Who loves to part with their favorite gold jewelry and accessories? It is especially painful when they simply get dirty, darken, turn pale and lose their former beauty. Of course, this can be avoided if you regularly take care of the metal, because even unpretentious gold needs care. But what to do when the trouble has already happened? Let's tell!
1. Dishwashing liquid
Best of all, a product created specifically for this task fights grease, oil traces and plaque of any origin. Take dish detergent, dilute it with water and leave the jewelry in it. You can even boil gold without coatings or stones in a solution for a few minutes - a good way to clean out all small links and other hard-to-reach places.
2. Salt
Salt solution is the simplest, most affordable and rather gentle product for cleaning gold jewelry. Pour a couple of tablespoons of fine salt into a glass and leave the gold in a concentrated solution overnight, and in the morning just rinse with water. The method is not suitable for soft stones that cannot stand soaking for a long time.
3. Peroxide
Add 2 tablespoons of peroxide to a glass with a spoonful of liquid soap or your own shampoo, and then fill it with warm water. Stir the solution and leave the gold in it for 15 minutes, then polish with a cloth.
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4. Tooth powder or paste
The beauty of the method is its simplicity: you only need them and an old toothbrush - no more. Keep in mind that the powder cleans better, but it is rougher, and the paste will take longer to tinker with - but it is more delicate. Another method is to apply the whitening paste over the gold and leave it to dry - this will bring back the lost shine.
5. Ammonia
It is used in its pure form, diluted with water or mixed with other components to enhance the effect. For example, with washing powder in the proportion - one spoonful of each for a cup of boiling water. The jewelry is placed in a solution for 1-2 hours, after which most of the contaminants go away on their own.
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6. Chalk
Chalk works well for cleaning gold, but it should be jewelry without stones and coatings that is easy to scratch. Mix the chalk powder with grated laundry soap or ammonia to make a thick, dense paste. Use an old toothbrush to apply the mixture well to the surface. Be sure to rinse your jewelry to avoid stains later.
7. Soda and foil
Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in hot water and place a sheet of regular kitchen foil on the bottom of the container. Put gold jewelry on the bottom and leave to soak overnight. After that, your favorite bracelets and chains need to dry out on their own - lay them on a towel or paper napkin.
8. How to clean white gold?
The peculiarity of white gold is that it is actually an alloy of several different components. It can contain nickel, copper, palladium, rhodium plating and other additives, depending on the decoration. The main rule here is not to erase the upper light and shiny layer, so no abrasives.
You can refresh such jewelry in a solution of sugar (2 large spoons per glass of water), in which they are soaked overnight. The same soap solution, where you need to place jewelry for half an hour, will help from a slight blackness. When white gold is pretty dirty, leave it for half an hour in a solution of ammonia and shampoo.
Cleaned chains and rings should be thoroughly rinsed with running water and gently wiped off with a soft microfiber or paper towel. Keep in mind that restoring the lost shine of white gold is a task that is close to impossible. Therefore, it is better to entrust any serious manipulations and complex stains to master jewelers.
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9. How to clean gold with stones?
The hardest thing to clean is inlaid jewelry, because you need to take into account their features too. If there are many different stones in your favorite ring or earrings, take them to the workshop without hesitation. It is difficult to find a universal recipe when malachite is very scratched, pomegranate does not tolerate hot water, pearls - acids and alkali, and amber - any solvents.
With hard stones, like cubic zirconia or diamonds, it is easier - any remedy with ammonia will suit them. And jewelry stores often sell ready-made cleaning pastes for home use - a useful purchase if you love jewelry. For everyday care, a soap solution and microfiber polish are enough.
It is more difficult with soft stones: they do not tolerate vinegar and ammonia in any concentration. Some breeds may become cloudy or even discolored. Do not use any aggressive abrasives and powders, long soaking or other too long exposure. Basically, you only have an alcohol solution for 15-20 minutes and a soft, lint-free cloth.
10. How to clean the gilding?
First of all, we recommend that you find out how thick the layer of gilding on your jewelry is and what its composition is - usually this is indicated on the tag. Then a simple rule applies: the thinner the coating, the more delicate it is. Therefore, it is better to refuse any abrasive methods, aggressive substances and concentrated solutions.
Try cleaning the gilding with soapy water and a soft sponge, tissue, or microfiber. Polish the piece with light circular strokes, but not three too hard. If it does not help, add a drop of ammonia to the liquid and repeat the procedure.
There are no problems with a thick layer of gilding - it is almost as good as pure gold in terms of its characteristics. But if you have the slightest doubt, be sure to first test any method on the inside or any other inconspicuous place.
