How to clean silver chains. Acid upgrade. Non-standard silver cleaning methods

Silver jewelry and cutlery made of such metal is in every home, however, due to exposure to water and prolonged contact with the skin, they blacken and fade. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to wash them with special products or give them to professionals for cleaning.

You can also clean a silver chain from blackness at home using folk methods.

Dry

Dry cleaning of earrings or rings involves the use of only dry powders. In this case, you do not need to use water. What to clean? For dry processing of jewelry, baking soda, tooth powder or cloth are used.

Baking soda

You can update the blackened decoration with ordinary soda. It is inexpensive, but it helps a lot.

How to clean a silver chain:

1. Sprinkle baking soda on a cloth.
2. Put the jewelry in it, wrap it and rub it vigorously with your fingers.
3. You can clamp the material with your hand and drag the chain through it. If you are cleaning the ring, a toothbrush will do.

At the end, remove the remaining soda and wipe the jewelry with a flannel cloth.

Tooth powder or paste

Silver products are perfectly cleaned with a mouthwash. These are abrasive substances that can remove plaque and water stone from jewelry.

Toothpaste is well washed out of hard-to-reach places, it can be used for any products, including those with pebbles. It does not scratch the product and perfectly removes plaque.

How to clean a silver ring:

1. Take a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush it with toothpaste or powder.
2. Clean your silverware carefully. The bristles of the brush will penetrate even decorated weaves.
3. At the end, clean the jewelry from the remnants of funds.
4. Rub with a microfiber cloth until squeaky and shiny.

If this method of cleansing failed, a few drops of ammonia can be added to the tooth powder. The algorithm of actions is the same.

Wet

Wet cleaning of silver jewelry involves boiling, soaking in special solutions and rinsing with clean water.

What to clean?

Use ammonia, lemon juice, saline and other means suitable for this procedure.

Ammonia

You can clean the silver chain at home with the help of ammonia. An aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide is an excellent solvent.

As a result, the blackening passes, the plaque is removed, but the silver itself remains unharmed.

Gold can also be purified in this way. But you cannot put both gold and silver in the same container. An ionization process may take place. This means that silver will turn yellow and gold will turn white.

Take ammonia and dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10. Place silver jewelry into the solution. After half an hour, wash the blackness with a sponge and wipe with a dry cloth.

Foil and citric acid

The bottom of a shallow container is covered with foil, warm water is poured into it, about 3–4 cm. Then 2 tbsp are poured into the container. l. citric acid and put decorations there.

The container is placed on the stove and boiled for 2-3 minutes over low heat.

Finish the cleaning procedure by wiping the jewelry with a clean soft cloth.

Lemon juice

Cleaning a silver chain at home will not take much time and will not be a hassle if there is at least 1 lemon in the refrigerator. This citrus contains acids that corrode blackness and remove plaque from any product.

How to clean?

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and pour into a glass or plastic container. Place silver jewelry in the container and leave it alone for 30 minutes.

Then rinse them in cool water, dry with a cloth and put on a towel so that the liquid evaporates from hard-to-reach places.

Salt

Saline solution also copes well with this issue. If there is a need to restore purity and shine to silver, prepare a concentrated liquid.

How to clean silver chains at home:

1. For a glass of water, there is 1 tbsp. l. salt.
2. The solution is poured into an enamel container and brought to a boil.
3. After the liquid has boiled, the stove is turned off, and all silver jewelry is placed in the container and wait until the solution cools down.
4. After cooling, the jewelry is removed with tongs (if there are small scratches on the hands, the salt will penetrate into them and will pinch strongly) or by wearing rubber gloves.
5. It remains only to dry the silver.

To make the process faster and more efficient, foil balls are added to the hot brine.

Coca-Cola is not only a delicious drink, but also a healthy one. This cleaning product is used to remove rust, carbon deposits and scale from, and can also be used to clean silver items if they have turned black.

To give the jewelry its former radiance, simply dip them for 2 hours in a glass of Coca-Cola.

Then the silver is washed with water and dried with a flannel cloth. This solution is able to quickly clean rings and chains.

Olive oil

Silverware can be cleaned with olive oil. Soak a cotton pad in the liquid and wipe the jewelry.

Cleaned products should be washed with hot water, all the same, olive oil is greasy and spread out on a dry towel to dry.

Egg yolk

You will need to separate the yolk from the protein. Then they take a cotton swab, moisten it in a chicken product and actively rub the decoration.

Leave the egg on the ring for 15 minutes. After that, the yolk is washed off with water and the decoration is wiped dry.

This method is not only able to clean the silver cross at home, it protects the jewelry from oxides that cause darkening.

potato peel

One of the good cleaning methods is boiling. This method will not damage the jewelry and is perfect for such purposes.

How to clean silver earrings, rings or chain?

In the pan in which the potatoes were boiled, they put the peel of the vegetable, washed in advance from dirt.

After the liquid boils, all silver jewelry is placed there and boiled over low heat for 20 minutes.

Jewelry made of such metal should not be boiled if there are stone inserts, even small ones.

After the end of the procedure, the liquid is drained, silver is taken out, wiped dry with a soft cloth.

If there is no time to monitor the boil, you can use another method of cleaning with potatoes.

Action algorithm:

1. Take a ceramic container and put foil on the bottom.
2. Then the decorations are placed.
3. Pour hot water over jewelry after boiling potatoes.
4. Leave for 15 minutes.

Finally, clean the silver jewelry with a toothbrush to remove dirt in hard-to-reach places, and wipe it dry with a cloth.

stationery eraser

Rings, crosses and earrings that have smooth surfaces without decoration can be updated with a regular eraser to erase a pencil from paper.

How to clean a cross?

An ordinary eraser is passed over a silver surface until the desired result is obtained. The eraser is very soft and will not cause scratches. It can also be used to organize cutlery.

Good cleanser. The composition of such cosmetics contains titanium dioxide and a lot of fat. The first substance perfectly removes all dirt, and the second polishes to a shine.

How to clean a silver cross or ring:

1. With a cotton pad, lipstick is applied to the jewelry.
2. Tinder until all blackness disappears and dirt is removed.
3. In the end, the metal should not only sparkle, but also creak. This means that all the dirt has been removed.

Looking at the cotton pad after cleaning, you can replace that it has turned black. The only drawback of this method is that it can only be used on smooth surfaces. Carved rings and earrings with pebbles cannot be processed with this method.

Lipstick will clog into all possible slits and it will be possible to remove it only with the help of water and, and this is undesirable to use for silver. After all, due to humidity, it will begin to blacken again.

professional tools

In stores or on the Internet, you can buy special tools designed to clean silver jewelry.

1. CONNOISSEURS. The tool is a liquid solution, it comes with a basket and a brush for easy cleaning. CONNOISSEURS is poured into the basket and the jewels are placed there for 10 seconds. Hard-to-reach places are treated with a brush, then washed in water with soapy water and wiped with a dry cloth.
2. For polishing silver jewelry, napkins with special impregnation are suitable. They reliably and quickly remove dirt and polish rings and chains.
3. There are also cleaning wipes for silver. A good remedy is from the company Talisman. Wipe jewelry with napkins, they remove the dark plaque formed during wear. It is enough to walk around the ring several times so that it shone again and shone in the sun.
4. Aladdin silver cleaning solution has good reviews and is popular. This tool is very economical, after its use the used liquid is not poured out, but can be poured back into a jar and reused. The only negative is that rings and earrings with coral, pearls and amber cannot be processed in this liquid.

Cleaning silver products can be done at home. However, if the jewelry is with pebbles, it is better to use the services of specialists and take the chain to a jewelry store that provides such a service.

To prevent darkening of silver, you need to know that you can not use perfumes, creams and powders on the skin where you plan to wear jewelry. You should also clean it twice a month to avoid metal oxidation and blackening, because a small plaque is easier to get rid of.

Jewelry has lost its presentable appearance? Don't be discouraged, today we will tell you how to clean blackness from silver. There are many proven and effective methods for implementing your plans at home. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions and exercise maximum caution.

Why silver turns black

Before cleaning silver, it is necessary to determine the causes of darkening at home.

This list includes:

• storage in humid conditions;
• contact of jewelry with cosmetics (including household ones);
• sweat effect.

After determining the reasons, it is necessary to prepare the products and start cleaning with folk / purchased products.

Preparing silver for cleaning

Before you clean your silver, do some preparation at home. To make the decoration shine, it must be subjected to the following:

1. Remove excess fat. For this purpose, a soapy solution is prepared, products are soaked in it, and then wiped with a soft cloth. If there is a soft (!) brush, it will make the task easier.

2. The next step is to rinse the jewelry in clean water, then wipe it with paper or lint-free tissues. Removal of dirt is carried out again if necessary.

Important!

The basis can be "Fairy" or regular shampoo.

Ways to clean silver from blackness

Before you clean your silver, choose a composition that quickly removes blackness from the product. At home, you can use one of the options.

No. 1. Powder for cleaning teeth

1. This technique is used to clean cutlery or favorite jewelry (chain, ring, etc.). You will need a cloth that will not scratch the surface.

2. So, dip the fabric into the water and wring it out. Dial the cleaning powder with it, then start rubbing the jewelry until the darkening is eliminated. Finally, rinse the product, dry it, leaving it on napkins.

Important!

Don't rub the silver because this metal is very soft. Avoid any pressure and strong mechanical impact.

No. 2. Lemon acid

1. Cleaning of cutlery or products without stones is carried out with a lemon. Connect 500 ml. water with 90 gr. acid, boil and cool partially.

2. Dip the silver inward for a quarter of an hour. Then carefully remove, wipe with a cloth. When all the blackness is gone, do a rinsing and typical drying on napkins.

Number 3. Peroxide with ammonia

1. Combine the peroxide with ammonia, adhering to the ratio of 80 to 20. Soak a cotton swab in the liquid, wipe the product in an inconspicuous place.

2. If the effect is visible, treat the entire decoration. In cases where the composition does not work, choose another remedy.

No. 4. ammonium chloride

1. Before cleaning silver from blackness, it is necessary to prepare a solution at home. Connect 130 ml. water with 12 ml. ammonia. Stir, pour into a bowl.

2. Put the jewelry into the mixture and spot for half an hour. This period is enough for the composition to work. Finally, remove jewelry and wipe clean.

Important!

If the silver has turned black too much, it is soaked in pure ammonia for 7-10 minutes (strictly not longer).

No. 5. Vinegar

1. You will need ordinary vinegar (not essence). Pour it into a bowl, lower cutlery or items that need to be freshened.

2. Timed for 1 to 2 hours. During this period, the vinegar will work, the blackness will go away. It remains only to rinse and dry naturally on paper towels.

Important!

If your favorite jewelry is partially blackened in inconspicuous places, it is not necessary to soak it. You can simply wipe it with a cloth dampened with vinegar.

No. 6. Boiling

1. Since you can clean silver from blackness by banal boiling, we will use it at home. It is required to take 15 gr. soda, salt and Fairy, then combine with 600 ml. water.

2. Silver is lowered into the liquid, then the pan with the contents is placed on the stove. Wait for the seething, turn off the stove and leave the products inside until the solution cools down.

Important!

This technique is not suitable for processing jewelry with inclusions.

No. 7. Soda (paste)

1. Before cleaning silver from blackness, make a soda gruel. At home, combine water with powder to get a paste.

2. Then it is scooped up with a cloth napkin, which must be carefully rubbed with your favorite jewelry or tableware.

3. Manipulations are carried out until the dark plaque disappears. Then it remains only to rinse and wipe with napkins.

No. 8. Soda (solution)

1. Dissolve 25 gr. soda in 0.25 l. water. Prepare a saucepan, line its bottom with a layer of food foil. Pour out the solution, lower the jewelry inside.

2. Install on the stove and wait for the start of seething. Then turn off, mark a quarter of an hour. Remove the silver, gently rub it with a soft cloth.

No. 9. Pomade

1. If there are no inserts in the decoration, then it makes sense to resort to an extraordinary way - to use lipstick. It concentrates microparticles that clean without scratching the metal.

2. Arm yourself with a soft cloth, apply lipstick on it very liberally. Rub the decoration, then rinse.

3. If necessary, repeat the procedure. The method is suitable even for working with fragile products.

No. 10. Olive oil

1. Deciding how to clean silver from blackness? Olive oil will do the job without damaging the jewelry. At home, it is enough to arm yourself with a rag.

2. Soak it with oil and rub the item well. Contaminants are quickly removed. Wash the jewelry and dry.

Important!

The oil is suitable for cleaning silver, on which plaque has just begun to appear. For more difficult pollution, it is better to find an alternative solution.

No. 11. Ready funds

1. If you do not know how to clean silver with pearls or cubic zirkonia, it is better to use special tools at home.

2. Similar mixtures are sold in jewelry boutiques. Napkins are supplied. Apply the composition to the products and wipe. The result should please you.

Important!

If you could not cope with the task on your own, entrust the matter to a professional. This must be done if the product has a lot of stones or a three-dimensional pattern.

How to clean radiated silver

1. Before cleaning radiated silver from blackness, it is worth noting that this can only be done with special compounds. Rinse the product at home with non-hot water.

2. To make it look original, wipe it dry with a special cloth. Such a tool can be purchased at a jewelry store.

Important!

It is strictly forbidden to use powders or a toothbrush during cleaning. By doing this, you will destroy the thin shiny layer on the decoration. Use only jewelry.

How to clean silver with stones

1. If you do not know how to clean silver with stones, you should consider some subtleties. At home, it is better to use professional mixtures to make the product shine.

2. Alternatively, make your own grout. Mix 20 gr. soap shavings, 230 ml. warm water and 5-7 drops of ammonia.

3. Send the liquid to the stove and wait for it to heat up. Boiling the composition is prohibited. Soak a toothbrush liberally in the mixture and rub the cubic zirconia jewelry.

4. Then use a cotton swab. Soak it in the composition and carefully treat the area around the stones.

How to clean blackened silver

Since blackened silver can be cleaned in various ways, consider the most common ones. To rid jewelry from blackness will help improvised means that are present in everyone at home.

No. 1. Soap with soda

Pour into a container of 500 ml. water, mix a small amount of liquid soap and 10 gr. soda. Place decoration in a homogeneous liquid. Wait about a third of an hour. Remove the product and gently dry it with a microfiber cloth.

No. 2. Potato

Peel a few small potatoes. Put in a cup and pour in water. Since cleaning silver is easy enough, place the chain in a container with a root crop. Wait 25 minutes. Wipe the item dry. At home, this is the easiest way.

Number 3. Eraser

It is best to resort to this method when you have already removed the main layer of pollution. The eraser will allow you to clean the remaining dirt. It is enough to rub the darkened places. The problem will disappear before our eyes.

How to prevent darkening of silver

Since it is not difficult to clean silver from blackness, it is best to prevent such a problem. At home, it is enough to follow simple tips.

1. Get in the habit of always wiping your jewelry or kitchen utensils after contact with water. If the metal is wet, it will soon darken.

2. Valuable jewelry is best stored in a special box. Always put jewelry in such a box after wearing.

3. Be sure to remove valuable items before taking water procedures. Also, jewelry that you wear on your hands should be removed when washing dishes and house cleaning.

4. If you do not use the products for a long time, it is recommended to wrap them in foil. A simple move will completely protect silver from all sorts of factors.

Tarnishing of silverware is a common problem. To solve it, you can use proven methods. If these are valuable jewelry with precious stones, it is better to entrust the work to a professional.

Silver is beautiful, products made from it look exquisite, but the metal has one peculiarity - it darkens over time due to oxidation. In order for a silver chain to remain shiny, you need to know the causes of oxidation and ways to clean the product at home. The simplest tools and tools are required: foil, citric acid, potatoes, vinegar or soda.

Foil

Silver is fairly easy to clean using food grade foil. It contains aluminum, which, reacting with silver sulfide, removes blackening.

Option 1:

1. Place a piece of foil on the bottom of the pot.
2. Fill the container with water up to 3-4 cm.
3. Add 2 tbsp. l. citric acid or baking soda.
4. Place the silver jewelry in the vessel.
5. Bring water to a boil and hold for 3-5 minutes.
6. If the metal is not clear, continue boiling.

Option 2:

1. Lay out a sheet of foil.
2. Place one or more silver items on it, pour 2 tbsp. l. salt and pour some clean water.
3. Shape the foil with the contents into an envelope and place in an empty pan.
4. Pour a soapy solution prepared from 1 glass of water and 1 tsp into a vessel. planed laundry soap.
5. Bring contents to a boil and remove from heat.
6. Hold silver in hot water for 15 minutes, remove and rinse with water.

At home, it is convenient to use powdered citric acid for cleaning silver - they go into blanks, they remove scale in a kettle, so there is a spice in almost every home.

Option 1:

1. Half-fill a half-liter glass jar with water.
2. Put 50 g of citric acid, a piece of copper wire and decoration into a vessel.
3. Heat the jar in a water bath, placing it in a pot of water.
4. Boil the chain for 30 minutes.

Option 2:

1. In a saucepan, prepare an acidic solution (use 5 parts of water for 1 part of the powder).
2. Immerse a piece of foil, and put a silver chain on it.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil and continue boiling until the silver is completely purified.

Potato

Potatoes and their decoction cleans silver that has darkened well.

Option 1:

1. Grind a large potato on a grater.
2. Add a little water to the resulting slurry so that the mass remains thick.
3. Mix the chain into the resulting product for 2-3 minutes.

Option 2:

1. Boil potato peels or jacket potatoes.
2. Strain the decoction.
3. Load the chain into it.
4. Put on the stove and boil for 15-20 minutes.

Option 3:

1. Pour the strained potato broth into a ceramic dish.
2. Put foil and silver jewelry on its bottom.
3. Leave for 15 minutes, and then remove, rinse and wipe dry.

Vinegar

Liquid spice is dilute acetic acid, or essence. Therefore, it effectively removes dark deposits from jewelry. If it is weak, the chain is cleaned simply with a napkin dipped in vinegar.

If the darkening is strong, act according to the scheme:

1. Pour vinegar into the bottom of a ceramic or glass dish.
2. Drop the chain in there.
3. Withstand 2 hours.
4. Rinse with water.
5. Wipe dry, wrapping with a napkin or terry towel.

Advice
After boiling, it is not necessary to stress the chain by rinsing in cold water. It is advisable to let the decoration cool down a little, which will not take more than 2 minutes, then pour it with warm boiled water.

soda

It is a gentle abrasive and allows you to gently polish the chain, removing dark deposits so that the jewelry shines.

Option 1:

1. Pour the baking soda onto the napkin in a line.
2. Place a chain on top.
3. Roll up the fabric.
4. With one hand, lightly pinch the chain and wipe it through a napkin, with the other - stretch it through the soda.
5. If the oxides still remain, straighten the napkin, collect the soda in the line again, add fresh if necessary and repeat the cleaning.
6. Shake off the shiny chain, removing any remaining powder, and wipe with a soft cloth, such as flannel.

Option 2:

1. Get a soda gruel by combining the spice with water in a 3: 1 ratio.
2. Rub the chain with paste, especially carefully - places with strong blackening.
3. Rinse the jewelry with water and dry with a dry soft cloth.

Option 3:

1. Cover the bottom of the glass jar with foil.
2. Put on top 1 tbsp. l. soda and 1 tbsp. l. salt.
3. Add water (2 tablespoons) and mix, allowing the ingredients to dissolve (due to the high concentration, the substances will not completely disperse).
4. Immerse the silver product into the resulting mixture and leave for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the decoration from the darkened composition.

Advice
Bracelets and rings with stones cannot be cleaned with salt, soda. From exposure to these substances, gems can fade.

Alcohol ammonia

This caustic substance in the smallest concentration is able to restore shine to silver jewelry.

Option 1:

1. Prepare a composition of water (100 ml), ammonia (1 tsp) and a small amount of dishwashing gel.
2. Place the chain in the resulting solution.
3. When the metal brightens, remove the silver, rinse with water and dry.

Option 2:

1. Combine water, toothpaste, ammonia, taken in equal proportions.
2. Stir and lower the chain into the mass.
3. Leave for half an hour.
4. Then polish with a toothbrush.
5. Rinse and dry with flannel.

Vodka with lemon juice

This method requires a lot of time, but not effort: the chain is soaked and left.

Instruction:

1. Combine and stir water (200 g), vodka (1 tbsp), detergent (2 tsp), freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 tsp).
2. Place silver into the resulting liquid.
3. Leave for half a day.
4. Take out the jewelry, hold it under water and polish it with wool.

Other folk ways

A few more methods to keep the silver chain as good as new:

• wipe with olive oil (it is applied to a napkin);
• boil for 2-3 minutes in Coca-Cola, Sprite or leave in a drink for up to half a day;
• polish with a toothbrush with chalk, tooth powder or paste;
• soak in a saline solution (1 teaspoon of spice per glass of water);
• remove dirt with an eraser.

Advice
If the jewelry is encrusted with gems, this must be taken into account when choosing a cleaning method. Definitely, boiling will not benefit a silver bracelet with mineral inserts.

store preparations

The industry offers a good range of special tools to restore the aesthetic appearance of silver jewelry. The following are popular with hostesses:

• Aladdin liquid. A chain is placed in it for a few seconds (up to 20), and then rubbed with a napkin from the kit. The tool can not be used to clean products with stones;
• set Talisman from paste and napkins. Silver is rubbed with paste, and then polished to a shine with a microfiber cloth;
• means "Penka". It can be foamy and liquid, the latter is contraindicated for jewelry with organic gems, enamel, blackening. The foam is applied with a soft cloth on the chain and incubated for 2 minutes. In a liquid composition, the decoration is soaked for 4-8 minutes.

Taking good care of your silver jewelry

The dark layer appears due to the contact of silver with a sweaty human body, the influence of moisture, the reaction to the ingredients of cosmetics. Therefore, it is recommended to remove the chains before training, visiting swimming pools, saunas, beaches, massage rooms, before caring procedures using cosmetics in the décolleté area.

Advice
For the duration of treatment, it is also worth refusing to wear a chain: the composition of sweat often changes under the influence of illness and drugs, and the jewelry will darken faster.

• Jewelry after each wear is recommended to be wiped with a soft cloth.
• Silver items should be stored separately from other jewelry.
• Once every 2 months, silver should be cleaned using one of the methods given above.

Maintaining the beauty of silver jewelry is as easy as not running it. There are many recipes for cleaners, so everyone will choose the most suitable for themselves. It is only necessary to wipe your favorite chain from time to time, and it will always shine like it was just bought.

Many women prefer to wear silver jewelry - they are beautiful, original and much cheaper than gold ones. But such products have one drawback - over time they darken and lose their original luster. You need to know how to clean a chain or other silver jewelry so that they shine again.

In jewelry stores, you can buy a special cleaning solution. As an alternative, Zepter liquid is suitable, which is used to clean dishes from this manufacturer.

Also, special ultrasonic cleaners are used to clean silver. But they are not available to everyone, so it will be useful to find out how you can clean silver jewelry with improvised means at home.

Below you will find the most popular and proven methods.

It should not be colored and gel-like. Take a soft-bristled brush, squeeze out some of the paste, and rub the chain the way you brush your teeth.

Rinse in water and evaluate the result - if darkening remains, then repeat the procedure again.

When the chain becomes shiny, rinse it and blot it with a cloth. Instead of paste, you can use tooth powder or chalk crushed in a mortar.

Ammonia

Pour 0.5 teaspoon of ammonia into a glass of warm water. Lower the chain there and hold it in the solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and dry afterwards.

Mix equal amounts of chalk and ammonia, and rub the decoration with the mixture. After that, rinse and dry.

Soda

In a ratio of 3: 1, combine soda and water, mix thoroughly. Apply the resulting mass to the chain, rub well with a toothbrush. and then with a soft cloth. Rinse with water. Repeat if necessary.

Another way with soda is to lay food foil on the bottom of the pan and put a chain on top. Add two tablespoons of soda and completely fill the product with water.

Boil for 20 minutes, rinse the chain and dry.

Potato broth

Boil two potatoes, and pour the broth into a ceramic container, on the bottom of which you first lay the foil and put the chain.

After 15 minutes have passed, rinse the product and dry it.

Salt with soda

Lay the aluminum foil on the table, put the chain on top and pour two teaspoons of salt and baking soda on it. Wrap the jewelry in foil and put in a pot of soapy water, boil for a few minutes.

After let it brew for 10 minutes, rinse the chain and remove all moisture with a cloth.

How to prevent darkening of silver?

As you can see, there are many ways to clean jewelry. But all of them give a noticeable effect only for a while, after which the silver items fade again and begin to darken.

To prevent this, use the tips to prevent darkening.

Every time you remove your jewelry, wipe it with a soft flannel cloth.

Store silver items in a special box with a velvet bottom. At the same time, it is not recommended to put jewelry made of other metals in it.

You can watch a video on how to clean silver in different ways below.

Silver is a noble metal. Jewelry made from it is refined, stylish and durable. Such earrings or a chain can be passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom and family amulet. One problem - this metal turns black. But if you know how to clean a silver chain at home, then even after years it will be as good as new.

Silver in ancient times was valued more than gold. He was credited with some magical power and the ability to heal diseases. Coins, jewelry, cutlery and even weapons were forged from it. It was believed that if the metal changes color during wear, this is a warning about the imminent illness of the owner.

In the modern world, as a rule, they do not look out for any mysticism about why a silver chain turns black. But the problem of cleaning jewelry is still relevant.

Why does the shine disappear

The reasons why a precious metal product loses its original luster is usually associated with the nuances of wear. Especially when it comes to a chain that is in contact with the body. Here are the main factors that affect the appearance of the jewelry:

• sweating;
• cosmetics;
• perfumery;
• humid climate;
• salty sea water.

Why does the silver chain and cross still darken? from improper care. Also, the decoration may fade if it has been lying idle in the box for a long time.

What jewelers offer...

In jewelry workshops, a cut is advised to have several options for how to clean a silver chain. For example, you can buy a special liquid solution, use a double cloth to remove dirt and polish the product, or order an ultrasonic cleaning service.

• Jewelry cosmetics. Most often, this is a special liquid that copes with the results of oxidation and plaque in just a couple of minutes. The set includes a brush and a mesh basket for immersing products in the solution. The latter device avoids direct contact and protects the hands from exposure to the product. You can pick up a liquid for cleaning products with inserts. However, in the case of amber, pearls, turquoise, there is a risk of damage, so it is important to read the instructions on the tube. 200 ml of such a cleaning fluid costs an average of 170 rubles (data as of June 2017).
• Cotton reusable napkin. It is impregnated with a special solution, which allows not only to tidy up the tarnished jewelry, but also prevents oxidative processes. Does not scratch the surface, suitable for the care of stones. The shelf life of the product is not organic, washing is not required. Price - 135 rubles per piece measuring 14 × 7 cm (data for June 2017).
• A set of disposable napkins. Tear-off or sealed in individual bags. Sometimes they go in pairs - dry and wet. A package of 12 pieces in a tube (tear-off) costs 400 rubles (data as of June 2017).
• Ultrasonic device. The decoration is placed in a special bath - a device that can be bought for home use. Streams of ultrasonic waves literally push dirt out of the chain links. The cost starts from 1100 rubles (data for June 2017). The device also cleans gold and jewelry. The procedure takes place using ordinary water, lasts from five to 15 minutes. After cleaning, the product is wiped dry.

The described methods are simple and work 100%, but they cost money. Is it possible to save money, quickly and efficiently clean the chain with the tools that are always at hand? There are options. For example, there is a way with tooth powder. With a damp toothbrush, it is distributed over the surface of the product.

This method is good for simple products. For example, rings without "curls". But for curly products and chains with many links, it is not ideal, since the brush fibers cannot penetrate into all the recesses and corners of the pattern. But zealous housewives got used to giving shine to jewelry with the help of other household products - from soda to soap.

… and ways to clean your silver chain at home

Look in the kitchen cabinet and first aid kit. There is a whole arsenal of tools that will come in handy in the process of getting rid of jewelry from plaque. You can imagine yourself in the role of an alchemist, then cleaning will become not only useful, but also funny. So, we begin the experiments and check the effectiveness of the main folk remedies.

potato soak

1. Peel and finely chop a medium-sized raw potato tuber.
2. Pour the bowl with cold water.
3. Lower into the resulting starchy slurry chain.
4. Remove the product after five minutes.
5. Rinse.
6. Polish with a woolen or cotton cloth.

To restore the lost luster of a silver item, you can “bath” it in a warm decoction of potato peels for five minutes.

Treatment with ammonia

1. Prepare soap solution.
2. Add ten drops of 10% ammonia.
3. Leave the chain in the product for 20 minutes.
4. Remove jewelry, rinse.

When working with ammonia, gloves should be worn. Be sure to open windows. And if possible, it is better to carry out the procedure on the street.

Boiling with soda

1. Dissolve two tablespoons of soda in ½ liter of water.
2. Bring the solution to a boil.
3. Add two or three pieces of foil.
4. Place the chain into the boiling liquid.
5. If the product is only slightly dull, then it is enough to boil it with soda and foil for three to five minutes. And to get rid of ingrained plaque, the procedure time should be increased to 15-20 minutes.

At home, a similar recipe will help to bleach an old silver chain and a cross that change color under the influence of time. Only in addition to soda and foil, a tablespoon of salt and five drops of dishwashing detergent should also be added to the composition.

Method for the night

1. To clean a silver chain from blackness, you need to mix the following components in equal proportions (three teaspoons each): soap solution, vodka, lemon.
2. Lower the chain into the prepared product.
3. Leave until the morning.
4. Take out, rinse.

On the forums, hostesses share other tips on how to clean a silver chain. For example, someone has been helped by boiling with cigarette ashes and lemon juice. Others write that they managed to wash the silver chain by preparing a solution of laundry soap and vinegar at home. There are also original tips to clean the silver chain ... with olive oil. In this case, the “juice” of the olive literally rubs the product.

There are recipes online for bleaching jewelry with hydrogen peroxide. However, this is a method with many question marks. Indeed, peroxide can whiten silver. But the problem is that in the alloy of modern products there are impurities of other metals. For example, copper. And in this case, the reaction will be exactly the opposite: a persistent plaque will appear, which is no longer possible to remove.

The described home methods are only suitable for chains without inserts. If the product is finished with stones, you need to select more gentle processing options. Boiling is unacceptable, since natural materials can change color under the influence of high temperatures. It is better to give such things to the workshop or clean them with special jewelry. An extreme case is soaking in cold water with hair shampoo and light manipulations with a toothbrush.

Features of care

Although there are simple ways to clean your silver chain at home to make it shine, it is best to minimize the frequency of aggressive exposure to the metal. This will help preventive measures:

• before going to bed - it is recommended to remove the silver chain;
• to the gym, bath, sauna- it is better to walk without silver items;
• after every wear- jewelry should be wiped with a soft cloth to remove the remnants of sweat, perfume and cosmetics;
• when liquid enters- the product should be wiped dry immediately;
• store in a box- with fabric upholstery so that different decorations do not touch each other;
• the box must be kept away- from medicines and cosmetics, so that silver does not oxidize under the influence of possible fumes.

You can also apply a layer of colorless varnish, then the product will retain its original appearance longer and it will be possible to return less often to the question of how to clean a silver cross from blackness at home.

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