You want to wear your favorite jewelry every day without interruption. Unfortunately, silver does not allow for this luxury. It darkens from literally everything: moisture, soap, shampoo and balms, your favorite hand cream and other everyday influences. But do not panic if the precious gift or grandmother's relic has already turned black. We will tell you how to save the situation!
1. Soap solution
The easiest way to clean silver at home is with a light soap solution. It won't help with tough stains, but it will wash away everyday dirt and remove minor browning. To do this, immerse the rings and earrings in a cup of liquid, and after 15 minutes, rub them with a soft toothbrush.
2. Toothpaste
Cleaning silver with toothpaste is a classic, familiar to our mothers and grandmothers. Whitening agents and microscopic abrasive particles remove blackness from even intricate embossed ornamental weaving. A more radical method is a gruel of tooth powder and ammonia.
3. Lipstick
Do you think what does lipstick to silver have to do with it? And we are ready to surprise you, because this is one of the most effective cleaning methods. The secret is simple: fats and titanium dioxide in the composition, which perfectly dissolve, clean and polish the metal. Just brush the silver jewelry with lipstick and rub it with a cotton pad or woolen cloth until it squeaks.
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4. Ammonium and peroxide
A 1: 1 mixture of ammonia and peroxide is another classic recipe. It is enough to soak the silver in the solution for 15-20 minutes. We only recommend that you do it in a tightly closed jar, otherwise you will have to enjoy all the "delights" of the pungent ammonia smell.
As for these components separately, we will reveal a couple more secrets:
- Pure ammonia is suitable for cleaning silver and turbid stones. It is not as effective as the mixture, but also not as aggressive;
- But you cannot use peroxide in its pure form - the whitening effect is too strong. There is a great risk of ruining the decoration, especially if there are any impurities or coatings in the composition. Plaque or turbidity may appear. This applies not only to silver, but also to other valuable metals.
5. Citric acid and copper wire
Pour a 100 gram bag into a half liter pot of water and place the mixture on the stove top. Immerse the silver jewelry inside and wait 15 minutes - the effect will appear on your eyes. An unusual trick is copper wire. Wrap a ring or bracelet around it - with this contact, a reaction occurs in citric acid that makes cleaning even faster and more effective.
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6. Soda and aluminum foil
Boil the same half-liter saucepan with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Dip a strip of food foil into a saucepan - you can even tear it off from the package of chocolate. Then - drop the silver and leave the miracle mixture for 15-20 minutes.
As in the case of copper, the reaction of silver with aluminum is important here, which helps to remove any blackness. At the same time, you will forget about clouding and layers. Shine will be - as good as new! It is not for nothing that this particular recipe is the most effective. But it is better to refuse dry soda for cleaning - this is too aggressive an abrasive for soft and delicate silver.
7. How to clean the silverware?
A concentrated solution of baking soda and salt is best for cleaning silver cutlery. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of salt to a liter of water. Boil the mixture, put the products in there and leave for 15 minutes. You can use baking soda or salt separately, but then increase the concentration. Then polish forks, spoons and knives with a soft cloth to a shine.
8. How to clean blackened silver?
To clean blackened silver from blackness is the most difficult task.Here it is important to find a fine line between getting rid of the excess, but not damaging your own coating. Therefore, all aggressive methods and solutions are categorically not suitable for such jewelry.
Use pure baking soda and salt, but increase the processing time to half an hour. The second way is to put the decorations in a pot of cold water and a few peeled potatoes. Leave them there for 3-5 hours and then rinse under the tap. If there is blackness somewhere, use a regular stationery eraser.
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9. How to clean matte silver?
All methods that give shine and polish will not work for you. So - give up any abrasives and acids. It is best to rinse such items with regular soapy water, just do it more often.
10. How to clean silver with stones?
The choice of method for such jewelry is influenced by the density of the stone and how it is fixed. High-density stones don't care about your efforts. Don't worry about your favorite emerald ring or sapphire earrings.
Pomegranate and ruby do not tolerate high temperatures, so boiling methods will not work for you. Malachite, turquoise or opal do not like abrasives - here limit yourself to soap and baths. But delicate pearls, amber or corals are best given to specialists right away - they are sensitive to literally everything.
If silver paws are used for fixing, the second question disappears by itself. But if glue - aggressive chemical reactions are not your method. Give up acid, ammonia and peroxide.
