How to clean gold at home to make it shine

Precious jewelry is an alloy of metals, which is important for durability. However, this feature makes them vulnerable to oxidation processes. Products become dull and do not look as good as in the store. In this case, there are several factors that contribute to increased oxidation of the precious metal:

constant contact with cosmetics and perfumes;
increased sweating, in which sebum is actively secreted;
dust and too humid climate.

How to clean gold at home

The easiest way is to use special tools. They are designed specifically for jewelry and will not harm them, quickly and efficiently removing dirt and plaque.

Ultrasonic device

This device is very effective and makes it possible to perfectly clean gold earrings or other jewelry in hard-to-reach places. However, the device is expensive, and not everyone can afford such a purchase.

But what to do if there are no special tools at hand? It is acceptable to use available and inexpensive materials, the main thing is to understand how to properly clean gold with their help.

Professional paste

This composition can be purchased at a jewelry store for a reasonable amount. It is economical and the product will last for a long time, in addition, it is not difficult to use, just follow the instructions for use. There are also foams and sprays that can cope with plaque and dust on precious metal.

Additional cleaning tools and helpful tips

After cleaning the gold, you can rub it with a toothbrush. This should be done before the decoration is dried and wiped dry. Jewelry can be left in the solution and cleaned in water. This will remove dirt on jewelry with many small parts.
For more effective cleaning, you can stir the gold in a container. This is done manually or using mechanisms. On the Internet you can find instructions for assembling a special washing container with a motor that will vibrate and agitate the contents of the container.
To make it easier to remove gold items from the container, they should be strung on something. Then you won’t have to catch them in hot water and wait until they cool down.
After drying the gold, it should be rubbed with a coarse-pile cloth. This will finally remove the solution from the surface and further polish it.

Cleaning gold with baking soda is very easy. But we must remember that if the technology is violated and the presence of foreign substances in the solution is allowed, the result may be negative. It is also easy to damage the surface of the jewelry by improper cleaning. Following precautions will allow you to obtain shiny gold that will look like new, will delight the owner and delight others.

How to clean gold with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is used in combination with ammonia and soap to clean gold from blackness at home. For 50 ml of 3% composition you need to take 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 1⁄2 teaspoon of liquid soap. Mix the substances and dilute with 200 ml of heated water.

How to clean gold at home in this way? It is better to pour the resulting solution into a ceramic, glass or plastic container and place the items there for 15 minutes. Then wash the gold from the cleaning agent and dry with a cloth.

Clean with vinegar

How to clean gold so it shines ? To add shine and shine to gold, you can use regular vinegar. For work, we use 9% table vinegar, which we pour into a container and place the gold product in it, leaving it for 25-30 minutes. Then the gold needs to be cleaned with a soft-bristled toothbrush. After the procedure, the product must be rinsed under clean water and dried with a napkin.

Note! This cleaning option is not suitable for working with products containing stones.

Cleaning gold with ammonia

This is a powerful remedy that dissolves even old stains. The following sequence of work must be followed:

Mix 1 teaspoon of ammonia with 1 tablespoon of any soap or dishwashing gel.
Dilute the composition with 200 ml of hot water.
Cool the solution and pour it over the decorations.
After 1–2 hours, remove the products and wash in running water.
Polish gold jewelry with a flannel or wool cloth.

This composition should be used with caution when cleaning products with stones of both natural and synthetic origin.

Exposure to moisture and temperature

Before mechanical cleaning, you should learn more about the stone that is inserted into the gold jewelry. If there is no information on the Internet on how to clean a mineral, you can seek advice from a jeweler.

Some stones are contraindicated for prolonged contact with water and temperature changes. Boiling water can damage the adhesive and the insert will fall off. The best solution would be to take such jewelry to a workshop for cleaning. If this is not possible, then the stone needs to be isolated from water: held above the surface, wrapped or sealed with something.

Pearls, opal, amber and turquoise do not tolerate moisture. Contact with hot water and sudden changes in temperature can lead to discoloration, tarnishing and even destruction of the structure of the stone.

How to properly clean gold earrings or rings with stones

Jewelry with stones requires a delicate approach and careful handling. In order not to damage the product, you must follow the following rules:

If possible, polish the stones every day with a soft cloth, cleaning them from dust and sweat;
use alcohol less often to clean jewelry, otherwise stones such as pearls, malachite or turquoise will lose their shine; it is better to use cologne;
do not use abrasives or sharp objects even if the jewelry darkens significantly;
when processing products with stones, exclude methods in which it is necessary to immerse the object in a cleaning composition;
When using brushes for cleaning, choose those with soft bristles;
clean jewelry with stones using a cotton swab dipped in the selected composition;
Gold jewelry should be cleaned regularly, even if you rarely wear it;
if you are using a special composition, carefully read the instructions before starting work.

Clean gold only with proven substances, and if you doubt that you will do everything correctly, it is better to entrust this work to a professional.

Sweet water

A very gentle and painless way to make old jewelry shine. Ideal for final gold maintenance work, for example after rubbing a ring or earrings with toothpaste - this product is also good at removing patina and old dirt.

Solution composition:

1 tbsp. l. granulated sugar with a slide;
200 ml of drinking water.

Mode of application:

Heat water to 40 degrees in a microwave or kettle.
Dissolve granulated sugar in warm liquid.
Dip the decorations into the resulting solution until they are completely covered with syrup.
After 3 hours, rinse the products with cold water and rub with a soft cloth.

If the stones on the gold item are mechanically fixed, such a “sweet bath” will suit almost any inlay. Naturally, except for turquoise, pearls and coral.

How to clean gold from blackness

If your jewelry has darkened and lost its former luster, there is no need to contact a jewelry workshop. You can solve the problem yourself by using one of the remedies below.

Sugar syrup

Add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar to 200 ml of hot water, stir thoroughly and cool the liquid. Then place gold items in the syrup and leave for 10–12 hours.

Afterwards, wash the items from the sweet composition and remove moisture from the surface with a soft cloth.

Dishwashing liquid

Pour 1 teaspoon of detergent into a glass of water and stir the solution. Place jewelry in a container with the composition for 8–10 hours, then wash the items in plenty of running water and dry well.

Toothpaste

To clean heavy stains, use a composition without abrasive particles, otherwise you risk scratching the product. Apply the paste to the jewelry and scrub the metal using an old toothbrush or rag. For hard-to-reach places, a cotton swab is suitable. After cleaning, rinse the gold and wipe thoroughly with a cloth. If the product is not too dirty, it is better to use a more gentle method, leaving the toothpaste to be used for its intended purpose.

Saline solution

The cleaning composition is prepared in the proportion of 2 tablespoons of salt per 200 ml of water. Stir the product thoroughly until all the grains have melted and add the items to be cleaned into it. After 8 hours, remove the jewelry, wash and polish well with a soft cloth.

A mixture of baking soda and fine salt

It removes plaque well from the surface of gold chains or rings. You need to use it like this:

mix 2 tablespoons of finely ground salt, soda and citric acid;
dilute this composition with water to a paste;
Taking a ring or earrings in your hands, you need to rub this mixture into them;
then rinse the product under cool water and dry it thoroughly.

You can also use the above products in the following recipe:

Cover the bottom of any container with foil;
put gold there;
pour salt, soda and any dishwashing detergent on top (take all ingredients one tablespoon at a time);
add hot water;
After half an hour, you can rinse the product under cold water and wipe dry.

Lipstick

A cosmetic product will help if the gold is not too dirty. A small amount of the composition is applied to the surface and the metal is polished with wool or flannel until it acquires its original appearance and attractive shine.

Liquid soap solution

Dilute 1 teaspoon of liquid soap in a glass of water and stir thoroughly. Pour the product over the decoration, first placing a soft cloth under it, and leave for 20 minutes. Then wash the product under the tap and wipe dry.

Onion

Peel the onion and chop it on a grater or meat grinder. Collect the mixture in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice well. Moisten a soft cloth with the resulting liquid and clean off dirt and blackness on the product. Then wash the jewelry and dry it with a piece of cloth.

Soap paste

Grind a bar of soap on a grater and dilute with water to form a paste mixture. Apply the cleaner liberally to the jewelry and leave for several hours. After the paste has hardened, clean the gold with a soft brush, wash in plenty of water and polish with wool or flannel.

Beer and egg white

The white of one egg is diluted with a small amount of alcohol and stirred until a homogeneous composition is obtained. Then the cleaning agent is applied to the gold item, after moistening a cloth with it, and the metal is wiped. Afterwards, wash the jewelry under running water and polish it with a cloth.

Cleaning paste

To make an effective gold cleaner, you will need the following ingredients:

chalk;
toothpaste;
laundry soap;
petrolatum;
water.

All components are taken in equal proportions, and soap and chalk are pre-crushed, and toothpaste is used that does not have whitening properties. The ingredients are mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed and applied to the jewelry. After 30 minutes, the composition is washed off and the product is thoroughly polished.

Ammonia, peroxide and soap

in a glass of boiled water you need to stir a teaspoon of ammonia and 50 ml of liquid soap;
now you can add 40 ml of hydrogen peroxide;
put gold earrings or a ring into the prepared mixture and leave for 15 minutes;
then you just need to rinse the product in cool water.

We should not forget that the use of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia should be strictly limited so that the chemical reaction that inevitably occurs during such a procedure cannot damage the jewelry.

How to purify gold from iodine

Using iodine, it is easy to get dirty and also to smear a ring or bracelet. Cleaning with ammonia at home will not give any results; you cannot wash off such a stain with water, but you can use hyposulfite. This composition is easy to buy in a specialized store for photography enthusiasts.

You can use one of the methods described below:

Soak the jewelry in water with liquid or grated soap diluted in it, then clean the jewelry with a brush.
Among the cleaning products, there is the following composition: grated soap, chalk, a little Vaseline and warm water, which you need to mix and apply to the fabric, and then polish the gold items.
It’s a good idea to boil 250 ml of water in a saucepan with a small amount of soda and vinegar. Then put chains, rings and earrings there and boil them for 10 minutes.
Onion juice applied to a soft flannel or microfiber polishes gold items well. Use this cloth to thoroughly wipe the jewelry.
A mixture of egg white and beer, as well as rubbing the product with mustard powder, will help get rid of strong blackness.

You want to save the efforts made to clean gold chains and rings for a long time. That is why it is important to follow the rules so that the products remain clean and sparkling for as long as possible, and surprise with their brilliant appearance:

It would be a good idea to regularly clean your jewelry with toothpaste.
Once or twice a week, you can place a chain overnight between two halves of raw potatoes.
Gold must be stored in a place that will be well protected from dust. Ideally, this could be a box or a box covered with fabric.

Clean with soda

The methods described above, for the most part, take a lot of time. If you don’t have one, we offer you another equally effective option for cleaning gold, and the procedure itself will take you no more than 30-35 minutes. To work you will need the following components:

0.5 tsp. dishwashing detergents;
1.5 tbsp. l. soda;
250ml. hot water.

Mix all the components in one bowl, put a soft cloth on the bottom, and on it the jewelry that needs to be cleaned, fill everything with the resulting solution. Place everything on low heat, slightly heating, and boil for 20-25 minutes. When the solution has cooled, rinse the gold in water and dry.

How to care for gold items?

To ensure that your rings, bracelets and chains get less dirty and need cleaning as little as possible, follow these simple recommendations:

remove jewelry while doing homework;
do not take a bath or shower without first removing the rings from your fingers and taking out the gold earrings from your ears (the same applies to visiting the pool);
play sports without decorating yourself with jewelry, sweat leads to the formation of plaque and dust “sticking” to the surface;
if you are taking medications, put off gold jewelry until the end of the course of treatment, as some medications increase sweating;
do not leave jewelry on an open shelf, table or dressing table, as they will quickly become dusty; it is better to place them in a box and put them in a closet, chest of drawers or desk drawer.

Of course, the optimal solution would be to go to a jewelry workshop, where a specialist will carefully clean it without any difficulty or risk of damaging the product. In addition, you can purchase a special product that will do a good job of removing plaque and darkening of the metal. However, such substances have a high cost and therefore are not particularly popular; most people prefer to use home remedies for this purpose, which are not difficult to find in every home.