How to clean silver at home - 10 improvised means

We'll tell you how to restore the original appearance of silver.
Silver jewelry is worn not only by women, but also by men and children. Cutlery made from this metal is also popular. It counteracts the growth of microbes and even gives healing properties to water. However, metal has one significant drawback - it darkens over time and becomes faded. We will tell you in this article how to clean silver from blackness and dirt.

Is it possible to get a Tiffany bracelet wet?

Tiffany recommends hand washing your silver in warm water and a mild detergent. ... We recommend using Tiffany polish or another quality product.

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Why does it turn black?

Let's figure out why your favorite jewelry takes on a somewhat unpresentable appearance over time. There are several reasons for this:

Onions contribute to the tarnishing of silver

• Improper use and storage of the item.
• Exposure to high humidity . “Is it possible to wash with a silver chain?” - you ask. During bath procedures and even just washing your hands, you must remember to take off these jewelry.
• Always wipe dishes dry before storing. The reaction that causes darkening also occurs in response to another source of moisture - human sweat.

Iodine greatly spoils the appearance of silver

Advice! How to clean blackness from silver easily? The easiest way to clean it is to bring contaminated items to a jeweler at a jewelry store. Disadvantage: not a cheap pleasure.

How to clean blackened silver

Such a precious product, as in the photo, has a top layer that requires a special approach and careful cleaning. For example:

Blackened silver

• Add a little soda to the soap solution, then place the blackened silver there for 20 minutes.
• The fight against dirty stains is simple: rub them with a regular school eraser.
• A great way to clean using potato starch is to simply peel a few potatoes and soak the skins in a bowl of water. Place blackened silver items there as well. After three hours, remove the jewelry and rinse it thoroughly under running water.

Origin story

There are several theories about the origin of the name “sterling silver”, and they take us back to the 12th century. In the most popular version (which is also presented in the Encyclopedia Britannica), the ancient English silver coin is called sterling. 1 pound of silver yielded 240 silver sterling. This is where the expression pound sterling comes from. These were the first minted coins made from 925 silver alloy.

According to another version, the word “sterling” comes either from the name of the family of minters from Northern Germany, the Easterlings, or from the name of the region of cities in Germany, Easterling, which were actively trading with England. And, in fact, according to legend, special coins - sterling - began to be minted in Germany especially for trading with the British. These coins were made only from high quality alloy, and gradually they became the standard for English coins. So over time, the alloy used to produce coins came to be called sterling silver.

There is also a third version, according to which the word “sterling” comes from the Old English word “steorling”, which means “coin with a star”. Steorling is the common name for a silver Norman penny, which had images of stars on it.

Where is it used?

Such alloys are widely used in the jewelry industry. You may have seen shiny, amazingly white, iridescent earrings and rings, pendants and necklaces in store windows. So they are made of this amazing alloy. Jewelry with pearls and diamonds and blackened items look especially stunning. Sterling alloy is ideal for blackening. That’s why jewelers especially love to work with this metal. In addition to jewelry from silver of this standard, you can also make dishes, silverware and decorative elements.

Jewelry Care

Rhodium plating gives jewelry high wear resistance, but despite this, the products require careful care. The following rules must be observed: - remove jewelry at night, when working around the house, when playing sports, or going to the bathhouse or sauna; — when putting on products after applying lotions or perfumes, you must make sure that the liquid is completely absorbed; - do not use ammonia-containing products, toothpaste or powder to clean products; — for washing, just rinse the jewelry with warm water and wipe with a flannel napkin; — if the jewelry contains precious stones, you can clean them with a cotton swab dipped in cologne and polish them with a napkin. If you follow all the recommendations, jewelry will last for a long time, maintaining its dazzling appearance.

How to clean silver with stones

You can clean silver rings with stones in a jewelry store or at home.

You should focus on the density of the stones and the method of fastening.

• Aquamarine, emerald and sapphire can be cleaned with washing powder
• Garnet and ruby ​​do not tolerate high temperatures, so do not use hot water
• Malachite, turquoise or opal do not like abrasive substances. Laundry soap will help remove dirt and grease from them.
• Amber, pearls or corals are very sensitive, so it is better to immediately give them to specialists

If glue is used for fixation, avoid acid, ammonia and peroxide.

Folk remedies

You can clean silver using several effective methods that have their own characteristics. Choose what suits you best.

Ammonia

We warn you : ammonia vapors can significantly irritate our mucous membranes, skin, and respiratory organs. Therefore, it is necessary to work in protective glasses and gloves, a respirator or a cotton-gauze bandage.

It’s a good idea to clean your wealth with the windows open, and also don’t forget to ventilate the room for 15-20 minutes after the procedure.

Don't forget your respirator

Cleansing follows a simple algorithm:

1. Place 5 drops of ammonia in a glass of water and dissolve.
2. Immerse the product in the solution.
3. After an hour, the silver must be removed and washed under running water.
4. The next stage is drying naturally.

Advice! To achieve a greater effect, you can polish the product with a soft napkin or cloth.

Ammonia

You will be surprised, but the product is equally good for cleaning glass and mirrors, and for silver! Our mothers and grandmothers cleaned their family jewelry with ammonia.

The instructions are:

1. Place chains, rings or cutlery in a suitable container.
2. Fill to the top with 10% ammonia.
3. Time it for 10-15 minutes.
4. Now all that remains is to rinse the jewelry under running water and dry it.

Hydrogen peroxide

Here is an important warning: only pure silver can be cleaned with hydroperite. By reacting with impurities, the substance will contribute to an even greater spread of blackness.

Only for pure silver!

You can clean silver, if it is 100% pure, like this: completely immerse the item in a hydrogen peroxide solution for 10-15 minutes, then rinse and dry it.

Toothpaste

Can you clean silver with toothpaste? Naturally! After all, it is intended for more delicate tooth enamel. In this case, we act simply:

1. Stock up on a container with warm water, toothpaste, and an old toothbrush with soft bristles. In extreme cases, it will be replaced by a regular napkin or cloth.
2. Apply the paste to the brush.
3. Now carefully clean the product, paying attention to hard-to-reach areas.
4. Rinse off any cleaning agent and dry.

Toothpaste is a good cleaning agent and in this case,
instead of toothpaste, you can use toothpowder with the same success.

How to clean a silver chain?

In this case, you need to use a fluffy cloth, periodically dipping it into the substance. You need to clean it carefully, without much zeal, otherwise the abrasive may leave scratches on the soft metal.

Vinegar

Acetic acid is a serious opponent of both small darkening on jewelry and extensive blackness. Here's how we'll proceed:

1. Prepare a cloth and 6% acetic acid.
2. After moistening a rag or napkin in the substance, wipe the product until you are satisfied with the result.
3. There is no need to wash or rinse the silver after this.

Lemon acid

Citric acid is an excellent product that cleanses, whitens, and also carries out light disinfection. Therefore, it is often included in cosmetics.

You can use citric acid

And to save jewelry from fading and blackness, do the following:

1. Dilute 50 g of powder in 250 ml of water.
2. Leave the silver in the solution for 20-30 minutes to “cook” the silver.
3. Now all that remains is to rinse and dry.

How to wash blackened silver using another method?

You can also use the following popular method:

1. Prepare 500 ml of water, 100 g of citric acid, a small piece of copper wire.
2. Dilute the solution of powder and water in a saucepan, then put it on the fire. Now you can add a piece of copper.
3. As soon as the brew boils, immerse the contaminated relationships in it for 15 minutes.
4. After such hot cleaning, the silver should be thoroughly rinsed under running water. It would be a good idea to polish with a cloth.

Add a piece of copper wire to the “decoction”

Soda

Baking soda is suitable for cleaning various products and loosening dough.

In the case of silver, we do this:

1. First, wash your jewelry and cutlery in warm, soapy water—this will help remove some dirt.
2. To clean dirt: rinse items in a hot soda solution (50 g of powder per 1 liter of water).
3. To remove blackness and dullness: prepare a paste - in a separate container, adding a few drops of water, make a soda “slurry”. Apply it firmly to the product. Now start cleaning with a cloth or brush, using light massage movements. Until the silver shines with its pristine shine. It is important not to overdo it: if microcracks remain, then dirt will become clogged in them, which is not easy to clean out.

Soda will help silver get rid of dirt and blackness.
We also know another “recipe” using soda (a great way for those who are looking for how to remove paint from silver):

1. Mix these ingredients in an aluminum saucepan: 500 ml water, 10 g salt, 10 g baking soda, 10 ml dishwashing gel.
2. Mix everything well, then place the silver in the pan and put it on the fire.
3. Boil the jewelry for half an hour - and they will be as good as new!

Oxide bleach

You can use any product for linen or carpets - it will give a strong and quick effect. But for this the substance must be heated to 60-70 degrees. Only after this, place your silver jewelry in it for a while. Then rub the products with a sponge - nothing will be left of the former blackness and turbidity!

Salt

Almost everyone has table salt in their home, unless you adhere to a special diet. The order is:

1. Prepare a saline solution in a saucepan: 1 teaspoon of spice per 1 glass of water.
2. Place the container on the fire and bring the contents to a boil.
3. Boil the silver in the solution for 15 minutes.
4. After the procedure, simply wipe the jewelry dry with a soft cloth.

Universal method

Potato

An amazingly effective product that helps clean blackened silver:

1. Grate one raw potato tuber.
2. Fill the resulting shavings with a glass of water.
3. Dip your silver jewelry into the solution.
4. After a few minutes, remove the product, rinse and dry.

A decoction of potato peelings is no less effective.

What about potatoes?

Soda, salt and foil

Here is a description of the method:

1. Place a layer of foil at the bottom of a plastic container. Place blackened silver on it.
2. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and baking soda on top. You can add a little dishwashing detergent.
3. Cover with another layer of foil.
4. Pour boiling water over it.
5. After ten minutes, take out the silver and rinse it with your own hands under running water.

Lipstick

You will be surprised, but lipstick is a low-abrasive material that can remove dark plaque. Cover the contaminated silver with it, rub it with a cloth and rinse the whole thing off under running water.

But you can clean silver with lipstick!

Eraser

If you have a smooth silver product in front of you - a simple ring, a spoon, then plaque and dirt can be easily removed from it with a regular pencil eraser. The products are openwork, with many details it will not be possible to clean them this way.

Effective and eraser

Three-ingredient product

Finally, here is a cleaning method using a combined product:

1. Add 1 teaspoon of ammonia to a glass of water.
2. Add some hydrogen peroxide and liquid soap there. Stir well.
3. Depending on the intensity of the contamination, place the jewelry in the liquid for a certain period of time - but not less than 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the appearance of the silver.
4. As soon as a satisfactory result appears before your eyes, remove the products and dry them with a microfiber cloth.

Advice! All of the above remedies deprive silver of its protective shell for several days. Therefore, you should refrain from wearing jewelry or using cutlery for this period, so as not to contribute to their rapid contamination.

The application of some tips is clearly presented in the video in this article.

POOR QUALITY PRODUCT

choose silver pendants ⇒

On products made of gold, as well as on jewelry made of silver, an assay mark (assay) is placed. The purity of the alloy is also indicated on the tag. Most often on the jewelry market you can find jewelry made from 925 sterling silver. This suggests that the composition contains 92.5% pure noble metal, the remaining components are additives. This ratio is optimal because 100% silver without additives is too soft and such products are impractical. There are other ratios: there are quite high-quality products of 960, 875 and 830 samples. This ratio is also quite acceptable if the alloy (other components) is of high quality and clear proportions of pure silver and additives are observed.

If the silver is of low quality or a low-quality alloy is used , the jewelry darkens very quickly, even without aggressive environmental influences. But let us remind you that even high-quality products darken over time!

Price

Silver nowadays is in no way inferior in popularity to gold. And along with this, the cost also increases. Now you can buy a silver chain for 500-600 rubles, prices for rings also start from 500 rubles, but a silver bracelet will cost a little less - from 300 rubles. The price for Chinese sterling alloy is lower, since the cost of labor there is also lower. However, even from China such silver cannot be too cheap.

The cost of silver jewelry varies and depends on the manufacturer and its fame, labor costs, complexity of the work, the presence of precious stones, and the weight of the product itself.

There are many factors influencing the cost of the final product. The price of jewelry is also influenced by the total world supply of silver. At the moment, a gram of sterling silver costs approximately $0.8.

Professional products

Let's look at special preparations for cleaning silver and their features.

There is only one downside to the above – the price. The products are sold in jewelry stores and cost from 100 to 600 rubles per package. We also want to offer you no less effective drugs that help clean silver, which will cost a symbolic price.

Home cleaning product

Silver care solution

Silver care foam

Series of funds

Paste GOI

Napkins for silver

Advantages and disadvantages

The sterling alloy has no less advantages than gold. Such silver is durable, resistant to mechanical damage, does not oxidize for a long time, is affordable, etc. In addition, silver, as we know, also has one significant advantage - its bactericidal effect. Sterling silver jewelry will not leave any marks or irritations on the skin, which is definitely a big plus. But behind all these advantages there are also disadvantages.

The main drawback is darkening. With everyday use, silver items will begin to tarnish over time and become covered with a dark patina. To avoid this, you will have to regularly clean your silver and store it properly.

Manufacturing technologies

The alloy manufacturing technology takes place in three stages.

• The first stage is melting. To obtain the desired alloy, it is important to strictly observe the melting temperature. So, argentum is melted under the influence of a temperature of 810-940 ° C, then copper is added. High temperature allows copper not only to mix, but to dissolve in silver; it penetrates deep into its structure, thereby forming a solid solution.
• The second stage is firing. The metal is specially fired to improve the homogeneity of the alloy and increase its strength.
• The third stage is hardening. This is necessary to give the metal the necessary ductility. After this, the alloy must be aged at a temperature of 300 °C, this further increases the strength from 60 to 160 kgf/mm2.

At the end, the metal is bleached, all slag and plaque are removed, and as a result, the same brilliant white color that we are familiar with is obtained.

How to clean gold plated silver

Some people may also have gilded silver in their personal collections, which requires much more attention. Gold plating wears off, peels off, and breaks off due to improper handling. Therefore, it is important to avoid using abrasives when cleaning it!

Gilded silver requires a special approach

What we can use:

• Vinegar. Apply the substance to the jewelry with a cloth and rinse off after 5 minutes.
• A piece of suede. A cloth can be used to wipe away any stain or light dirt.
• Ethyl alcohol and turpentine. In a solution prepared from these substances, you soak a cotton pad and a cloth, which you later use to wipe the gold-plated silver.

Prevention

To keep your silver jewelry looking well-groomed longer, do not forget about the following:

• Make it a good habit to remove silver during bath procedures, housework, and also during cosmetic procedures.
• If you notice that the product is wet, you should quickly dry it with a flannel napkin.
• Store your silver in a dry place - preferably in a separate box.

Silverware also needs attention

• If you wear silver rings, bracelets or chains only for celebrations, store them in foil - this will protect them from oxidation.
• You can also store silver in a sealed plastic bag with an activated carbon tablet in it.
• Silverware is best kept in a dark, dry cabinet. Keep it away from bright sunlight as the metal will tarnish.

We have discussed in detail how to clean silver. We hope that you will choose the most convenient and easiest cleaning method for yourself from all of the above. Remember about preventive measures that will help your silver jewelry and cutlery remain beautiful for a long time.