Ultrasonic cleaning of silver: features of the process and its advantages

Share on social media networks:

Cleaning silver with ultrasound is a very high-quality and fast procedure that allows you to remove dirt of any origin from products of all sizes and shapes. Ultrasound removes contaminants even in the most inaccessible places that special active liquids could not cope with. It cleans very well products with stones and the places where they are fixed, which cannot be done using conventional methods manually at home. At the same time, it eliminates manual cleaning and makes it possible to replace expensive toxic cleaning liquids with inexpensive, safe alkaline solutions and mixtures.

What is ultrasound?

Ultrasound is sound waves whose frequency is produced in the range of 16 kHz - 1 GHz and exceeds the threshold of human hearing. The use of ultrasound in a liquid environment creates the effect of ultrasonic cavitation.

Important! Cavitation is the instantaneous formation and destruction of small bubbles in liquids. It occurs as a result of waves produced by ultrasound, alternating between low and high pressure. From such an impact, the bubbles increase from microscopic to large size, after which they shrink and burst. The cavitation process, in combination with detergents or chemicals, leads to the active removal of contaminants from the surface of the silver product being cleaned.

Cleaning gold at home

How often is it recommended to clean gold? It is worth cleaning jewelry at home once every one to two months, but in general they focus on the degree of contamination.

Salt solution. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in a glass of hot water and leave the product in the solution for 12 hours. Then rinse in clean water and wipe with a soft cloth.

Ammonia. Dissolve 6-7 drops of ammonia in a glass of water, keep the product in the solution for 30 minutes, rinse in clean water and wipe dry.

Vinegar. Immerse the product in a 9% vinegar solution for 10-15 minutes, rinse in clean water and wipe dry.

Toothpaste. A non-trivial, but effective way. Apply a little toothpaste to a cloth, wipe the product, rinse in clean water, and dry.

Hydrogen peroxide. Another one of the easiest and safest ways to clean jewelry at home. Dissolve 2.5 tablespoons of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in 250 ml of water, add 1.5 tablespoons of any chlorine-free detergent. Keep the product in this mixture for 20 minutes. Then rinse in cold water and dry with a cloth.

Ready-made cleaning products. There are many special products for cleaning jewelry at home.

What contaminants can ultrasound remove?

As noted above, ultrasonic cleaning of silver allows you to remove all types of existing contaminants on jewelry, cutlery, and decorative items.

Blackening and dirt on silver appear from various factors, such as:

• the use of cream, lotion, perfume, soap causes a reaction on the metal;
• natural oily secretions of the skin leave their mark, which form a thin film, dirt accumulates on it and gets clogged into recesses;
• corrosion products such as oxide film, rust, sludge;
• hard deposits formed on the surface of the product by solid particles of metal, abrasive, dust and fiber;
• soot, which consists of resin, coke, ash;
• inorganic compounds - protein, sugar, starch, blood, salts.

Important! To effectively remove dirt from silver without damaging it, ultrasonic cleaning machines are used. Cleaning silver in an ultrasonic bath Hagerty Sonic Cleaning Machine can be done at home. With its help, you can clean your favorite products without much effort.

Salt and soda

How to clean silver with baking soda? This product is attractive because it can be found in every kitchen.

• A teaspoon of powder is added to a container with a small amount of water. The result should be a paste-like consistency.
• The resulting mixture must be applied to the surface of the product. Then the silver is gently rubbed with a toothbrush.
• Next, the item must be rinsed with clean water and dried with a piece of woolen cloth.
• This method is not suitable for restoring the attractive appearance of jewelry with stones. They become covered with plaque and become cloudy.

If you need to clean your cutlery, it's best to make some changes to this recipe. Two tablespoons of baking soda must be dissolved in half a liter of water. The resulting solution should be brought to a boil, after which the silver item is placed in it. It is enough to hold it there for two or three minutes.

How to clean a silver chain at home?

• You need to mix salt and soda in equal proportions (approximately 10 g each).
• Then you should add a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
• Next, the composition is diluted with a small amount of water.
• The liquid needs to be poured into a small saucepan, brought to a boil and the silver item placed in it.
• The container remains on the stove for about 30 minutes, then removed from the heat. The chain is removed after the liquid has cooled. It must be thoroughly rinsed with water.

What is an ultrasonic bath?

An ultrasonic bath is a vessel into which a special liquid is poured and the object that needs cleaning is placed. When the device is turned on, oscillations are formed in the bath with a frequency of 18 to 120 kHz in the ultrasonic range.

The design of such a device includes the following elements:

1. The generator produces electrical oscillations and amplitude modulation.
2. The emitter converts electrical vibrations into mechanical (ultrasonic) vibrations; they penetrate through the wall of the bath into the liquid being purified.

Important! The generated vibrations penetrate deeply into all places on the object, even with a complex relief surface. This is the reason why high-quality cleaning of silver is carried out in an ultrasonic bath.

After the procedure, dirt settles at the bottom of the bath. This cleaning method is absolutely safe and takes only a few minutes, and is suitable for almost all types of non-porous stones.

Important! Before cleaning jewelry with precious stones, it is recommended to consult a jeweler, as this procedure can lead to loss of shine of an expensive stone - this is the only drawback of this method.

Rules for caring for silver items

In order for silver to last a long time, you should properly care for it:

• keep separately from other jewelry (in a bag, case, box) to prevent scratches and chips;
• do not put silver in cardboard packaging or a viscose bag, otherwise it may darken;
• protect from moisture;
• remove jewelry during fitness training, when cleaning and taking a bath or shower;
• To avoid blackening, keep away from gas burners;
• try not to spray perfume or eau de toilette on silver objects, avoid contact with creams and other cosmetics;
• Clean your jewelry regularly, even if it is not in use - this will help avoid severe darkening of the metal;
• If dirt appears, use only delicate instruments.

Silver polishing

There are 2 types of special polish for silver sold in stores: in the form of a cream and in liquid form (spray). The first type is used for heavy soiling and tarnishing, the second is suitable for regular cleaning and minor processing of silver. Over time, silver items become dirty, lose their shine and become unattractive. Available materials found in every home will help remove even stubborn dirt. Before you clean silver from stains and blackness, you should familiarize yourself with simple recommendations for safe and high-quality cleaning.

How to clean silver in an ultrasonic bath?

To ensure that cleaning silver in an ultrasonic bath does not cause any difficulties, do this:

1. Take an ultrasonic bath.
2. Pour liquid into it to remove dirt.
3. Place silver that has lost its attractiveness at the bottom.
4. Turn on the device.
5. Wait a few minutes.
6. Turn off the device.
7. Remove the cleaned item.
8. Rinse it with running, distilled water.

Important! The product that is poured into the ultrasonic bath should be selected according to the type of dirt that you are removing. For example, grease deposits are washed off with a detergent - dishwashing concentrate is suitable, and blackening on silver is removed with water with the addition of ammonia.

Why does silver jewelry darken?

All my jewelry is made from silver, which tarnishes over time. On the website of the Jewelers Guild they write that this is due to sulfur, which is contained in the air and is also part of sweat. It reacts with silver and causes it to darken. Affects the color of jewelry and humidity. I allow myself to wash my hands in rings, swim in the sea with them - and this affects their appearance.

Photo before cleaning: Since I took this photo while the sun was shining, it seems like the jewelry looks neat. But that's not true.

To keep your jewelry looking neat, it needs to be cleaned. This doesn’t have to be done in a jewelry store; you can do it at home. A simple search in a search engine, YouTube and TikTok gave me a lot of ways to do this. I chose the three most popular ones and tried them out on my rings and earrings.

How to most effectively clean with ultrasound?

Effective cleaning of silver in an ultrasonic bath will be subject to the following rules:

1. Choose the appropriate silver cleaner based on the degree and type of contamination.
2. Choose the right temperature setting.
3. Set the optimal ultrasound power.
4. Correctly determine the duration of cleaning.

Important! When choosing an ultrasonic bath, consider the size of the item that needs cleaning.

Why silverware darkens: 4 reasons

Reason No. 1 - silver alloy

Any silverware, trays, dishes, etc. will darken over time (the exception is rhodium silver). Therefore, cleaning can only maintain the appearance of silver, but it cannot be completely corrected. The standard 925 alloy is approximately 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, including copper. These two substances (silver and copper) interact with sulfur compounds in the air and, as a result, oxidize. In fact, it looks like a dark coating.

IMPORTANT: The degree and intensity of darkening of silver devices depends on the percentage of copper in the alloy - the more copper, the faster the product becomes covered with a dark coating. The spoon on the left (darkest) has the highest copper content in the alloy, the spoon on the right has medium copper content, and the spoon in the middle has the lowest copper content (lightest)

The spoon on the left (darkest) has the highest copper content in the alloy, the spoon on the right has medium copper content, and the spoon in the middle has the lowest copper content (lightest).

Silverware in three different alloys and compositions

Reason No. 2 - improper storage

• Silver does not tolerate moisture. Moisture accelerates darkening. Therefore, you should not put silverware in a cabinet near the oven, hood, dishwasher, etc.
• The proximity to plastic and rubber also does not suit silver. Therefore, you should not store it in plastic containers. A decorative box made of wood, lined with flannel, is ideal. A simpler option is foil or parchment. They will prevent silver from oxidizing.

Store each silver item separately from each other. Silver is a soft metal, so it scratches quickly. Throwing all the silverware in one box is a bad idea, wrapping each piece of silverware separately in foil/flannel/parchment and placing it side by side is a good idea.

TIP: Place an activated carbon tablet in the place where silver objects are located. It absorbs water well, thereby maintaining an optimal level of humidity.

An example of proper silverware storage

Reason No. 3 - improper washing

• Silverware should not be washed in the dishwasher. Otherwise, a coating will form on the dishes.
• Silverware should be washed and dried immediately after use. You cannot leave silverware in the evening after guests and wash it in the morning.

Leftover food will oxidize and leave dark spots.

After you have washed your silverware, you must wipe it dry. And only then put it in the case.

Silverware with stains from the dishwasher

Reason No. 4 - sulfur-containing products

Silver oxidizes and darkens from sulfur-containing products: eggs, onions, fish, milk, mayonnaise. As for silverware, contact cannot be avoided. But it is better not to use a silver tray for herring under a fur coat.

Tarnished silver teaspoons

Good to know:

To ensure that your silver jewelry pleases your eye for a long time, follow these recommendations:

• Remove all jewelry before going to bed.
• Avoid getting water on the locks of chains and bracelets.
• When doing any household work, remove jewelry.
• After washing silverware, dry it with a clean towel.
• A pendant on a chain or bracelet should not weigh more than the thread itself.
• Cosmetics, creams, lotions and perfumes that come into contact with jewelry can cause an undesirable reaction on the metal.
• It is not recommended to wear gloves on rings with rivets on which stones are attached.

Choosing a method by type of decoration

Matte silver does not tolerate abrasive cleaning and acids. It is better to choose a simple solution, for example, a soap solution. Black silver must be cleaned especially carefully; it is very easy to damage the valuable coating. For the procedure, a solution with soap and soda is often used.

If the jewelry has inserts, you should avoid strong mechanical cleaning. Please note the following:

• sapphire, aquamarine, emerald - any option for cleansing, as these are high-strength stones;
• opal, turquoise, moonstone, malachite - you need products without abrasive particles;
• topaz, garnet, ruby ​​- do not clean at high temperatures, otherwise they will change color;
• pearls, ivory, amber - take such products to a workshop, since during home manipulations they can easily be damaged by acids and alkalis.

Specialized jewelry workshops and stores sell special jewelry cosmetics for silver jewelry: wipes, liquids. These are products that are used at home, but give a professional effect. To process spoons, forks, knives, and figurines, you can use the ultrasonic cleaning service.

Ultrasonic sink design

The bath itself is protected by a housing made of plastic or metal, inside of which there is a steel container of various volumes for water or a special cleaning agent. There is a basket or a separate holder where all products are placed and lowered into a bowl of liquid. Next, an electronic mechanism is launched, emitting ultrasonic waves, which “knock down” all the dirt from the surfaces of objects.

There are many models on the market, ranging from small ones, like the Baku BK-3550 ultrasonic cleaner, to industrial devices, for example, the SkymenJP-008 ultrasonic bath. They allow you to set the automatic shutdown time using mechanical keys or touch buttons. Sometimes there is a heating function, which significantly improves the quality of cleaning jewelry in an ultrasonic bath

.

Cleaning jewelry using ultrasonic cleaners

Regardless of how expensive the jewelry is, how much time the jeweler spent on making it, what metals and stones are used, it loses its visual appeal over time. This happens due to contamination when worn, but also dust simply gets into the box, rings, earrings and bracelets. In addition, even at the production stage it is necessary to clean the product from polishing paste.

Previously, jewelry was cleaned using a special powder. However, this method is quite dangerous, as it leads to the formation of microcracks, which increases the fragility of the product, and it can break or become deformed. Modern ultrasonic baths for cleaning jewelry

can remove most contaminants quickly, efficiently and without causing any damage.