Silver is a wonderful metal for both jewelry and cutlery. It looks noble and has a disinfecting effect, which is important for kitchen utensils. But, unfortunately, silver is a sensitive metal, it easily deteriorates and darkens even with the most careful handling. In order to successfully remove blackness from silver items and return them to their original appearance, you need to know a few simple techniques.
It is necessary
table salt, baking soda, foil, vinegar, ammonia, toothpaste
Instructions
Step 1
The easiest and most affordable way to clean silver is ammonia. Dip the decoration or object to be cleaned for a few minutes in a solution of ammonia. Then we manually clean the most stubborn stains with ordinary toothpaste and an old brush. As a result, the metal will shine like new. However, this method has a significant drawback. Mechanical cleaning with paste or detergents can leave micro-scratches on the product, into which new dirt will subsequently clog.
Step 2
For gentle cleaning of silver items, you can purchase special cleaning solutions. They are usually sold in jewelry stores in the silver jewelry departments. Detergents from Germany have proven themselves well in this regard. When using these products, you do not have to wipe off the stains with force, you just need to put it in the solution and let it stand for a while. This detergent can be used to wash both pure metal and precious stones. There will be no harm to the decoration, moreover, after drying, the cleaning solution will create a thin film on the object, which will protect it from darkening for some time.
Step 3
For silverware (cutlery), the old ways of cleaning with vinegar and table salt work well. Items should be placed in a saucepan with a solution of salt and vinegar and boiled.
Step 4
If the products are heavily soiled and stained, you can use the following effective method at home. Put metal foil on the bottom of a saucepan or enamel bowl, sprinkle one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of baking soda on it. Pour boiling water over everything and put the darkened silver in the resulting solution for a few minutes. The dark coating from silver items will transfer to the foil. As soon as this happens, things must be immediately taken out, rinsed with clean water and dried.
Step 5
If you are the happy owner of antique silver items that require a particularly careful and accurate attitude, then if you need to clean them, it is better to give them to a professional jeweler. The specialist will be able to remove the darkened plaque carefully without damaging the surface of the object. And you don't have to worry about possible scratches or sudden stains.
