inside.
3. Fill the items with baking soda (3-4 tbsp. L.).
4. Cover the appliances with an additional sheet of foil.
5. Pour boiling water into the pan and bring to a boil.
6. Turn off the fire.
7. Leave the appliances in the pan for 15 minutes.
8. Take out the silver.
9. Rinse thoroughly with plenty of running water.

Baking soda can also be used with salt, foil and any dishwashing detergent when removing black deposits from the surface of jewelry:

1. Cover the container with enough food foil.
2. Put the darkened jewelry in a container.
3. Lay the products in 1 layer so that they do not touch each other.
4. Sprinkle jewelry with a mixture of soda and salt.
5. Add a small amount of dishwashing detergent.
6. Pour boiling water over everything.
7. Leave on for 10 minutes.
8. Take out the jewelry.
9. Rinse them under a stream of cool water.

Ammonia

Silver items can be cleaned with ammonia mixed with a pinch of chalk:

1. Prepare the pulp from a mixture of chalk and ammonia.
2. Put the product on the product and let it dry.
3. Carefully brush the decoration with an old toothbrush with very soft bristles.
4. Rinse the item in plenty of cold water.
5. Dry with a soft cloth.

You can use the following method with ammonia, using which you quickly cope with the task of cleaning darkened silver:

1. Take a container of the right size.
2. Prepare a solution of ammonia: 1 tbsp. l funds for 10 tbsp. l water.
3. Immerse silver in the resulting solution for 15-25 minutes (depending on surface contamination).
4. Remove the product from the solution.
5. Rinse with running water.
6. Wipe dry.

Strongly blackened silver cross, which was in close contact with the skin, can be cleaned in the following way:

1. Mix ammonia, baking soda, and tooth powder in equal proportions.
2. Treat the surface of the product with a soft brush with the prepared product.
3. After the blackness disappears, rinse the decoration with running water.

Important! Tooth powder can be replaced with toothpaste. However, remember that frequent use of toothpaste can cause microscopic cracks on the surface. For a more delicate cleaning, eliminate soda from the recipe.

Dentifrice

Conventional tooth powder perfectly removes dirt from surfaces. Including it can be used to clear silver from black:

1. Dampen a piece of jewelry or a silver cutlery with water and sprinkle with powder.
2. Wipe off contaminated areas with a fluffy cloth or soft-bristle brush.
3. At the end of the process, rinse the products with cool water and wipe dry with a cotton cloth.

Important! This method is also suitable for cleaning silver jewelry with stones..

Lemon acid

For this method, you will need a glass jar of 1 liter, 100 g of citric acid and a small piece of copper wire. To clean silver from black at home, proceed as follows:

1. Fill the jar with running water to 1 \ 2 or 3 \ 4 volumes.
2. Add 100 g of citric acid to the water.
3. Throw a small piece of copper wire into the prepared solution.
4. Place a container in a water bath.
5. Dip the silver objects into the liquid.
6. Boil the products for 15-30 minutes (depending on the degree of contamination).
7. After the procedure, rinse the silver with clean water.
8. Wipe thoroughly with a soft cotton cloth.

Yogurt

An effective remedy for blackness is yogurt:

1. Place the product in curdled milk for a few minutes.
2. After the procedure, wash thoroughly in warm water without the addition of detergents.

Potatoes

To peel silver with raw potatoes, proceed as follows:

1. Peel and slice raw potatoes.
2. Put the vegetable in a container of water.
3. Place silver objects in a potato pot for several hours. Starch will gradually change from potato to water and act on browning.
4. Rinse the product with water.
5. Dry with a soft cloth.

To clean silver items, you can use potatoes boiled in their uniform:

1. Dip the darkened objects into a potato broth for 15 minutes.
2. Rinse with water and wipe the product with a piece of woolen cloth.

Lipstick

Efficiently clean blackened silver with a small amount of lipstick. Its composition always includes the smallest abrasive particles that will not harm the surface of the product being cleaned. Proceed as follows:

1. Take a small shred of soft tissue and apply a little lipstick.
2. Polish the product until black disappears completely.
3. Wash off the remaining lipstick with a solution of toilet soap.
4. Rinse the decoration with water and wipe dry.

Important! Clean items made from blackened or filigree silver carefully, as you may deprive the jewelry of a noble patina.

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How to clean silver jewelry with stones?

Jewelry with amber inserts and pearls is best given to the hands of professionals who, knowledgeably, will carefully clean them for you. If this is not possible, then observe the following rules when deciding how to clean blackened silver at home.

Rule 1

To clean silver jewelry that has inserts made of natural stones, use a special tool purchased at jewelry stores, as well as soft wipes for delicate cleaning. Purchased funds will help you achieve not only a good result, but also cover the product with a protective film.

Rule 2

At home, clean silver items with inlaid stones using a solution prepared as follows:

1. Grate a bar of laundry soap on a coarse grater.
2. Add a little water and a few drops of ammonia.
3. Put the resulting mixture on fire and bring it to a boil.
4. With a cooled compound, treat the product using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
5. Around the stone, remove the blackening with a cotton swab soaked in the same product.

Rule 3

Silver jewelry with pearls can be cleaned with a salt solution:

1. Lay the jewelry with natural or artificial pearls on a piece of linen fabric.
2. Sprinkle with fine salt.
3. Wrap a tissue flap in a tight bundle.
4. In a small bowl or deep bowl, draw water at room temperature.
5. Rinse the bundle with silver jewelry in the container (until all the salt has dissolved).

Important! When using this method, not only black from silver will disappear, but also yellow plaque from pearls.

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Useful Tips:

• For cleaning silver products with a smooth, matte surface, aggressive materials are not suitable: soda, salt, organic acids. The best option for such products is an aqueous solution of soap chips.
• Before you clean the silver with small details, take a cotton swab with bends, moisten it in any cologne, glycerin and wipe the stone with the frame from top to bottom. This will help remove dust under the stone. After the procedure, polish the decoration with a piece of flannel or suede.
• Silver items of complex configuration can be clarified with table vinegar (6%). Place the warmed vinegar on a cotton swab and wipe the decoration.
• The silver chain can be cleaned of black with ammonia or citric acid: put the jewelry in a 10% solution of these substances of your choice.
• Jewelers do not recommend wearing a cleaned item immediately. Keep them in the case for a while so that they are coated with a natural protective film. For this purpose, you can take the product to a jewelry workshop, where they will apply a layer of special varnish.

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Knowing how to properly care for and clean silver items, you can give the original appearance even to the most ancient jewelry, and silverware will be kept in exemplary order with you. We hope that noble metal will please you and your household for many years.