How to clean cupronickel at home: rules and recommendations. How to clean cupronickel spoons, forks and other cutlery

29.08.2019

Not so long ago cupronickel table sets were in almost every family. Such popularity was due to the beauty and practicality of these products. They are almost impossible to distinguish from silver, but the cost of cupronickel spoons and forks is much lower than from dredge. metal.

In addition to external similarity and strength, cupronickel has another property inherent in silver - over time, it turns black and requires cleaning.

In order for metal appliances not to lose their visual appeal, running water and ordinary cleaning products are not enough. We will tell you how to clean cupronickel at home.

There are many ways to return the former shine to metal cutlery and get rid of darkening:

soda and salt. Mix fine table salt and baking soda in equal amounts, apply to a damp sponge and rub the surface thoroughly with the mixture.
The method is quite time consuming, as it requires a sufficient amount of time and it is difficult to wipe off the figured finish on the product. However, as a result, the forks and spoons will look like new.
Chalk and ammonia. Dissolve one teaspoon of pure crushed chalk in two tablespoons of ammonia and add all this to a glass (150 ml) of warm water.
If you do not have chalk, you can replace it with 5-6 tablets of calcium gluconate - this is a purified pharmacy chalk that can be eaten. Pour the blackened products with the resulting solution and leave for a while.
The flight must come off. It remains only to rinse with clean water and wipe dry with a napkin.
The original way to clean metal cutlery with ordinary food foil. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with several layers of food foil folded.
Pour 3 - 4 full tablespoons of baking soda, place the products there and fill it all with a glass of boiling water. In order for the oxide to go away, it will take no more than five minutes.
If the blackening is very intense, boil the contents over low heat. With this method, everything will be cleaned evenly and dirt will not remain even in hard-to-reach places.
Toothpaste or tooth powder. Rub dry products with these substances and remove plaque, trying not to clog the depressions in the pattern of the cuttings. Rinse with water.
Alcohol or vodka. Just rub the contaminated area with a damp cloth. This method is only suitable as a preventive measure, since it will not cope with severe pollution.
Sodium thiosulfate. In general, this is a drug that has an anti-inflammatory and detoxifying agent, which is recommended to have in a home medicine cabinet. It costs quite a bit and is sold in the form of a solution or powder.
Neither the powder nor the solution needs to be diluted with water. Simply apply the liquid or powder to a clean, dry cloth and wipe your spoons and forks with it. This method will perfectly relieve even strong, outdated blackness.
Carbonated drinks. The usual "Sprite", "Cola" or "Fanta" will perfectly remove dark spots if you fill them with tableware for several hours. Rinse and dry the clean cutlery with a cloth afterwards.

Note! After cleaning, cupronickel cutlery needs to be polished.

This is done with a dry, soft cloth, which is rubbed against the spoons and forks to give them a bright metallic sheen. Do not store wet appliances. This will speed up the oxidation process.

Cleaning of other cupronickel products

Cupronickel is used not only for the manufacture of cutlery. This unusual metal is successfully used in the manufacture of jewelry. Rings, earrings and bracelets made of cupronickel look very impressive and are often decorated with semi-precious stones.

Cupronickel figurines, caskets, candlesticks, coasters and other kitchen utensils are also very popular.

All these items oxidize over time, due to which an ugly dark coating appears on them, which also requires regular removal.

Soak metal items in hot soapy water for several hours. Rinse with running water and wipe dry.
To restore the shine of cupronickel jewelry, dip them for 10-15 minutes in hot potato broth, for example, after cooking boiled vegetables.
Crush two fresh eggshells and pour one liter of water. Add a heaping tablespoon of salt. Boil and carefully lower a chain, ring or earrings made of cupronickel into the solution.
Turn off the heat immediately and leave for ten minutes. After that, drain everything and rinse the products with clean running water.
Garlic and onion husks also do a good job with darkened metal. Place the decorations in a small amount of water with the addition of waste after peeling the onion and garlic.
Boil over low heat for a few minutes and cook until the plaque is completely removed.

Important! Tips for cleaning jewelry only apply to items without stones. Some precious and semi-precious stones are very sensitive to hot, humid environments or to the influence of active substances such as vinegar, ammonia or alcohol.

The stones may darken, become cloudy, or even change their color.

Store cleaners for cupronickel products

For those who don't want to reinvent the wheel, the chemical industry offers a wide range of effective metal cleaners. All of them can be purchased in the departments of household chemicals.

Here is a small list of the most popular brands, their comparative characteristics and the approximate cost of the goods.

Name	Manufacturer	Volume	Properties and characteristics	Price
"Metal Cleaner", liquid	Bugs, Israel	350 ml	Cleans and restores the appearance of items made of cupronickel, silver, copper and brass. Doesn't scratch. Composition: organic and inorganic acids, active polishes.	790 rub.
Bagi. Super cream	Bugs, Israel	350 ml	Universal cream designed to clean and protect all metal surfaces. Cleans and returns the original shine to products, dishes and jewelry made of stainless steel, cupronickel, silver, chrome, copper. Without chlorine. Does not cause allergies and is safe for the skin of the hands.	320 rub.
Soleil. For cleaning products made of cupronickel and silver", cream	"Aladdin"	165 grams	Means for cleaning, restoring and protecting items made of silver, cupronickel, stainless steel. Effectively eliminates tarnishing and protects against further tarnishing. Does not scratch the surface and does not destroy the decorative blackening.	140 rub.
"Font. Silver cleaning solution, solution	"Aladdin"	50 ml	Eliminates plaque, oxidation, household pollution from products made of silver, cupronickel and copper.	87 rub.
Talisman	Russia	150 ml	Highly effective cleaner for cupronickel, copper and silver items. Quickly and easily eliminates dirt, darkening, oxides. Returns visual appeal and bright shine.	300 rub.

The first mention of cupronickel occurs in the history of ancient China. Coins were minted from it, jewelry and household items were made. Later, the alloy came to Europe, where it quickly gained great popularity and received the name "new silver".

The very name "cupronickel" is a mixture of two names of the French masters Mayo and Chorier, which originally sounded like "mayoshore". In Russian, this word was transformed into "cupronickel", as we call this beautiful metal to this day.

Useful video

Causes of pollution

To understand why cupronickel fades, one must imagine its origin. Even in ancient China, it was established that a beautiful light metal is actually not precious - it is copper, nickel and small impurities. The Europeans, to whom cupronickel came under the name pakfong, dubbed the miracle alloy "new silver". Then the French intervened in the matter and gave the cupronickel the name of the chemist brothers.

Since the copper in the alloy makes up half of its volume, oxidation cannot be avoided. And small inclusions of iron, manganese add an almost black color to the “weathered” “new silver” with dark blue stains. Such is the nature of pollution.

Cleaning rules

Cleaning cupronickel at home is a tedious business, but its rules are quite simple. For example, you can prepare 50 grams of soda, the same amount of ammonia. Mix any of the ingredients in a liter of heated water and wipe the dull cupronickel. If the darkening is not very old, your "silver" will shine again.

Try placing your forks and spoons on the foil lining the bottom of the pot. Pour water on top and salt. Devices must be completely "drowned". As you boil (about three minutes), the food foil will begin to darken, and the spoons and forks will lighten.

In the case of very strong traces of oxidation, it is necessary to repeat the boil.

It is quite easy to use chalk to update alloy products. It is crushed, diluted with water to a creamy state, and cupronickel is cleaned with this porridge. The effect is impressive. Especially if after cleaning you are not too lazy and how to polish the devices.

By the way, toothpaste, which contains silicon oxide, tooth powder, is also suitable for this procedure. The paste is applied to the products with a damp cotton swab and actively wiped.

Perfectly brings cupronickel to the desired gloss dishwashing liquid. Slightly dilute it in a saucepan with boiling water, lather. Put dirty forks, spoons, knives into the solution, including those stained with grease. Let the day “soak”, and you stir them periodically. In the morning, go over all surfaces with a toothbrush.

Rinse cupronickel in clean water, wipe dry.

If you decide to clean tableware with a chemical composition, then choose one that is specially designed for cupronickel. Their consistency is varied: gel, emulsion, paste. Remember to wear gloves and ventilate the area after work. And keep in mind: the cleaning powder will also be effective in this case, but there are large particles in it that can scratch the vulnerable cupronickel. When using the powder, do not press on the surface of the products and do not apply much force - wipe them with gentle movements.

Gives quick results sodium thiosulfate, which you can buy at any pharmacy kiosk. It is necessary to apply it on a sponge, process forks, spoons and knives, and then rinse the products with clean water.

There is also such a way to clean cutlery, as their soaking in warm whey. Immerse knives, spoons, cupronickel forks in fresh whey. Let the heated solution work for 20 minutes. Then take it out and wipe dry.

Nickel silver is also brought to a radiant appearance by the galvanic method. To do this, cupronickel devices and some other metal object, for example, a nail, are placed in one basin. A weak current is passed: the “minus” is connected to the things being cleaned, and the “plus” is connected to the “third-party” metal. 24 volts is enough to clean a cupronickel spoon. But here you have to be at odds with physics, not to confuse anything. This is the ultimate method to achieve your goal.

Cutlery

Many housewives believe that forks, cup holders, and other table cupronickel accessories are not effectively cleaned, but washed. Here again, a good recipe for washing spoons or knives using food foil(the solution is prepared by boiling foil in a saucepan with salt; try pouring potato broth instead of a liter of water).

It will quickly turn out to be washed from blackness at home with appliances and soda solution.

It is easy to bring darkened accessories to a shine using such a folk recipe: pour a liter of water into a container, boil, put the crushed shells of two chicken eggs and a tablespoon of salt. With this composition, my cupronickel.

It will be useful for devices made of cupronickel and procedure with citric acid. You need 100 grams of acid per liter of water. There should also be a piece of copper wire. Lay dirty spoons and forks and boil for 15-20 minutes. The spots are gone. Then the forks and spoons should be rinsed, wiped and hidden for storage.

This is not a complete list of options for washing cupronickel. With not the most catastrophic pollution, soaking spoons and forks in carbonated drinks (for an hour and a half), boiling with garlic husks, a solution of hyposulfite with water in a ratio of 1: 5 gives a good effect. This substance is usually used for processing photographic films.

Products with gilding

Of course, you always want to see the most luxurious appliances on the festive table. Therefore, cupronickel knives, forks and spoons are often decorated with gold plating. These examples of cutlery should be cleaned separately from all others. To do this, moisten a cotton swab in wine vinegar or turpentine and walk it over gilded surfaces.

The protein of a chicken egg, which is applied to a piece of flannel and rubbed with it, perfectly wipes off pollution.

Decorations

Cupronickel is quite popular for making not only dining room attributes, but also for creating original jewelry. It is believed that cupronickel looks quite presentable in rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants. But taking into account the specifics of the alloy, such jewelry needs to be cleaned from time to time.

It's best not to experiment. and use a chemical agent specially bought in the store for delicate cleaning. As a rule, the recommendations for use describe in detail what needs to be done. So you just have to put on gloves and follow the instructions. A mixture that you can easily prepare, apply to a ring or bracelet and carefully cover the entire surface with it.

Then remove the composition with plain water and gently wipe the product.

The stones that adorn cupronickel ring, bracelet or ring, you have to clean separately. Most of all dust and dirt accumulates in the frame under the stone. The stones themselves also fade. There is an easy way to restore their shine and transparency.

You can cope with the task with an ordinary cotton swab or a match with a wound piece of cotton wool. Dip a cotton swab into a bottle of cologne, wipe the stone and frame from below and above. Your tool should not be sharp, otherwise you will damage the jewelry. Finally, with a flannel cloth, carefully polish the ring.

It is not necessary to wash dishes or take a bath in cupronickel rings (especially with a stone). Jewelry must be removed for better preservation.

Shine products

Since cupronickel products are perceived as silver, they must undoubtedly shine no worse than precious metal. At home, this is quite possible to achieve, although not so easy. Cupronickel needs to be polished. To achieve a sparkling effect, the options below are suitable.

"Pasta" way:

Boil water in a saucepan.
Put pasta in it and stir them with dark cupronickel spoons.
Leave the spoons with the cooked pasta for another 20 minutes.
Take out, dry on a towel and polish. The shine comes back easily.

Chalk:

Crumble the chalk, pick up soap shavings and fill it all with a liter of water.
Soak a rag with the composition and polish objects with it. Then wipe dry again.

With toothpaste:

Apply any detergent to the product.
Apply toothpaste on top and rub thoroughly. Tooth powder works well for this too.

Prevention and storage rules

In order for any cupronickel products to retain their shiny appearance, and you are freed from rather long cleaning operations, you need to learn a few simple rules for storing devices made of this metal.

Experienced housewives always have at hand tightly twisted natural boxes, wooden boxes, where you can also hide spoons, knives, and jewelry for safe storage. In this case, be sure to add a piece of chalk to the products. It will prevent oxidation due to its chemical composition.

Store your cutlery in special zip bags. In these protective packages, a special convenient lock is provided, which will exclude the ingress of moisture - cupronickel tarnishes and “turns blue” from it.

In general, all your actions to keep cupronickel items clean should be aimed at creating maximum dryness. Make sure that after use and washing, the cutlery is thoroughly wiped and does not have any drops on it. Cupronickel is well stored wrapped in food foil. In no case do not put cutlery made of different metals in one pile. "New Silver" should always be packed separately for storage.

Cupronickel is an alloy of copper and white nickel. It is very similar in color to silver, therefore it has been successfully “adopted” in the jewelry industry, the production of coins, dishes and other products with the initial goal of replacing silver with a cheaper analogue.

The cupronickel alloy was created by the French inventors Maillot (Maillot) and Chorier (Chorier) in the 19th century, and it got its name from a combination of their names, distorted in German. Maillot - Chorier eventually became Melchior.
With proper handling, cupronickel products are very difficult to distinguish from silver, at least in color and basic properties. Unlike silver, cupronickel is a more durable material and can be a source of pride for a long time. But it is important to know how to properly care for it.

Melchior tends to darken under the influence of dampness. So that cupronickel products do not fade over time and are not covered with a black coating, you must remember to clean them regularly.

It is important to protect them from exposure to strong chemicals and abrasive materials, and wipe dry after washing. To avoid scratches, do not use toothpaste and powder to clean cupronickel, and the use of chlorine-containing products can completely ruin the appearance of appliances or jewelry.

Here is an extensive list of folk remedies that will help get rid of dirt on cupronickel products without harming the metal and without causing corrosion processes.

Alcohol

If the devices are only slightly dimmed, it is enough to wipe them with a rag soaked in vodka or alcohol. The second option: for a short time, dip the thing in ammonia, rinse and wipe.

Lemon acid

Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of citric acid in a liter of water. Put a piece of copper wire into the liquid. Dip the instruments in the liquid for two hours. Wipe items dry.

Vinegar

Damp spots can be removed with warm vinegar (dilute a teaspoon in a glass of water). Soak a woolen cloth in it and wipe the appliances. Rinse them with clean water and dry.

Soda

Products with a low degree of contamination are sufficient to rinse after washing in a solution of soda (50 grams of soda per liter of water). Such cleaning of cupronickel is recommended after each use. Apply baking soda to a damp sponge and gently buff the items. Rinse in cold water and dry with a towel.

egg shell

One liter of water requires the shell of two raw eggs. Bring the broth to a boil and lower cupronickel products there for a couple of minutes. Then rinse in clean water and dry.

garlic husk
Another popular way is cleaning with garlic husks. Pour the husk in large quantities with water. When the broth boils, dip cupronickel products into it and boil until a shine appears on them. The dirtier the appliances, the longer it takes.

Milk serum

Warm up the whey and dip cupronickel products into it. Soak them in liquid for 15-20 minutes. Wipe the utensils with a rag. Wash and dry.

Carbonated drinks

Put the darkened products at the bottom of the container. Pour in sweet soda to completely cover the items. After two hours, rinse the instruments with water and rub with a napkin.

How to restore shine

If, after cleaning, the sparkle of cupronickel spoons, glasses and forks has not been restored, then you will have to return the shine with additional processing.

Foil

To restore the shine, put foil on the bottom of the pot with water, salt appliances on top of it, add 60 grams of soda and put on the stove. Boil on the slowest heat for 15 minutes. After 3-4 minutes you will see how the metal brightens. Rinse with clean water. To enhance the effect, you can add 40 grams of salt.
Such treatment will help remove darkening, even if the spoons have lain without use for more than one year. But for products with gilding, this method is not recommended.

Pasta

The processing principle is simple: cook the pasta as usual, and after bringing it to readiness, do not drain the water, but place the cutlery in the pan for 20 minutes. After this period, wash and dry the spoons and forks.
This method will save cupronickel from blackness and darkening, but the pasta will have to be thrown away, as it will boil and become unusable.

Potato

A raw fruit is used, cut in half. Rub it on spoons and forks until their surface is shiny.

For processing products with gilding, beaten egg white with a mixer is well suited. Dip a piece of flannel cloth into it and rub it until the cupronickel gold-plated spoons begin to shine.

How to save the result

In order to prolong the life of cutlery, adhere to the following rules.
Keep cupronickel spoons and forks in places with low humidity.
Do not use Whiteness and similar chlorine-containing products to wash them.
Not mine in the dishwasher.
Store cupronickel products tightly wrapped in cling film or foil, this will protect them from the aggressive effects of oxygen, and grandmother's favorite cupronickel spoons will retain their original luster longer.

Cupronickel cutlery was popular in the last century, and is still preserved among many housewives among the dishes. But every woman knows that over time they darken ugly, so the question arises of how to clean cupronickel at home quickly and effectively in order to restore their original shine and beauty. There are many tools and methods to help you with this.

Cupronickel is similar to silver, but due to improper storage and rare use, this material turns black and loses its attractiveness. High humidity in the kitchen contributes to the appearance of stains and stains on the appliances. Cupronickel cleaning at home should be competent and regular, then this darkening can be avoided. Moreover, there are quite a lot of means that effectively cope with the pollution of devices.

Cupronickel spoon before and after cleaning

Store cleaners

The modern chemical industry offers a lot of gels and powders that allow you to quickly restore cupronickel devices to their original cleanliness and shine. It is best to use liquid products or special wipes impregnated with a cleaning compound, since the powder can damage the surface of the products. The most popular among them are "Metal Cleaner" of the Israeli company Bagi and Sanita "Ultra Shine". As a rule, their use involves the usual washing of dishes without the need for additional effort.

In addition, chemical compositions for cleaning cupronickel leave a protective film layer on the devices, which prevents them from further darkening and damage. Therefore, the use of gels and cleaners for cupronickel is the best way to renew blackened cupronickel. But if you couldn’t buy them, you can use household time-tested cleaning methods.

How to clean cupronickel with baking soda

A simple and effective household method that will help restore cupronickel appliances to cleanliness and shine is to use ordinary baking soda. The only nuance of using this method at home is that soda copes with small and not chronic pollution. It is best to use it as a prevention of darkening of cupronickel. That is, after washing the dishes, the forks and spoons must be rinsed in a solution with soda. To prepare it, you need to dilute 50 g of powder per liter of warm water.

The solution to the question of how to clean cupronickel spoons at home is relevant for many consumers. Someone opts for cutlery made of stainless steel and characterized by practicality and functionality.

And someone continues to be faithful to such an expensive metal as silver, not wanting to refuse to buy and use sets of kitchen utensils from this material.

Information on how to clean cupronickel at home is relevant for the third category of users - for those who need cupronickel, which looks like noble silver, for coziness and comfort in the kitchen and at the table.

However, cupronickel spoons also have a drawback that makes them related to the noble metal: they blacken and oxidize just as quickly.

Knowing how to properly clean cupronickel from blackness at home, you can safely set the table with them, use them with taste and pleasure. Our article is devoted to this issue, as well as the reasons for the blackening of cupronickel products.

A significant part of this metal is copper, which is characterized by the ease of oxidation of the metal.

The nickel present in the alloy is not able to prevent this inevitable process from starting. It is also almost not affected by fractions of a percent of iron and manganese, which are part of cupronickel.

The task related to how to clean cupronickel at home arises when spots appear on the surface of cupronickel. This usually occurs in a humid environment, and these spots initially have a brownish tint.

With a long delay in cleaning the metal, the oxide begins to acquire a specific shade - bluish-black, reminiscent of the color of a raven's wing.

Removing the oxide film is not difficult only if the surface is smooth. If there are relief patterns on the product, cleaning is much more complicated.

About cleaning methods

Cupronickel cutlery can be cleaned in one of many ways. You can, without further ado, purchase in an ordinary hardware store a composition designed for cleaning silver and cupronickel products.

It can be sold as a paste or gel. Good results are obtained with a napkin impregnated with a special chemical composition, which can also be found on sale.

However, whichever option is chosen, you need to thoroughly read the instructions, protect your hands with special gloves, and only after that proceed with cleaning. The expediency of using gloves is due to the fact that they perfectly protect hands from dark oxide.

If we clean with ordinary dish powder, extra care must be taken: there is a risk that abrasive particles can leave scratches.

Folk recipes will always come to the rescue

Many housewives successfully cope with the problem without spending finances on the purchase of any special funds. To maintain the rules of cleanliness and grooming of this part of household utensils enough:

salt;
soda;
soda;
sodium thiosulfate.

You can cope with this household task with the help of fine salt as follows. A little wet salt is taken on a swab, and spoons are rubbed with it. If this is not too old a layer, then the problem can be dealt with fairly quickly. Soda has a similar effect.

Sodium thiosulfate, which is available for purchase at a pharmacy without a prescription, will also be enough to clean cupronickel. After cleaning with a solution of this agent, the spoons should be washed in clean water and wiped dry.

Soda will also be good, with which cupronickel appliances are poured. After lying for some time in this liquid, they must be washed with water - and after that they can begin to please with their brilliance and purity.

What is the preferred drink? "Fanta" and "Cola", colorless "Sprite" or something else, more familiar to the consumer himself.

Cupronickel spoons are also perfectly cleaned when boiled in water in which eggs were previously boiled.