How to clean a silver chain at home

Many people prefer silver over other precious metals. Everyone has different reasons for this, but all silver lovers sooner or later face the same problem - darkening of the metal or even blackness. At this point the question arises: “How to clean a silver chain at home?” In fact, there are many ways, but first you need to figure out why silver darkens.

Why does silver darken?

The fact is that silver actively interacts with hydrogen sulfide, which is present in the air. It is this that largely causes the darkening of this noble metal. But silver also reacts with human sweat and this also causes oxidation of the jewelry.

In order to determine how to purify silver, you need to pay attention to the alloy. So, one of four types of alloys may occur:

nielloed;
matte;
sterling;
filigree.

When choosing a cleaning method, you need to pay attention to both the degree of contamination and the composition of the silver alloy. So, for example, it is better to clean low-quality silver with specialized means to avoid the beginning of the destruction of the metal.

Quite often in jewelry stores, when purchasing silver, sales consultants offer to purchase specialized care products for the precious metal.

Cleaning methods

The most common cleaning methods are using household items such as baking soda, toothpaste, vinegar and foil.But besides this, there are a huge number of ways to bring the precious metal to its original form.

Cleaning with soda.

Let's look at two ways to clean with soda. In the first method, we will need two or three tablespoons filled with baking soda, as well as one tablespoon of preferably distilled water. Then you need to mix the resulting solution and soak a piece of fabric in it. Next, use this piece to wipe the chain and finally rinse it. This method is intended for darkening silver in the initial stages.

If this method does not help, then there is a second one: pour soda on the darkened area, drop a little water and clean with a brush. In this case, tooth powder can be used instead of soda. The latter method is more aggressive because the brush can cause microdamage to the metal.

Cleaning with foil.

In this method, we need some kind of container, foil, salt, soda, as well as liquid used for washing dishes. The first step is to lay and secure the foil so that it occupies the entire internal volume of the container. After this, evenly lay out all the jewelry that needs cleaning. Next, you also need to pour soda and salt evenly, add literally a couple of drops of detergent, and pour boiling water over it all, and wait ten to fifteen minutes. At the end, you need to rinse all the silver under running cold water. The result is shine and pristine condition.

If the chain is in a more deplorable state, then it is necessary to increase the dosage of salt and soda, and also not to pour boiling water over it, but to simmer directly over low heat.

Cleaning with toothpaste.

Using this method, you can also cause microdamage to jewelry if you choose the wrong paste. In this case, the most common one will do, because the gel paste is too soft, and the bleaching paste has too strong abrasive properties.

It is necessary to apply a small amount of paste, preferably on a soft cloth, and, with a little effort, walk along the entire chain. Gaps and hard-to-reach places can be treated with a toothbrush. After these activities, it is necessary to rinse and dry the chain.

Cleaning with vinegar.

A very large number of methods for cleaning silver involve vinegar. Often it is used together with some other substance, for example, citric acid. But there is a method in which only vinegar is involved: you need to pour a small amount of this substance into some container, evenly immerse the chain in the acid and leave for an hour or two, but no more, as irreversible consequences may begin. After this, of course, rinse and dry.

Other methods.

There are also other equally effective ways to clean silver. For example, the Coca-Cola drink does an excellent job of cleaning; you just need to immerse the jewelry in a container with Cola poured in for several hours. In addition, use lipstick or olive oil. To do this, you need to apply one of the above ingredients to the cloth and wipe. Then you need to immerse it in a soapy solution and rinse.

Another effective remedy is ammonia, but it is not often used in its pure form. But various combinations with it are known.For example, this recipe: you need to take a glass of water, two teaspoons of ammonia and three drops of detergent, mix everything. After this, immerse the chain in the solution, shake until foam appears and leave for three hours. Finally, rinse and dry.

Chalk solution is very effective. To do this, you need to dissolve chalk in water and add a few drops of ammonia to the solution. After the solution has begun to harden, it is necessary to thickly smear the chain with the resulting substance and wait until this mixture hardens. Finally, wipe the chain with a wool scarf.

There is also a completely harmless cleaning method, but it also takes a lot of time. You need to take two teaspoons of soap solution, a teaspoon of alcohol, lemon juice and half a glass of water, mix thoroughly and immerse the chain in the solution for twelve hours. Afterwards just rinse.

Also another simple and harmless way. To do this, we need a glass tank with a volume of one liter, filled with water sixty percent, plus one hundred grams of citric acid and a small copper wire. All this must be connected and put on low heat and, of course, immerse the chain there for ten to fifteen minutes.

If all of the above methods are not suitable, then you can take a regular eraser and use it for its intended purpose.

Prevention

To summarize, we can highlight several points, the observance of which will make the life of the owner of precious metal easier and will extend the life of the silver itself:

It is necessary to wipe the chain with flannel after removing it.
You should not leave your jewelry on while playing sports, as sweat greatly oxidizes silver.
You should not take baths or go to the pool with a chain around your neck, because wet rooms create a favorable environment for oxidation.
Monitor the composition of your cosmetics, as sulfur also affects how quickly the chain turns black, or wear it after applying makeup.
To keep a new chain in its original condition for a longer period, when purchasing, apply a layer of colorless varnish to it.
Don’t wait for the silver to turn black; give it preventative cleaning once every two months. Don’t wait for the silver to turn black; carry out preventative cleaning once a month. This will be quite enough.
It is best to store the chain in a box, which is covered with fabric on the inside.
When traveling to the sea, take off your silver, because sea water is an even more aggressive environment than fresh water.