How to clean silver with baking soda?

Silver, like any other material, requires special care. Today we are going to talk about how to clean this noble metal with soda.

Contamination reasons

Currently, there is not a single house where there would be no silver items. These can be elegant dining sets, candlesticks inherited from your grandmother, a pair of earring sets, or a bracelet. Silver has its own modest charm and in the days of ancient Egypt was valued on a par with gold, and sometimes even surpassed it in price. This metal is still appreciated.

Silver cutlery does not lose its relevance. They are beautiful, durable and will add dignity to any table setting.

Over time, silverware tends to lose its appearance: they darken, and sometimes a green or blue bloom appears on them. Why is this happening? One of the factors of darkening of this metal can be high humidity, as well as such an effect can be exerted by regular contact with human skin, therefore, three factors can be distinguished that increase the tarnish of silver:

• dampness;
• cosmetics with sulfur;
• human sweat.

One and the same product may not darken for years for one owner, while for another it will change its color in a matter of weeks or even days. The whole secret lies in the specific composition of a person's sweat. So, in the body of one there may be an increased content of nitrogen and sulfur, and it is their excess that leads to the rapid oxidation of silver.

Another important factor is the location of medicinal or cosmetic products in the immediate vicinity of silver items.

How to clean?

Cleaning your darkened silver jewelry and household items at home is easy enough. First you need to figure it out which alloy your products are made of:

• monetary;
• sterling;
• blackened;
• matte;
• filigree.

Remember that filigree and blackened silver cannot be cleaned. Their blackness gives them sophistication and charm, so do not try to clean them - this will only ruin the products. Also, check jewelry for stones such as:

• coral;
• amber;
• pearl.

If your jewelry is decorated with them, it is not recommended to clean them yourself. Entrust this work to a professional, as there is a risk of spoiling the decorative inserts.

It is fairly easy to clean silver items with special commercial preparations, but expensive and unnecessary. Today we'll talk about how to clean your silver at home using plain baking soda, vinegar, salt and foil. These are fairly simple methods and have worked successfully for a long time. Thanks to the ability of soda to penetrate the complex curls and bends of jewelry, as well as remove any plaque, the home cleaning method is so loved by many housewives. Besides, the use of foil allows the silver to return to its previous shine.

For all methods, use household rubber gloves, they will protect your hands from unnecessary consequences. Let's consider several successful ways:

• for 1 liter of water, you need to take 2 tablespoons of soda and stir, put this solution on fire. When it boils, you need to put a piece of aluminum foil in it. We put our silver products there and keep them for 15-20 minutes. All this time, carefully mix the composition with a wooden spatula or a long skewer so that the silver continuously touches the foil. Then we take it out and rinse it under running water. Then the products need to be wiped and polished with a soft cloth;
• for 1 liter of water, add 1 liter of soda, 1 liter of salt, a little detergent and pour this solution into an aluminum dish. Bring to a boil and put silver jewelry in it. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. We make sure that the decorations are brightened evenly. Then we rinse in running water, wipe with a towel and polish with a soft cloth. Our jewelry is clean and sparkling again;

• Use a deep container that can hold your jewelry. Line it all with aluminum foil and place all the silverware there. Then sprinkle with baking soda so that it completely covers the silver. Boil the water separately and pour this boiling water over the decorations covered with soda. Wait for the reaction to end: the soda will sizzle and foam. After 10-15 minutes, remove the jewelry and rinse with clean water. Then wipe and polish;
• if your silverware has a green or blue tint, it is most likely mold. Prepare a piece of cloth and 6% vinegar. Dampen a cloth with vinegar and wipe the items with it. If this method does not help, there is another option;

• take a glass container and cover the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Pour 100 ml of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt there. Stir everything with a wooden spoon or spatula so that there is no contact with metals. Then place the silver items in there, close the lid and leave for 10 minutes. When you see how the water begins to darken, then the silver is purified. Then drain the solution, remove the items and rinse with clean water. Dry and polish;
• you need to prepare gloves, a brush, vinegar and soda. In a small container, mix the vinegar and soda until you get a gruel. Then, putting on gloves and taking the product in one hand, with the other, lowering the brush into the gruel, we clean our jewelry. After cleaning, rinse the items under running water. This method is suitable for cleaning jewelry that does not contain stones and smooth surfaces, as it can leave the smallest scratches.

Non-standard ways

Coca Cola

Pour this drink into a container and place your silverware. Leave for 12 hours or more, then rinse under running water. The acid in the drink will help clean up stains on the metal.

Hydrogen peroxide

When using this method, you need to be sure of the composition of the products, since it is only suitable for completely silver products that do not contain impurities. Otherwise, your jewelry may be damaged. For cleaning, mix in equal proportions ethyl alcohol and 3% hydrogen peroxide.

Then we lower our products into this solution. Jewelry should be kept for 15-20 minutes. Cutlery 60 minutes. After holding in this solution, the products are washed and wiped dry.

Dentifrice

This is one of the simplest methods and will work with both tooth powder and regular toothpaste. It is necessary to take an old toothbrush and moisten it with water, dip it into powder, then clean the product. This method is convenient for cleaning jewelry with its small details or chain links. As in the previous methods, it is necessary to rinse the cleaned jewelry and wipe it thoroughly.

If you don't have baking soda in your home, laundry baking soda will work. It is more concentrated, so you will need a little less of it to prepare solutions.

It is important to remember that it is more caustic and should be avoided in contact with the skin.

How to store?

Let's take a look at how to properly store silver jewelry:

• they should be cleaned once a year if they are cutlery and once a quarter if they are decorations;
• the moisture wicking bags remaining from the shoes can be placed with the silver items. This will keep them dry;
• do not keep perfume, cosmetics and medicines next to silver;
• cutlery will last well and will not darken if you wrap it in foil;
• after each contact with water, silver jewelry should be removed and thoroughly wiped dry;
• if your silver jewelry darkens very quickly, it is recommended to take it off at night.

By following these simple tips, you will keep your silverware clean and shiny.

For information on how to properly clean silver with soda, see the next video.