How to clean gold plated silver?

Gilded silver looks very beautiful - be it chic jewelry, spoons or interior items. However, over time, such products darken, a plaque appears on them, which greatly spoils their appearance. To avoid this, you need to properly care for the products. After reading this article, you will learn how to clean gold-plated silver so that it starts to shine again, as it did on the first day after purchase.

In order not to have to frequently clean cutlery and jewelry, you need to understand why darkening appears on them. The reasons are usually as follows:

• contact with rubber, onions, egg whites, salt, household gas;
• negative effects of cosmetics;
• stay in a room with high humidity;
• contact with sweat (you need to remove jewelry during physical activity so that the metal does not begin to oxidize);
• contact with drugs, chemicals (gloves are recommended when doing household chores).

When cleaning gilding, you need to remember certain rules:

• abrasive compounds are not suitable for cleaning precious metals. Because of them, scratches may appear on the surface;
• before cleaning, dip a soft cloth in alcohol and wipe the product with it;
• you can only wipe the gilding with a cotton swab. Suede is also suitable for this.

If you are going to thoroughly clean your jewelry, you should first remove minor dirt. It can be:

• spots;
• fat;
• dust.

Soak a sponge in turpentine or ethyl alcohol and apply the product to the product. After that, you can begin a more thorough cleaning.

Mix 1 tbsp of ammonia and 1 tbsp of water in a container. Put the product there and leave for 20 minutes. Some people combine ammonia with chalk and apply this mixture to gilding. Wait until the paste dries. Then remove the chalk with running water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.

To clean a silver spoon, you can use a solution of soap and ammonia. Prepare 6 drops of ammonia, 1 tsp of soap (you can use liquid or grate solid), 1 liter of warm water. Put the gilded silver piece in this solution and leave it there for 30 minutes. Then take it, rinse with water and dry thoroughly. Do not keep the product in the solution for too long, otherwise, its surface may deteriorate.

To get rid of darkening on silver, another option is also suitable. Take 15 drops of ammonia, mix them with toothpaste. Using a toothbrush, brush the product onto the silver. Clean it gently, then rinse it in clean water and dry it. Since ammonia smells unpleasant, it is best to clean it on the balcony or outside.

This cleaning method is the simplest:

• soak the silver item in soap and water beforehand. Then put 50 g of baking soda in 1 liter of water (it should be hot). Place the silver in a container, wait for the solution to cool. Then the product will need to be removed and dried using a soft cloth;
• you can put baking soda (15 g) in water, put silver in there and wait a few hours. Then the decoration will need to be rinsed and dried thoroughly;
• if the silver surface is darkened, mix the baking soda with a few drops of water. You will have a gruel that should be applied to the product.

Use this tool with caution. Peroxide is good for silver, but make sure there are no unexpected results (in the form of reactions) before cleaning. It all depends on the composition of the product.

Beat the egg yolk thoroughly, add 1 tbsp of jelly water to it, mix them. Dip a sponge into the mixture and wipe the product. Clean it using a suede or wool material. Thanks to this method, the silver will start to shine again.

Put silver in beer, wait 30 minutes. Then rinse the garment, dry it and rub it with chamois leather to make it shine.

Dissolve vinegar (2 tablespoons) in 1 liter of water. Put the jewelry there and wait 15 minutes, then dry the product thoroughly. Then rub it with a wool or suede material until it shines.

This product is safe for gilded silver items. It effectively helps to deal with stains and darkening. Dip a cotton swab in wine alcohol, rub it over the surface, then rub it with chamois leather to make it shine.

At the present time, there are a variety of tools with which you can clean silver jewelry from blackness at home. This can be done quickly and easily. Place the product in a cleaning agent wait a few minutes and you're done. The gilded silver surface will shine again.

You need to take care of gilded silver items regularly - only in this case they will always look beautiful. Remember to store jewelry in special cases with soft padding. When removing jewelry, immediately wipe it down using flannel material, otherwise sweat may stain the surface.

For illustrative methods of cleaning silver and gold at home, see the video below.