Products made of silver can be found in almost every home. This precious metal is highly valued by man, and jewelry, dishes, souvenirs were made of silver at all times. Unfortunately, the bright shine of silver with time begins to fade, and some of the products of this metal turn black. How and what can I clean silver at home? This question is asked by many people who do not want to constantly wear their jewelry or cutlery in the workshops.
Why is the silver turning black?
Surely, each of us asked ourselves the question, why does silver turn black? Silver is considered the most mysterious metal and there is no unequivocal answer to this question. Science explains the darkening of silver as a result of interaction with sulfur. The higher the sample of silver, the less it is subject to darkening. People say that silver turns black on the body, if a person is sick or is damaged. The silver product can blacken out entirely or only one part. Quite often, there is a darkening of silver, when a person takes medication.
So how do you clean the silver?
It turns out that cleaning silver is a very simple process, which everyone can do. Indeed, it is not necessary to go to the jewelry shop every time you have silver. It is much easier to master these simple tricks yourself, because there are many ways how to clean silver at home.
Be sure to find out the sample of the product before cleaning the silver chain, ring or spoon. This is necessary so that the silver does not lose its properties:
- for high-quality cleaning at home, silver 625 or higher, you will help a solution of ammonia;
- for cleaning silver with a lower sample, a good remedy is citric acid. Citric acid should be slightly diluted with water (about 1: 3) and put there black silver. Objects must be constantly turned in the solution to make the cleaning uniform. After 20-30 minutes, the product must be removed from the solution and wiped dry. You will see that your silver has shone again.
The most simple and affordable means for cleaning silver at home is bicarbonate sodium - baking soda. "How can I clean silver with it?" You ask. Add water to the soda before the formation of gruel and rub this mixture of silver products until it again becomes bright.
If you want to clean the silver coin, then in this case, do not use the above methods. Cleaning of silver coins at home is done with acid. If the coin is old, then the important question is not only how to clean silver, but also how not to damage the object itself. The composition of many coins, in addition to silver, includes copper compounds. It is because of them that silver coins are most often polluted. Recognize this type of pollution can be a green color. In order to clean the coin, it is necessary to place it in a glass container and pour a 5% solution of sulfuric acid. The coin should be periodically removed from the container, brushed and reinserted into the solution. After doing this procedure several times, you will return the former shine to the coin.
If the coin has acquired a purple hue, this means that the structure of the metal is broken. Cleaning at home is not recommended in this case, especially if the coin is expensive. It is better to turn to a jeweler's workshop for a specialist. After cleaning only one silver coin, ring or chain at home, you will see how simple it is, and the decoration, cleaned by your own hands, will be much more appreciated. Having mastered this simple skill, you will save both money and time.