12/17/201605/19/2017 Maria Ivanova 3 comments
Blackened silver is a material that is more susceptible to losing its original presentation than others. However, every housewife can restore silver items to their former attractiveness.
Some people consider it necessary to contact specialists to restore the original appearance of their favorite item.
Meanwhile, financial expenses are not always justified: a service of this type can easily be replaced by independent, quick and simple actions at home.
Relevance of the problem
Silver can be found in almost every home, especially in families where they care about healthy eating, and, therefore, purchase silverware: full-fledged sets or individual cutlery.
Quite quickly after purchase and use, silver items begin to tarnish, turn black and even acquire a greenish tint.
The latter can be noticed even with the most careful handling of these products. The intensity of their use after purchase does not in any way affect their attractive appearance.
Thus, the frequency of use does not affect the degree of blackness of the product surface. The main determining factor in this matter is the metal alloy.
Preventive measures
In order to worry about cleaning silver as little as possible, adopt a number of simple rules. They will help your favorite products and devices stay shiny for as long as possible.
- Always remove accessories when exercising, cleaning, washing dishes, or even taking a bath. Remember that increased humidity, sweating and exposure to chemicals accelerate oxidation.
- Cosmetics also have a negative effect: do not apply hand cream to a ring, or perfume to a cross or chain.
- Pay special attention to storage. Accessories should be left in a dry, dark place, for example, in a box, preferably separately from each other. If this doesn’t work out, at least don’t mix metals and stones.
- The same applies to storing cutlery. They should also be placed in a soft case or box separately from medicines, cosmetics and even other utensils.
- If the ring or chain gets wet, wipe it dry as quickly as possible.
- Regular light cleaning also gets rid of stagnant plaque. But this only applies to devices, not personal accessories. For preventive purposes, once every month or two they can be rinsed in soapy water with the addition of ammonia.
- After polishing, you should not immediately put on earrings, rings or chains. Allow a protective layer to form on their surface.
Accessories will last you longer if you order not only cleaning, but also rhodium plating from a jewelry store. This is a special coating with rhodium, a cold metal that is never patinated. This means that caring for it will be much easier.
Where should I start?
Blackened silver is one of several types of material. Among its other types:
- sterling;
- filigree;
- matte.
When deciding to clean a silver item yourself, you must first decide what specific alloy the items were made from.
This can be done by referring to the documentation included with the purchased items.
If there is a need to clean jewelry with pearls, coral or amber, it is strongly recommended not to do this at home.
The fact is that the listed stones have increased sensitivity to all kinds of alkalis and acids, the presence of which may characterize the product chosen for cleaning.
If you neglect this recommendation, you can very easily spoil the appearance of these stones, and it is unlikely that you will be able to restore the lost attractiveness. The best cleaning option in this case is to contact the services of specialists.
Video material
Stylish silver jewelry, especially with blackened elements, is ideal for special celebrations and important events. They are suitable for both a classic dress and a suit, and are in harmony with any clothing, except sportswear. But to ensure that your jewelry lasts as long as possible, store it in dark boxes where the sun does not penetrate, and sometimes give it the rest that all jewelry needs. Such accessories deserve careful treatment and admiration from everyone around you.
Preparatory work
You can restore the original appearance of other types of products without risk at home. Below are four of the simplest and most accessible methods for each of us.
Before you start cleaning blackened silver using one of these methods, you need to remove all kinds of dirt from the surface of the product: grease and cosmetics, sweat and dust.
And you can do this using:
- dishwashing detergents;
- toothbrush;
- warm water.
In order to properly dilute the detergent in warm water, you can use a glass or ceramic container.
The dish is filled with water, after which the product is immersed there.
To properly clean an item from stubborn dirt, you need to leave the item in the dish for about twenty minutes. You can remove all the dirt well with any soft-bristled brush.
It allows you to completely remove all the most visible gross dirt. After this, the product is washed in warm water.
The first stage of cleaning at home is the same, regardless of which method will be used next.
By unusual methods
Cleaning metal using egg yolks and “Whiteness” seems unusual. However, this mixture works very well. Take 2 raw yolks and 1 tablespoon of “Whiteness”. The yolks are beaten, then the cleaning agent is added, everything is stirred. A cloth is moistened in the resulting liquid and the product is wiped.
A very simple way. They simply put the silver item in the pocket of a sweater or jacket, securely close the pocket so that the item does not fall out of it, and put it in the washing machine. Half an hour of washing, and the ring or bracelet looks perfect.
Attention! This option is not applicable for products inlaid with stones.
Soda and foil
For the procedure you will need a deep bowl, foil (2 times the size of the container) and soda.
The work ahead is interesting:
- Line the inside of the bowl with foil. If the foil extends beyond the edges of the dish, wrap it outside.
- Pour out half a pack of soda and put decorations in it so that they are not visible.
- Now you need to take boiling water and pour it over the contents of the bowl. The soda will bubble.
- We wait for the reaction to end and take out the products with a spoon. We rinse and get an excellent result in the form of shiny metal without a single speck of blackness.
Potato peeling technique
Potatoes contain a lot of starch, which removes tarnish from the surface of silver. To prepare the product, you need to grate a potato, put the mixture in a bowl, add cold water.
Place the object in the resulting slurry and wait 2 hours. During this time, the chemical reaction will complete and the silver will be purified.
Curdled milk
Curdled milk produces lactic acid - an active dihydrate. To cleanse silver, simply place it in a glass of drink and take it out after 10 minutes. All that remains is to rinse the item, and it will again acquire a presentable appearance.
Cosmetic powder
It's hard to say who came up with the idea of cleaning silver with cosmetic powder, but having a slight abrasive effect, it really helps. Powder is collected on a cloth and the product is wiped. After cleansing, wash off any remaining powder with water.
School eraser
The eraser is used for the final step. First, remove the main layer of contamination with a soap solution or other product, then go over the surface of the metal with an eraser, simultaneously removing the darkening and lightly polishing.
"Coca-Cola"
Another rather original way: boil silver in Coca-Cola.
Procedure:
- pour the drink into a saucepan;
- put silver things into it;
- let it boil for a few minutes;
- take it out with a spoon and check the result.
If all the blackness has not disappeared, put the item back into the pan with Cola and boil until the desired effect.
Method number 2
It is also recommended to clean blackened silver at home using water and ammonia.
The sequence of steps in this case will be as follows.
If the product is not excessively dirty, but only slightly darkened, then you need to select a small container for cleaning.
Water and ammonia are poured into the bowl in a ratio of 10:1.
A cotton pad or cloth is soaked in the prepared mixture, and then you can clean the item.
For an average degree of contamination, the same product is prepared.
The residence time of the product in the solution in this case is from 15 to 60 minutes. Under no circumstances should you overexpose the item!
Deciding exactly when you can start cleaning is very simple: you just need to monitor the water process.
If the item is excessively dirty, for example, a chain, it should be placed not in the solution, but in pure ammonia. In this case, direct cleaning can begin in a quarter of an hour. Then the chain should be rinsed with water and rubbed with a thick fleecy cloth.
How to properly store silver
Finally, here are some key tips on how to store your silver. And although this cannot be a 100% guarantee of the safety of the appearance of silver items, we still strongly recommend that you keep them.
- Silver items should be kept in closed containers and with minimal humidity. If you are not going to use any silver item for a long time, then it should be washed with soapy water and wrapped in foil or flannel.
- It is unacceptable for silver to lie next to medicines, food, cosmetics, household chemicals, etc.
- Before going to the beach, taking a shower or going to the bathhouse, it is advisable to take off your silver items.
- If the silver gets wet, be sure to dry it with a napkin or soft cloth.
With proper care of your silver, it will always look good. We hope that our tips will help you clean your silver and make it shine.
Method number 3
Blackened silver can be perfectly tidied up at home using the following “tools”:
- ammonia;
- dentifrice;
- cotton wool;
- thick napkin.
The container is selected taking into account the size of the product. Ammonia and tooth powder are poured into it - in such proportions that the resulting consistency resembles sour cream.
Cleaning begins by applying the prepared mixture to the surface of the silver item with a disk or cotton ball. As soon as it dries, you can start rubbing the item with a special napkin.
Preventing contamination and caring for products
To prevent silver items from tarnishing and turning black for many years, it is necessary to properly care for them. Even the most expensive and pure alloy will eventually lose its original luster and beauty if not handled properly.
Silver has two main “enemies”: moisture and sulfur. Both substances easily cause the item to fade (or even turn black). Dealing with moisture is not so difficult: just wipe cutlery dry after washing dishes and remove jewelry before taking a bath or shower. But what to do with sulfur? There are not many sources for it:
- sweat;
- medicines (ointments, creams);
- household chemicals.
It’s quite simple to protect silver items from them:
- remove jewelry before going to the gym, jogging or swimming pool;
- wash cutlery immediately after eating (so that sweat from your fingers does not have time to affect the surface of the silver);
- remove jewelry before cleaning;
- Do not allow medications to come into contact with silver.
These simple rules will allow you to maintain the radiant shine of your products for a long time.
