Some women wear jewelry for years without having to clean them. But if you compare this decoration with a new one, the differences are visible to the naked eye. It is especially a pity when a beautiful view loses gold. In this regard, it will be useful to learn how to clean the gold at home and how to properly care for it.
- Why gold needs cleaningyour form just under the touch of your fingers. In order to add hardness to gold, they make an alloy to which copper, silver or other metals are added. Together with the appearance of stiffness, such gold acquires a tendency to aging, that is, with time it fades, a film of oxide appears on it.
Here are some more causes of pollution:
- the sebaceous glands of our skin, which constantly secrete sebum;
- decorative cosmetics and creams;
- surrounding dust, urban smog.
The question arises how to clean the gold so that its age is not noticeable. It turns out that cleaning can be easily done even at home, you just need to know a few tricks.
. ..We will present the methods in a small table, and then we will describe them in detail so that everyone can decide how to clean the gold at home with the most suitable means for it.
Tooling toothpaste 5-10 minutes Onion for 2-3 hours water + ammonia + hydrogen peroxide for cleanup for 10-15 minutes cleaning with improvised means
for helpmustacheoviyah from dirt, the use of tissue - this is for you. You will need a slightly fleecy soft material like fleece. They need to carefully rub gold to achieve brilliance and purity.
This is a mechanical method, very sparing and absolutely suitable for any product. If you regularly clean this way, you will not need to use any liquids, including professional ones.
However, this method is not suitable in case of long-standing pollution. With it you can not get rid of the dark oxide film and it is impossible to clean out heavily contaminated inaccessible places.
Soap water
Let's see how to clean the gold at home with detergent and water. There are two options for this cleaning.
- In the first case, soap or dishwashing gel is dissolved in warm water. Gold jewelry is placed in a soapy liquid and left to stand for a couple of hours to make the dirt soft. They take an old toothbrush and clean each item with it, then wash everything in running water and wipe it.
- The second method involves boiling. Gold is immersed in a soapy solution and boiled for 2-3 minutes. Then all the products are pulled out and finished in the same way as in the first method, using a soft brush.
Boiling in water with soda
An uncomplicated way to cleanse the gold from contamination is to boil it in water with soda. It is necessary to pour water into a small container, put gold there and heat the water. Then add soda( about a tablespoon to a glass of water) and boil for a few minutes. When you get your products out of the water, you will need to brush them, rinse and dry.
Some recommend rubbing gold directly with soda, adding a little vinegar, but this method can damage the surface. Soda leaves scratches, and the higher the sample product, the more likely you are to mechanically damage your expensive jewelry.
Vinegar is also undesirable to clean jewelry. High-grade gold, of course, vinegar is not terrible, but the alloy can cause harm. In addition, in no case can acids be used if stones are present in the product. Even the evaporation of acids can irreparably spoil some minerals.
Sweet solution
In a glass of water, dissolve a tablespoonful of sugar and dip the gold into the sweet water so that it is completely submerged. Leave the decoration for several hours( 3-4) to maximize the result. Sugar will return the metal shine, just do not forget to rinse the jewelry in water so that it is not sticky.
This method will not eliminate strong pollution, but ordinary grease and dust are fine with it.The main advantage of this method is that it is safe for gold items and is very simple, but when we clean gold or other jewelery at home, this is of no small importance. .
Toothpaste
Any toothpaste or dental powder containsubstances with light abrasive properties. So they can clean the metal. Damage to the product will not occur, since the paste contains foaming agents that soften the effect of abrasive.
Gold is coated with a paste and begins to brush, just like teeth. Only the brush should be taken softer, and then not to apply it to the oral cavity. The duration of the process depends on how large your product is and how carefully you clean it.
Onion Juice
At first glance, this method seems strange, however, it has been used for a long time and it really helps to clean the jewelry well. When we clean the gold ourselves at home, I want to use some simple home remedy. This tool is the juice of the onion.
Medium onion must be cut and properly rub the decorations with a fresh cut. At the same time, you perform mechanical cleaning and affect the metal with onion juice. You should leave the gold in the rubbed state for 2-3 hours, so that the juice could work well. The procedure ends, as always, by washing in pure water and drying.
Peroxide and ammonia
The latter method, which uses hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, is very effective. If you want to clean the gold at home, then it can be safely used, provided that the product is not sensitive to chemicals inserts.
Prepare such a composition is simple. It is necessary to pour a glass of water into an enamel or glass saucepan, add 3 teaspoons of ammonia, 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, drip a little liquid soap. The main ingredients can be bought at the pharmacy.If you leave gold in the presented solution for a few hours, it will shine like new. Even very old contaminants are removed, as well as an oxide film. The fact is that ammonia and peroxide enter into a chemical reaction with oxides, as a result of which the surface of gold, which contains silver or copper, is purified. Such means clean jewelry without stones.
Professional ways to clean gold
loading. ..For those who do not want to prepare homemade mixes, do not want to rub their decorations with pastes and boil them in soapy water, there is another option to clean gold at home quickly and reliably.
You need to buy a special liquid or paste that is used to clean certain jewelry. Also sold napkins with impregnation, with which you can polish the gold. When buying such funds, always pay attention to what metal they are intended for and whether they can process various inserts, natural stones, etc.
If it is recommended to apply the tool only to gold, then carefully wipe the product, without touching the stones.
These methods allow you to review all your rings, chains and bracelets in a calm atmosphere, put them in order and admire them once again.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Since its introduction, ultrasonic cleaning has been used only by specialists. Today on the Internet there are offers to buy a small device that can be used at home. On the one hand, it is very convenient, but it is necessary to use such devices with great care.
The fact is that some stones crack under the influence of high-frequency sound. If there are cavities or cracks in the stone, it can crack. Thus, harmless cleaning of gold at home without observing the rules can lead to irretrievable damage to expensive jewelry.
Cleaning gold, decorated with stones
The gold itself can be wiped with a weak solution of vinegar, liquid ammonia, and special cleaning agents. However, stones require special handling. There are stones that are not afraid of exposure to water and certain chemicals, but there are some that only need an extremely careful approach.
- The gold product, adorned with diamonds, cubic zirconia or zirconium, can be cleaned with liquid ammonia or washed in a soapy solution. Diamonds can even be rubbed with a brush, it does not hurt them.
- But for turquoise, coral and delicate pearls, ammonia solution( ammonia) can not be used, it is better to simply wipe it with a flannel. Ruby, opal, lapis lazuli can be gently washed in a weak solution of baby soap.
- Many opaque stones are generally best to wipe with a special napkin or soft cloth, without applying chemicals and even water to them.
- Do not wet the pebbles if they are glued to gold.
- Cotton swabs that are moistened in a special composition purchased in the jewelry salon help to clean the dirt from hard-to-reach places.
The main advice is this. Look after jewelry regularly and treat them with love, then they will serve not only you, but the next generation.