How to clean silver rings at home. How to wipe dirt and oxidation from blackened silver: the use of delicate products. How to clean a silver ring at home

Silver is a noble metal used to make dishes, interior items, and jewelry. Its ions have disinfecting properties, which means that the use of silver cutlery has a positive effect on health. But over time, the surface of the metal changes - it grows dull, dark deposits and spots appear on it. We will figure out how to clean silver at home so that it acquires its original appearance.

Before we figure out how to clean silver at home, let's find out why it darkens. In the old days, it was believed that black magic was to blame. But now it has been established that the metal reacts with different elements.

Reasons for the darkening of silver:

Excessive humidity in the room or contact with wet skin.
Reaction to human sweat. If there is a lot of sulfur in it, then silver turns black quickly. The predominance of nitrogen in the secretion of sweat glands contributes to the long-term preservation of the appearance of the metal. Pathologies, as well as taking medications, can lead to a large amount of sulfur in the secretions.
Interaction with cosmetics, food (onions, yolks, salt), household chemicals, rubber, gas.
Incorrect storage.
Low quality metal.

How to choose a cleaning method

The answer to the question of how you can clean silver at home is determined by factors such as:

product sample, composition, if we are talking about an alloy;
the presence of gilding, precious stones, enamel and other additional elements;
degree of pollution;
size.

There is an important rule: aggressive products can only be used for simple jewelry and household items made of silver. If they have stones, enamel, gilding, engraving, then only sparing methods are allowed. Expensive filigree jewelry made of high-quality metal is best left to professionals.

Sold special preparations for the processing of silver. Popular brands are Talisman, Silbo, Aladdin, Silver Quick. They are available in the form of sprays, solutions, pastes, wipes. Such products clean effectively and gently, but it is important to follow the instructions carefully.

Important: Silver is a soft, ductile metal. When working with it, do not use rough cloth, hard brushes and metal scrapers.

Cleaning methods

High-quality silver cleaning at home requires preparation. It is necessary to remove grease, dust, residues of cosmetics, products and other contaminants from the surface. To do this, prepare a warm solution of water and soap, shampoo or detergent in arbitrary proportions. In the liquid, you need to thoroughly rinse the silver product. If it has indentations, it is recommended to use a soft toothbrush. At the end, you need to rinse the jewelry or cutlery in clean water and let it dry.

Toothpaste and powder

You can quickly clean silver from blackness at home using tooth powder or paste. But this method is considered rather rough, so it is better not to use it for jewelry and expensive household items.

The powder should be diluted with water to a slurry state. The paste does not need to be prepared, it should be white without impurities and large abrasive particles. The mass must be applied to a soft flap and gently rub the thing made of silver. You can use a soft toothbrush. It is important to move in one direction in a straight line. Do not press too hard on the metal, otherwise the surface may be damaged.

Note: With any cleaning method, the final treatment consists in rinsing the silver item under running water, drying it and carefully polishing it with a soft cloth.

Soda

An available silver cleaner is baking soda. To process simple products, it is enough to combine the substance with water to make a slurry, apply it to the surface, and after 10 minutes remove it by gently rubbing the thing with a cloth.

If there is a problem than carefully cleaning silver at home, it is better to use a soda solution. Action algorithm:

Boil 250 ml of water, add 20 g of soda to it, stir.
Drop a piece of foil into the bottom of the container. If an aluminum pan is used, this can be dispensed with.
Put silver objects into the hot solution. Wait 15 minutes.

Citric and other acids

An effective silver cleaning solution can be prepared with citric acid. Stages of work:

Dissolve 100 g of acid in 500 ml of water.
Put a container with liquid in a water bath, put a piece of copper wire into it.
After the solution boils, lower the silver into it for 15 minutes.

If the silver item is small and not very dirty, you can simply soak the cloth in vinegar (6%) and wipe the surface. Another option for a cleanser is a 10% citric acid solution (10 g of powder per 100 ml of water).

Coins and other simple items that have become very dark will help clean formic or sulfuric acid. Items should be boiled for several minutes in a 5% solution of one of these substances.

Important: When using various acids and substances with a strong odor, wear gloves in a room in which air circulates.

ammonium chloride

Thinking about how to clean silver at home quickly, you should resort to ammonia. Products that are slightly darkened, it is enough to wipe with cotton wool soaked in it. Heavily contaminated items should be placed in a 10% ammonia solution for 10 minutes, then rinsed with water. You can also use the following methods:

Combine water, ammonia and tooth powder in a ratio of 5:2:1. Soak a napkin in the solution and rub the silver. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
Mix ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in equal amounts. Hold the product in the liquid for 10-15 minutes.
Pour a little ammonia into the chalk powder to make a paste. Process metal. Instead of chalk, you can use tooth powder.

Salt

Ordinary table salt will help to give silver a shining look:

Dissolve 25 g of salt and 10 g of cream of tartar in 0.5 l of hot water. Dip the products in the liquid for 10-20 minutes.
Pour 0.5 liters of water into an aluminum pan. After it boils, add 10 g of salt, soda and dish detergent, mix. Put the silver into the bowl. Boil 30 minutes.

Other Methods

For cleaning simple silver items, there are several more effective methods:

Pour Sprite, Cola, 7-Up, or similar drink containing phosphoric acid into a pot. Submerge an object made of silver into the liquid. Boil for 5-7 minutes over low heat.
Prepare a solution of laundry detergent and water in arbitrary proportions. Dip the decoration or cutlery into it. Boil 10 minutes.
Spray the product with window cleaner. Wipe with a cloth.
Polish the contaminated item with a regular stationery eraser. For openwork jewelry, the method is not suitable.

The nuances of cleaning products with stones, gilding and other features

How to clean silver with stones so as not to damage it? Such products require careful handling, especially if they are inlaid with turquoise, moonstone, amber, malachite, coral, pearls.

Dust and light dirt can be removed with regular alcohol or cologne. Wipe the jewelry with a cotton pad soaked in the substance. A cotton swab is suitable for processing recesses and various decorative details.

You can remove plaque and stains by soaking silver items for 15-30 minutes in a solution prepared according to one of the following recipes:

grate laundry soap, dissolve in warm water to make foam, add a few drops of ammonia;
pour a tablespoon of ammonia or vinegar into a glass of water.

The same methods are suitable for gold-plated products. After soaking, the jewelry should be rinsed with water, dried with a paper towel and rubbed with suede.

The original way to clean jewelry with stones is to use lipstick. She needs to lubricate the surface of the metal, and then process it with a flannel flap. If the silver is decorated with pearls, you need to sew a linen bag, pour a spoonful of salt into it and put the product, then wash it in warm water.

Blackened silver needs special care. Cleaning methods:

hold the jewelry for 20 minutes in a solution of soap (10 g), soda (1 teaspoon) and water (500 ml);
cut raw potatoes, pour water over it and lower the silver there, pull it out after 3 hours.

General rules for cleaning

In order for cleaning to be effective and not harm silver products, the following rules should be observed:

Wash jewelry and household items regularly until the dirt becomes very strong.
Do not use harsh abrasives. When processing simple objects, you can use a soft toothbrush. If you need to clean jewelry, it is better to take a brush with natural bristles.
925 sterling silver may only be lubricated with special products. Home methods can damage it.
Radiated metal is resistant to chemical damage, but its surface is easily scratched. It can only be cleaned with a soft cloth.
After pastes and solutions, the product should be washed under running water. It is especially important to do this if foil or aluminum utensils were used during the cleaning process. Otherwise, a film of aluminum sulfate may form on the surface.
To give shine, the metal should be treated with lemon juice and hot water.
You can dry the products on paper napkins or under a hair dryer.
Dry silver items should be polished with suede, flannel or wool.
It is better not to wear jewelry for 2-3 days after cleaning, so that a protective layer forms on them.

How to properly store silver

Silver products will retain a shiny, clean surface for longer if properly cared for. Basic Rules:

Products should be stored in separate closed boxes (cases, caskets) in a dry place. If an item is not going to be used for a long time, it should be washed with soapy water, dried and wrapped in flannel, foil or parchment.
It is impossible for silver to come into contact with medicines, food, household chemicals, plastic, rubber during storage.
Jewelry made of silver is recommended to be removed before applying cosmetics, taking a shower, bathing in the bathroom, the sea, visiting the pool, sauna. It is also undesirable to clean them so that detergents do not get on the chain or ring.
If the product gets wet or dirty, wipe it dry with a cloth.

Silver jewelry and household utensils, with proper care, can please their owners for a long time and benefit them. If, nevertheless, the products are covered with a dark coating, they are easy to clean with toothpaste, powder, ammonia, soda and other means. It is better to entrust the processing of very valuable silver items to professionals.

Not only amateurs, but also connoisseurs of silver, probably faced such a problem as changing the color of the metal. Many make allowances for the age of products, but this is far from the case, because, like any jewelry, silver tends to get dirty, under the influence of some factors, change in appearance, acquiring an unsightly appearance. To clean a silver jewelry, you do not need to be afraid of using extreme reagents, as the material for their manufacture is unpretentious and accepts any kind of care. It is thanks to such qualities, a pleasant appearance, that silver is so fond of wearing by different age groups of fashionistas and fashionistas. The most common group of jewelry bought in jewelry stores is silver rings, chains, earrings. Such demand is dictated by rather low prices, the design of products with precious stones and simply decor that does not have a special value. Some time after the purchase, the issue of cleaning jewelry becomes acute. The most problematic places in rings, earrings are the zone of stone framing, chains, bracelets are the interlacing of silver elements. Next, consider all the ways to clean a silver ring quickly, simply.

Why does silver turn black?

Yet, why do silver rings turn black? The question has a rather multifaceted answer. There can be many reasons for this. The human body is a set of trace elements, compounds that, interacting, organize important life processes. A silver ring, as an ornament, constantly in contact with the body, sometimes "responds" to physiological processes. The glands of the human body secrete sweat where nitrogen is present. This element of the periodic table is able to react to silver, thus creating oxidation processes. This contact leads to the fact that the silver ring begins to acquire a grayish-black, matte hue, therefore, dyeing from this metal is not recommended to be “walked” in baths, steam rooms, saunas. Such a natural phenomenon affects not only base products, but also 925 jewelry.

If you adhere to religious views, then the blackening of silver has always been a sign of the "evil eye". Many parents, seeing a muddy, ominous tide on a child's baptismal cross, immediately run to midwives to perform magical rites to pour out spoilage. This is stupid, and I would like to warn such parents that blackening of silver is often a reaction of the body to some physiological processes. Instead of sticking to the mystical side, you need to pay attention to the physical and mental state of the child. Measuring body temperature, monitoring stools, skin integuments are the surest actions of a person in response to the blackening of silver.

Ring preparation before cleaning

In order for the result of cleaning silver jewelry to exceed your expectations, the products must first be prepared. The first step is to remove traces of fat. To do this, wash the jewelry with soap, rinse. Before using this or that recipe, take a soft brush and clean all hard-to-reach places with it, paying attention to the area where the stones are (if any). Assess the condition of the silver surface. If there is severe contamination, use more aggressive formulations of soda, tooth powder, chalk, for example. When the ring has a slightly hazy hue, soaking it in vinegar or ammonia will suffice. At the end of the preparation, the ring must be wiped with a cloth, let it lie down for a while.

How to clean a silver ring from blackness?

Among the reasons that cause discoloration of the metal, there are some more, such as the use of body cosmetics and certain drugs. If a silver ring has turned black, the following recipes will tell you how to clean it:

Soda. This natural reagent is able to contact with many pathogens, thereby causing their death. The bulk substance is used for douches or rinsing, but here we will use it in the form in which it is. Take a bowl of warm water, put the ring on for 15 minutes. After a while, take it out and clean all the dirty places with a small amount of soda. It is effective to use a toothbrush as a working tool. Rinse the item.

Vinegar. Dial an enameled plate of 200 ml. water. Heat to a boil. Lower the decoration, then pour in half a glass of vinegar or a teaspoon of acid. Boil 5 minutes. Ammonia. Mix liquid with water (1 part reagent, 2 water). Place the ring in the composition, leave to lie down for 20-30 minutes.

How to clean a silver ring at home?

The above methods continue recipes from the category of homemade. They require a longer cleaning time for silver jewelry and are most effective. As a result of manipulations, the product will not only get rid of blackness, but also of old dirt.

100 grams of laundry soap grind and dilute with water 40 degrees. Wash the ring with a sponge or coarse cloth.

Take tooth powder without impurities and fragrances. Mix 30 grams of dry matter with two teaspoons of water, break up the lumps. Process the decoration with the resulting paste. All dirt, plaque, dullness will be gone in a matter of minutes. Soak 50 grams of starch with water. Process the ring in the same way as described above. Starch can be replaced with potato tubers. Peel the root crop from the peel, chop on a grater. Mix a small amount of raw potatoes, water. Lower the decoration here, let it lie down for half an hour. After a while, wash the ring, wipe it with a dry flannel. The described methods cannot be applied to rhodium-plated silver items. Although the substance is considered resistant to chemical attack, but after the Nth number of brushings, a fine abrasive can wear out.

How to clean a silver ring with a stone?

Rings with stones accept all the cleaning methods described earlier. Only in these cases, the use of abrasives is not recommended. This is because small remnants of insoluble elements of the product can clog into the groove where the stone “lies”. This will make cleaning even more difficult and time consuming. In the care of silver jewelry of this kind, it is good to use toothbrushes or other kinds of brushes. The bristles of the cleaning tool are able to penetrate into all problem areas, which will enhance the effect of using the products. It is recommended to either soak a silver ring with a stone or boil it in a soapy solution. To do this, dilute the shaved soap with water, put the ring in the liquid and heat until the dirt begins to lag behind. For the method, you can take any liquid soap.

How to clean an expensive ring without the risk of damage?

If you are afraid to use the above cleaning methods, and do not have the money to go to a jeweler, take olive oil. This tool can only clean minor dirt and a small cloudy coating. Pour a little olive oil into the bowl. Get a soft cloth. Collect a small amount of oil, carefully process the decoration. The end of the procedure is accompanied by a double rinse of the ring: first in soapy water, then in clean water.

Professional silver cleaners

In order not to waste time preparing solutions and pastes at home, you can buy ready-made products.

If there is contamination of high-grade silver, it is better to clean it with the masters, since substances like soda, powder can harm the integrity of the product.
When using bulk compositions, you need to be careful, as they can scratch the surface of the jewelry item.
If you are using reactive solutions, keep an eye on the condition of the jewelry while it is in the liquid. When the desired effect is achieved, immediately remove it from the cleaning composition.
Silver alloyed with iron, copper or nickel is soaked with salt and water for 3 hours.
It is preferable to entrust the cleaning of jewelry with a precious frame to the hands of a jeweler.

With regular preventive measures, you won't need to wonder how to clean your silver jewelry. Proper storage and daily care will help the product to remain in its original form for a long time.

Silver rings have a relatively low cost, but if the jewelry is accompanied by a gemstone setting, then the price increases significantly. You can clean such jewelry by all the methods described. In case of doubt and fear of spoiling a thing, it is better to seek help from a jeweler.

Has your favorite brooch or earrings turned black? Do not know how to return such products to their former brilliance and beauty? It's OK! So that you can easily deal with such a problem, let's look at how to clean silver from blackness at home.

First, it is important to understand why the silver in the house turns black. This can happen due to a number of factors:

High humidity.
With constant contact of the product with detergents or cosmetic products, for example, hand cream.
With constant exposure to the metal of human sweat. For this reason, pectoral crosses, pendants, chains, rings and bracelets are most often blackened.

Since such factors can occur in any home, every housewife needs to know how to properly clean silver. Fortunately, today this can be done not only with the help of special formulations, but also through conventional home remedies.

How to prepare silver for cleaning

To make it easier for you to get rid of blackness on silverware, wash a ring or a pectoral cross from dark spots, the product must be properly prepared for cleaning. How to do it effectively? You should do the following:

First you need to clean the thing from the fat adhering to it. To do this, it is enough to wash it in ordinary soapy water. At the same time, it is better to clean silver jewelry with a soft toothbrush - this way you can remove dirt even from exquisite jewelry with curves and stones.
After that, the thing should be rinsed in cool water and be sure to wipe it dry with a paper towel.
If necessary, this cleaning can be repeated.

Advice:

if you don’t have soap on hand, you can dilute shampoo or ordinary dishwashing detergent in water instead. They will not spoil the material, but they will help you remove fat quickly and efficiently.

Immediately after that, you can start processing products with improvised means. Let's look at them in more detail.

Method 1 - ammonia

How to clean noble white metal with minimal effort? With vinegar! This tool is best used if you want to process a silver item without bidding. It should be applied like this:

To begin with, you should prepare a solution of ammonia. For him, take 10 ml of ammonia and half a glass of cool water. These components must be mixed to a homogeneous consistency and poured into a shallow dish, for example, a ceramic bowl.
Next, you will need to place your silver jewelry in this solution. It is recommended to leave it in this solution for a period of 15 to 30 minutes.
After that, you should pull the product out of the solution and clean it from the remnants of blackness with a dry paper towel.

Important:

if you need to clean up a very dirty item, you can soak it in clean ammonia. Please note: you can leave the product in such a tool only for 10 minutes, no more.

There are also recipes for this remedy, in which ammonia is mixed with peroxide. They are quite effective, but not suitable for all varieties of the metal presented. In order to make sure that they can be used in your case, it is recommended to prepare such a solution, collect a small amount of it on a cotton swab and apply it to the back of the product. If at the same time the silver itself brightens, you can use it for cleaning.

Method 2 - tooth powder

How to quickly clean jewelry or silverware if it is not too dark? You can do this with a powder, as well as an ordinary fleecy cloth. You will need to act with these things like this:

To begin with, you should wet a cloth and collect some powder on it.
With this cloth, you need to gently wipe the product until the blackness completely disappears from it.
After that, the thing needs to be rinsed in cold water and dried with a paper towel.

Video: cleaning silver with toothpowder:

Important:

do not press hard on the product during such cleaning. The fact is that silver itself is a rather soft metal that you can scratch if you work with it carelessly.

Method 3 - soda

How to effectively clean silver items if you don't have any special products on hand? You can use regular baking soda for this purpose. In this case, you will need to act like this:

First you need to take a spoonful of soda and dilute it with water so that you get a thick slurry.
You will need to collect this slurry on a cloth and wipe the product with the product until the black coating is gone from it.
After that, the product will need to be rinsed and wiped with a paper towel.

Video: how to clean silver with soda?

You can also use another method of cleaning jewelry with baking soda. For this you will need:

250 ml of water;
20 grams of soda.

You will need to dissolve soda in water, and then put the resulting solution on fire. When the liquid boils, you will need to put in it, along with the foil, the product that you want to clean. All this should be left on fire for 15 minutes, after which it will be necessary to drain the solution and wipe the silver with a cloth. After that, your product will look like new.

Method 4 - citric acid

Silverware can also be cleaned with ordinary citric acid. For this you will need:

half a liter of water;
100 grams of citric acid;
piece of copper wire.

You will need to dilute the acid with water, put the resulting solution in a water bath, put a piece of copper in a container with an acid solution and wait until the liquid boils. After that, you will need to put the darkened silver into the solution and leave it there for 15 minutes. After that, the silver product will need to be removed from the solution, rinsed under running water, and then polished with a cloth.

Video: cleaning silver with citric acid:

Method 5 - boiling

If your rings, earrings or cutlery could not be cleaned with citric acid, ammonia or soda, you can use the universal bleaching method. For it you will need:

half a liter of water;
10 grams of salt;
10 grams of soda;
10 ml dish detergent.

You will need to mix water with soda, salt and detergent, put the thing you want to clean there, put the resulting solution in a saucepan on fire and bring to a boil. This tool will allow you to get rid of blackness on any thing without any effort on your part. You just have to wipe it with a cloth to remove traces of dirt.

Method 6 - olive oil

What is the best way to clean expensive jewelry when you are afraid of damaging it? It is recommended to use ordinary olive oil for this purpose. It is not difficult to apply it in practice: you need to take a rag, draw a small amount of oil on it and wipe the product well with it - it will remove blackness very quickly. After that, you will only need to rinse the item in cool water and be sure to wipe it dry.

Important:

Use this product on jewelry that has a slight build up. It may not cope with severe pollution, and you will have to look for another, more effective recipe for this purpose.

Method 7 - table vinegar

How to bleach the product if there are no suitable detergents at hand? Use vinegar in this case. To remove black plaque from the product, it will be enough for you to take a small container, pour half a glass of vinegar into it and put jewelry or cutlery there. They will need to be left in a container with vinegar for an hour or two, so that the product completely removes the black coating. After that, the thing will just need to be rinsed with water and wiped.

Advice:

if your chain or ring is not very dirty, you can simply wipe it with a cloth with vinegar. But with the old plaque, this method will not cope.

Method 8 - lipstick

Earrings without inserts, as well as rings, can be easily and quickly cleaned with ordinary lipstick. To do this, you will need to take a piece of soft cloth, generously apply lipstick on it and wipe the product you need with it. After that, the jewel will only need to be rinsed in running water.

Important:

you can use this method even if you are working with rather fragile things. The fact is that the lipstick contains in its composition very fine abrasive components that will not leave scratches on the metal.

Method 9 - ready-made products

If you are afraid of damaging products with cubic zirkonia or pearls during cleaning with household products, you can use special ready-made mixtures for this purpose. They can be purchased at jewelry stores along with special wipes for cleaning jewelry. With these tools, it is enough just to process the product, then gently wipe it, and it will look no worse than on the day of purchase.

Important:

if you have not been able to figure out how to clean silver at home, it is recommended to take it to the workshop. So it is worth doing with those things that have three-dimensional patterns or numerous stones. The specialists in the workshop will easily cope with any contamination on such things and return them to you in perfect condition on the same day.

How to clean stones

How to clean silver with stones? To work with such samples, it is recommended to use ready-made mixtures that can be purchased in jewelry departments: they remove any dirt well and will not damage your jewelry.

If you want to use only home remedies for such a thing, you can prepare a solution with soap chips. For it you will need:

250 ml of water;
20 grams of soap chips;
a few drops of ammonia.

You will need to dilute the soap in water, add ammonia there, put the mixture on fire, bring to a boil and turn it off (it is forbidden to boil such a mixture). After that, you will need to take a toothbrush, pick up such a tool on it and clean the darkened thing with cubic zirkonia well with it. After that, you will need to take an ear stick, also moisten it in a similar solution and wipe the area around the stones with it.

Important:

you should not try to clean items with pearls, amber or corals on your own - these stones are very easy to spoil. Almost all home remedies are not suitable for working with them. If you need to tidy up rings or earrings with such inserts, immediately give them to the workshop.

Blackened silver cleaning

Blackened jewelry silver requires a special approach to cleansing. If you are going to clean it yourself, you can apply one of the following recipes:

Soap solution with the addition of soda. You will need to add a small amount of soap or mild shampoo to the water, pour a little baking soda into the resulting mixture and put the thing you want to clean into it. The thing must be left in the solution for 20 minutes, after which it will need to be removed and gently wiped with a microfiber cloth.
Potato. To use this method, you need to take a few potatoes, peel them, and then put them in a small bowl of water. In the same bowl you will need to place the decoration that you want to clean in this way. The product should be kept in this water for up to 20 minutes, after which it will be enough to wipe it with a cloth.
Regular eraser. This tool is best used when you have already removed the main layer of dirt from the product, which has darkened, using one of the solutions described above. This will remove any remaining contaminants. Applying it is quite simple: you just need to wipe the dark spots with an eraser, and they will instantly leave the jewelry or cutlery.

Important:

jewelry made of blackened silver should never be cleaned with powders, soda, citric acid - all these products can damage the coating of the product, ruining it hopelessly. This should also be taken into account if you want to clean a gold-plated silver ring, chain or earrings.

How to deal with radiated metal

Radiated silver can only be cleaned with special jewelry mixtures. Often, to give them a spectacular look, just rinse the earrings or ring in warm water, and then wipe it dry with a special napkin.

Important:

in no case should you use toothbrushes or powders to care for such a thing. All these abrasive products will simply destroy the thin sparkling coating. In the future, in order to restore a thing damaged by such cleaning, you will have to turn to jewelers.

How to make sure that silver does not turn black

It is impossible to eliminate all the factors due to which silver turns black. But you can significantly reduce their impact on the product of this noble metal. For this you should:

Always wipe rings, earrings, cutlery immediately after washing. If you often leave them damp, don't be surprised if they turn black over time.
Pick up a special box to store such valuable items. Always put such things there after use.
Remove jewelry before shampooing, applying cream and other procedures. Rings should also always be removed before doing housework and washing dishes.
Use foil for long-term storage of such things. Only she can fully protect them from the negative effects of the environment.

Silver jewelry. Items made of beautiful noble white metal were first worn by Egyptians over 5.5 thousand years ago, but even today, after millennia, they remain loved by women for their beauty and affordability. Silver rings, chains, earrings are several times cheaper than gold ones, although in appearance they are almost indistinguishable from white gold jewelry. Silver metal looks perfect with black clothes or clothes in cold colors. In a word, there is something to appreciate bracelets and pendants from it. But the metal has one not very pleasant feature - silver blackens with time.

How to clean silver?

On the Internet, I found almost a dozen tips on this topic, up to the recommendation to purchase a special cleaning agent in the jewelry department. But I was only interested in improvised means of returning silver items to their original purity. I decided to try the tips on my jewelry. Thankfully there are a lot of these.

Purification of silver with citric acid

Pour 150 ml of hot water into an enameled plate. Put a piece of food foil. Foil is aluminum that forms a galvanic couple with silver, and during a chemical reaction in the cleaning solution, the sulfur ions that contaminate the silver product should move from decoration to clean aluminum foil. I added 1 tsp to the water. citric acid.

I dipped a silver ring into the resulting solution.

While reaching for the camera to capture the transformation of the ring, there was an almost instantaneous reaction of lemon with silver sulfides. As a result, the ring became completely light.

I washed the ring in running water,

wiped dry with a towel.

The only thing that was embarrassing was the lack of a beautiful sheen in the metal. But this problem was solved with the help of a clerical eraser. But more on that later.

I note that not all silver jewelry can be cleaned with citric acid: if amber, garnet or other natural stone is used as an insert in a ring, pendant or bracelet, then the product may suffer from the aggressive environment of the cleaning solution. To return the original look, the decoration will have to choose a more gentle way.

Silver cleaning with baking soda solution

For the purity of the experiment, I decided to clean one earring in the manner described above, and the second with a soda solution.

She poured the water, sour from citric acid, into the sink, poured 150 ml of fresh water, added a teaspoon of soda.

The foil remained in the plate from the previous experiment. As soon as the soda solution boiled, she lowered the second earring into it.

The earring has been cleaned. Comparing the result, I can say: a solution of citric acid and a soda solution are equally effective.

Cleaning silver with an eraser

An ordinary school eraser can work wonders: in the process of rubbing the eraser on the surface of a silver product, a dark coating is removed from the latter, and shine appears.

It was with the help of the eraser that it was possible to return the ring, cleaned with a solution of citric acid, to shine like a brand new jewelry. The only disadvantage of the way to eliminate blackness with silver with an eraser is the inability to lighten hard-to-reach places.

Cleansing silver with lipstick

In every woman's cosmetic bag there is a lipstick that either does not match in color or has managed to acquire an unpleasant smell. Having found such lipstick at home, I smeared a silver ring with it.

I rubbed the surface of the product with a clean soft cloth (a piece of cloth would be ideal), washed it with warm water. The ring was cleaned well, but this cleaning method is not suitable for chains, carved jewelry or complex-shaped products.

Cleaning silver with a solution of table vinegar

Starting my experiment, I had no doubt of success: both citric acid and acetic acid have the same principle of action. But an experiment is an experiment. I poured 150 ml of water into an enameled bowl, put a piece of foil in it and added 1 tbsp. l. vinegar 9%.

I lowered the chain into acidified water and “cooked” it for about two minutes. The chain was washed and dried.

All silver jewelry in the house has acquired its original appearance.

Summing up, I can say: if you have thought about the question of how to clean a silver chain, bracelet, rings or earrings without stones, then it is the least laborious to do this with a solution of citric acid. Citric acid does not sizzle like soda and does not have the pungent smell of acetic acid. Over jewelry with natural stones, you will have to puff, bringing shine with an eraser or lipstick. By the way, I remembered another “old-fashioned” way of cleaning silver: jewelry is well lightened and polished with an old toothbrush and chalk (tooth powder, toothpaste).

Cleaning silver with stones at home is an easy task. You can return the product to its original appearance even without contacting a jeweler. It is not necessary to buy expensive products, because folk methods for cleaning silver are no less effective.

Why silver things turn black

Silver is easily oxidized, this feature is inherent in the metal. If the proportion of silver in the alloy is small, then the jewelry will blacken very quickly. This happens as a result of a chemical reaction.

In addition, rings and chains, pendants and earrings made of silver turn black when exposed to moisture. The highest quality jewelry is considered to be made from 925 samples. They fade less often and are more durable, so when buying it is important to pay attention to the quality of the alloy.

Preparing items for cleaning

First you need to remove the dirt and grease residues that are present on the surface of silver jewelry. There are several ways. You can wash rings and earrings with soap, a liquid concentrate works well. You can also use diluted dishwashing detergent or shampoo. Dirt must be removed necessarily, because this will make the cleaning process more easy. It is enough to put the jewelry in the solution, and then hold it there for several minutes.

All hard-to-reach places should be brushed with a toothbrush, but care must be taken to ensure that the bristles are soft. After the cleaning process is completed, the items must be thoroughly rinsed in clean water.

How to clean products

There are many options for how to clean silver with stones at home using improvised means. It can be ammonia, in a 10% solution of which jewelry is soaked. In another case, you can soak a cotton wool in ammonia, and then wipe the surface. But this method cannot be used if the jewelry is with pearls, because the color of the pearl will change. But silver with stones in this way will be cleaned very quickly.

There is another option. It consists in cleaning items with a special solution that is made at home. To do this, combine hydrogen peroxide and liquid soap in a container, and then add ammonia. All ingredients should be thoroughly mixed.

The soaking time must be chosen individually for each decoration, because the degree of contamination may be different. After using the solution, the objects must be rinsed, and then wiped thoroughly with a soft cloth.

Every housewife has citric acid. With its help, dark plaque will come off very quickly. Take an enameled dish, place a copper wire in it and pour in citric acid. For 1 liter of water you need to take 200 g of acid. Put the dishes on the stove, dip the rings into it, boil it for a quarter of an hour. Rinse items and wipe dry.

Clean items with soda, 2 tbsp. l. pour in 0.5 liters of water. Put the solution on fire. When the water boils, put a piece of foil and decorations into the container. It only takes a few minutes to see great results.

There is another version of the solution. In 1 liter of water, mix soda, salt and dish detergent, taking 1 tbsp of each ingredient. l. Place the silver in the solution and boil for 30 minutes.

Before and after cleaning

You can clean things from blackness if you put gruel on them, it is made from soda. You need to clean with a soft cloth until the shine returns to the decoration. Hard-to-reach places can be cleaned with a toothbrush.

A decoction of potatoes has proven itself well, it will help restore shine even to very dull objects. Place a piece of foil in the water left after boiling the potatoes. Immerse silver with pearls in water, hold for 10 minutes. In addition to potato broth, you can use the water in which the eggs were boiled.

Perfectly cleans metal toothpaste and toothpowder. But this method cannot be used for products with patterns or stones. If you want to quickly rid silver items of plaque, buy special napkins. They are available in jewelry stores.