19 ways to clean gold at home

Why does gold turn black?

(pure precious metal is too soft to make jewelry from). Typically, tarnish and staining are caused by copper and nickel, which react with oxygen and sulfur oxides. Other reasons for tarnishing of gold jewelry:

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• excretion of sweat and other metabolic products through the skin;
• constant exposure to chemicals found in perfumes, deodorants, hairspray and other cosmetic, hygiene or medicinal products.

Features of purification of various types of gold

Different types of metal are cleaned differently. Due to differences in alloy compositions, one or another product may damage the jewelry or be completely ineffective.

Red

The alloy contains copper, so the products acquire a beautiful shade. Such gold can be cleaned at home using all available methods, which cannot be said about white jewelry.

Matte

Such gold requires careful handling and delicate cleaning. You can prepare a solution from 3 g of quicklime, 1 g of soda, a glass of clean water and leave it to infuse for several days. After the specified time, the jewelry is immersed in liquid for 3 hours, then washed and dried.

How not to spoil jewelry: secrets and tips

Cleaning and polishing gold jewelry at home is not that difficult. The main thing is to know how not to make things worse.

Cleaning and polishing gold jewelry at home is not that difficult

To ensure you get the desired result, consider the following:

1. When cleaning precious metal, do not use abrasive, aggressive products to remove dirt: powders and gels, cloth with hard pile.
2. Choose a brush for cleaning stones with soft natural bristles - it will effectively clean the surface of the gold without scratching it.
3. For purification, take purified water (at most distilled, at least passed through filters).
4. Before cleaning, check your jewelry for the integrity of the latch, other link connection, and stone attachment. This is an essential precaution, as the product may break during the cleaning process.
5. After cleaning, rinse the jewelry thoroughly in cool water, always running, and then dry it, polishing with a soft cloth.

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What is strictly prohibited from cleaning jewelry:

• Baking soda - in pure, powdered form, it will cause scratches and remove shine.
• Iodine - under its influence, gold can change its color.
• Bleach and chlorine-containing solutions, powdered cleaning agents - they can discolor gold.
• Potassium permanganate - this will lead to the metal simply oxidizing.

Home medicine cabinet remedies to remove tarnish from jewelry

What other ways can you clean your jewelry? Medicines from the first aid kit, which, as a rule, are in every family, will help restore the shine and radiance of everyone’s favorite gold. Ordinary ammonia and hydrogen peroxide will come to the rescue. When using the first one, you need to have a lot of patience, since the cleansing procedure will take quite a long time. The smell of ammonia is not at all pleasant, so you should be prepared for this. It is necessary to pour a little alcohol into a container (not a metal one) and place the products there. If the contamination is not very strong, three hours will be enough to remove it, and if the coating is thoroughly absorbed into the metal, you will have to wait about 10-12 hours.

Cleaning gold with alcohol

Regular medical alcohol is applied to a cotton pad and the product is wiped. This way you can clean jewelry made of yellow, red or white gold with or without inserts. After treating with alcohol, the jewelry is washed with clean water, wiped dry and rubbed until shiny with a microfiber, felt or flannel cloth.

For complex jewelry, openwork or composite, such as chains, you can use a water-alcohol solution. Mix alcohol and water 1 to 1 and soak the decoration in it for a few minutes. Afterwards, be sure to rinse with water.

Method 5: use chalk

Cleaning gold with stones: advice from a jeweler

There is a fundamental difference in cleaning a smooth ring or a complex piece of jewelry inlaid with stones. To effectively clean gold jewelry with stones at home, it is recommended to use the cleaning methods described above with ammonia alcohol, paste, and liquid soap. As a rule, using a soft brush to clean hard-to-reach areas is indispensable.

Cleaning gold with stones

When cleaning such jewelry, you should take care not only of the condition of the gold, but also of the jewelry inserts. Jewelers recommend using different products for different types of gemstones:

Cleaning nuances depending on the type of product

Not all items made of precious metals can be cleaned at home. This applies to the following products:

• with a large number of small links;
• made of low-grade gold;
• with stones (both precious and semi-precious).

Chains, bracelets and other products with small parts, links

Jewelry with a large number of small parts cannot be cleaned from dirt using superficial methods. To do this, you need to take a toothpick with a cotton wool soaked in alcohol wrapped around it, and go through all the links with dirt. To avoid damage to the product, it is better to contact a professional jewelry workshop.

Ring

Rings are most often subject to contamination due to constant contact with the skin and various organic and inorganic substances. All home remedies, including boiling, are suitable for cleaning products without stones. To avoid damage, it is better to take jewelry with stones to a jewelry workshop.

Earrings

Such jewelry should be cleaned as often as possible. It is advisable to wipe the products with a soft cloth once a week, and if there are stains, use homemade or professional solutions. Earrings with precious or semi-precious stones are best left to a jeweler.

Cross

It is better not to subject the product to mechanical cleaning. Soaking in the solution is the best method for cleaning the cross. In this case, it is contraindicated to resort to boiling and the use of ammonia.

Jewelry with hard stones

Precious stones differ in density and according to this criterion they are classified into hard and soft. Depending on the hardness, you should choose the method of cleaning them.

Hard ones include: emerald, ruby, topaz, diamond, peridot, garnet, sapphire, zirconium. To clean such jewelry, use one of the following methods:

1. Stir 1 tbsp in 75 ml of water. l. ammonia and dip the earrings into the solution. After 10-20 minutes, wash the product under running water and wipe with a soft cloth.
2. A regular soap solution will help remove light stains. Dissolve a small amount of soap in warm water. Soak the jewelry for a couple of minutes, and then treat it with a soft brush, removing dirt from hard-to-reach places.
3. Ash will help restore shine and shine to stones - burn a match and rub the product with burnt wood. You can also simply wipe the jewelry with hydrogen peroxide for this purpose.
4. Gasoline will help remove greasy and greasy stains. Soak a cotton pad in the flammable substance and wipe all surfaces with it.

To clean some types of stones, you can only use professional products with a special composition. You can buy them and familiarize yourself with the rules of application in a jewelry store or workshop.

Jewelry with soft stones

Soft stones (opal, amber, turquoise, coral, pearls, malachite, etc.) require a special approach and a more careful selection of cleaning products and processing methods. Do not use tooth powder.

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To clean items with stones, use soft cloths with special impregnation. They carefully and effectively remove dirt, add shine to metals and shine to minerals. At the same time, they do not damage the surface and do not lead to darkening of the gold or clouding of the stone.

You can clean and polish gold items using special impregnated wipes or a soft cloth.

To clean turquoise or coral, use alcohol. Soak a cotton pad in the liquid and rub the earrings well with it. To clean soft stones, do not use ammonia - it will cause them to become cloudy and lose their presentable appearance.

You can wash your jewelry using soapy water and a soft cloth. Do not soak the items, but simply wipe them well, then rinse and wipe dry.

Do not use citric acid to clean pearl-encrusted earrings. It will corrode the stone and irreversibly damage the jewelry.

Fashionable matte products

This type of jewelry is becoming increasingly popular. But caring for them is more troublesome, because it is not recommended to use hard brushes or abrasive powders to clean such products. Therefore, professional options for cleaning gold at home are most often used. For example, using ultrasonic baths or special jewelry solutions. However, you can try other methods. These same methods work great for gold-plated jewelry.

Ammonia soaking

Peculiarity. Ammonia is safe for matte gold and can remove blackness from the surface.

What you will need:

• 10% ammonia - 50 ml;
• dry soft rags.

Sequencing

1. Place the product in an ammonia solution.
2. Leave for several hours.
3. After rinse, dry with a cloth.

Salt-soda mixture with lime

Peculiarity. Baking soda and salt are gentle not only on gold items. They are safe, for example, for both silver and copper.

Is it possible to polish gold yourself?

We strongly do not recommend doing this without the necessary training and equipment. The reason is that most of the chemical compounds sold supposedly for “polishing” will only give an abrasive effect. Incorrect calculation of the dose of the substance and excessive effort will simply cause more scratches, abrasions and unsightly defects that cannot be corrected.

As for “factory” processing, it is possible to restore rhodium plating on gold only in laboratory conditions. The jewelry is first cleaned, polished, and then placed in a rhodium saline solution and a galvanic bath. Under the influence of electricity, “spraying” is formed, which is simply impossible to achieve using manual methods or reagents.

Hydrogen peroxide

To clean, you will need 3% hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and liquid soap.

• Mix 250 ml of water, 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide, 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 1 teaspoon of liquid cream soap.
• Soak the jewelry in the mixture for 3-5 hours.
• Rinse the jewelry under the tap.
• Wipe the product dry, and then wipe with a microfiber, felt or flannel cloth until it shines.

Another version of the composition with hydrogen peroxide:

• Mix 250 ml of water with 2-3 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide and 1.5 teaspoons of liquid soap.
• Place the gold jewelry in the resulting solution for 20-30 minutes.
• Rinse the product under running water.
• Dry the jewelry (or wipe it dry) and wipe with a microfiber, felt or flannel cloth until it shines.

What they advise on the forums

Boiling in water with detergents cleans both gold and silver well:

natysia:

Gold is cleaned very well this way, it has been tested on itself more than once, it becomes like new: You pour a little water into some small saucepan, and there are all sorts of powders and dishwashing detergents, throw in the gold and cook, or rather, let it boil for about ten minutes, and rinse it off, it turns out great! Try it.

Source detstvo.ru

Boiling in water with the addition of Fairy helped the girl remove traces of superglue from the surface of the ring:

Flower:

In general, I’m unsubscribing. The phrase about polishing got me thinking...shouldn’t I polish my ring at home! I immediately remembered a very common method: boil the ring along with dishwashing liquid. A couple of minutes of boiling with the fairies - they did their “clean job”!!! Cheers cheers!!!

Source ladies.zp.ua

Sprite also perfectly cleans gold, as it turns out:

Guest:

I read it in Sprite. I pour sprite into a glass and there for an hour there are brownies and gold. Then rinse. How new they become. And we still drink this ***.

Source © Woman.ru

A mixture of ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and washing powder works well:

branch:

I clean gold like this: I take a jar, 150-200 grams, fill a quarter with warm water, add an ampoule of ammonia, half a teaspoon of regular washing powder, 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide, mix, throw in all the gold, close the lid so that it doesn’t smell, leave for 5 minutes , I’ll gurgle some more in the jar and drink some warm water. Everything washes out great. Then I polish it with a soft cloth and everything is as good as new. The amount of solution naturally depends on the number of gold items, the solution should cover them completely.

Source detstvo.ru

Cleaning silver at home

Silver, like gold, develops a patina. Even if you minimize the contact of silver with aggressive substances, over time it still oxidizes under the influence of oxygen. A so-called oxide film forms on the jewelry, which changes the true color of the metal.

Copper is often added to the silver alloy. Due to contact with air, it can form silver sulfide - this is a dark coating on the product.

Silver is cleaned with soda. Here's how to do it:

1. Place a tablespoon of baking soda and 2-3 pieces of aluminum foil in a glass - the size of one piece is approximately 5 × 5 cm.
2. Place silver jewelry on the bottom.
3. Pour boiling water over and leave for 5-10 minutes. Soda reacts with aluminum, resulting in the release of hydrogen, which removes dirt and oxidation.
4. We rinse the products with cold water and wipe with a dry cloth.

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Prevention

To make rings, bracelets, earrings and chains sparkle and delight you with their appearance, you need to adhere to simple operating rules.

1. Remove jewelry before dirty work, contact with household chemicals, sports and cosmetic procedures.
2. If moisture gets on the gold, be sure to wipe it with a cloth.
3. Clean your accessories at least once every 2 months.
4. It is better to store jewelry away from sunlight in a wooden box with soft walls.

Tooth powder or paste

The beauty of the method is in its simplicity: you only need them and an old toothbrush - nothing more. Keep in mind that powder cleans better, but it is rougher, and with paste you will have to tinker longer - but it is more delicate. Another method is to apply bleaching paste to the gold and leave it until it dries - this will bring back the lost shine.

Photo: dkvitin.ru

Cleaning jewelry with stones

Gold jewelry with stones requires special care. For example, if a pebble is set on glue, then it cannot be immersed in liquid, otherwise the adhesive substance will dissolve. In addition, some inlays simply cannot withstand mechanical stress.

What to do? How to clean gold with stones? It all depends on the type of gem.

• Zircons, diamonds, topazes, emerald stones, garnet products, and blue sapphires belong to the group of hard stones. That is, they can be cleaned in almost any way, without forgetting, however, about the type of fastening.
• Coral, pearl, turquoise and opal jewelry fall under the category of soft stones. When cleaning them, do not use brushes or abrasive materials (dry salt and soda). Excess moisture is also contraindicated for them. You should also avoid acids – citric and acetic.

It remains to understand what compositions and methods are allowed and acceptable. The simplest and most universal method is to use a warm soap solution. And to remove old plaque, hard stones can be rubbed with a soft toothbrush, and soft gems with a felt cloth.

How to clean gold and diamonds? Try the option with ammonia and shampoo, which we wrote about at the very beginning of the article. Just don't put jewelry in undiluted ammonia. To get rid of greasy deposits, diamonds and emeralds can be wiped with felt soaked in gasoline.

Daily care of gold

Factors that contribute to the darkening of gold include:

• Sun rays;
• contacts with aggressive household chemicals;
• prolonged contact with moisture, especially sweat;
• Iodine is an extremely dangerous substance for gold, so avoid any contact of your jewelry with it. Once iodine gets on the surface of the jewelry, the gold darkens, and it is extremely difficult to get rid of this stain;
• mechanical damage (impacts, scratches).

Gold jewelry will last much longer if
you do not forget about the rules of wearing it. To avoid having to regularly and thoroughly clean your jewelry, you need to pay attention to storing, wearing and protecting it from harmful influences. Not worth it:

• wear jewelry in the bathhouse, sauna, gym;
• leave them on the windowsill on a clear sunny day;
• wear jewelry while cleaning the house or working in the garden;
• take gold items to the beach and also to the pool;
• leave jewelry on yourself during skin care procedures (applying cream, washing, peeling, etc.);
• wear gold during heavy physical work (for example, in a factory, where there is a risk of knocking or scratching the product).

Preparing for cleaning

First, gold jewelry is divided into those that have inserts of precious stones, and those that contain only metal.

It is necessary to prepare in advance tools for cleaning hard-to-reach places - a toothbrush or an interdental brush (a brush for cleaning interdental spaces). A container for immersing a gold item is useful if liquid is used for cleaning, as well as a soft cloth for wiping it, preferably flannel or velvet.

To clean some jewelry, prepare special accessories:

• if the ring or bracelet contains organic stones (amber, turquoise, pearls, jet, coral), you will need a small soft sponge to wipe the gold without affecting the insert;
• To clean small crosses and earrings made of white or matte gold, use cotton swabs.

Many of the cleansing liquids have a strong chemical smell and can irritate the skin. It is advisable to stock up on rubber gloves and a medical protective bandage.

Cleaning jewelry: methods and precautions.

How to clean gold plate

Of course, you cannot use any aggressive agents or abrasive cleaning in this case - there is a risk of damaging the thin layer of gold plating. It is better to clean a gold-plated chain, bracelet or ring in the following way:

1. Prepare a solution: 1 liter of warm water, 1 tsp. soap shavings, 5-6 drops of ammonia.
2. Soak the jewelry for half an hour - they should be completely immersed in the solution.
3. Rinse in running water, dry on a napkin or towel.
4. Polish with a suede cloth.

How to properly clean white gold?

To obtain a signature shade, different proportions of nickel, manganese and palladium are added to white gold alloys, and therefore traditional methods of purifying the noble metal are not suitable. We need gentle methods that will not only remove dirt, but also maintain its original shine, even when you wear the product every day without removing it.

There are several such methods based on long-term soaking:

• Soap solution - it is advisable to use 65% laundry soap and warm filtered water at room temperature. Depending on the amount of plaque, you need to soak the jewelry in it for 10 minutes to half an hour, then carefully wipe the surface with a soft dish sponge and rinse.
• Baking soda solution - two tablespoons per 200 grams of cooled boiled water. The technology is similar: place the jewelry in the liquid for 10-15 minutes, carefully remove it and wipe it with a dry cloth. There is no need to boil the composition; slightly warmed water is enough, but not boiling water, which would pose a risk of spoilage.

Important: Ammonia, vinegar or citric acid should not be used when cleaning white gold - they will damage the rhodium plating and the jewelry will quickly tarnish.

If the white gold has become very dark or covered with black stains, most likely, a caustic acid solution has come into contact with the jewelry, which has destroyed a significant layer of the surface. In this case, it must be immediately taken to a jewelry workshop for polishing or re-plating with rhodium. This is the only way to save the product from further damage.

Additional recommendations

It is better to entrust the cleaning of antique gold items that have become very dark and have a complex relief with inserts of stones to professionals. Jewelry workshops have special equipment - very small brushes, ultrasonic devices that remove dirt from even the most inaccessible corners. After a cleaning procedure by a professional goldsmith, gold looks like new, but the cost of the work is certainly higher than the cost of products used for home cleaning.

What to do if the decoration is with stones

Jewelry with stones of organic origin is wiped with ammonia, cologne or gasoline using a cotton swab, grabbing only the gold and not touching the inserts. Some companies offer preparations for rinsing gold jewelry with organic matter. These are Silbo (Germany) and the already mentioned Connoisseurs (USA), as well as Hagerty (France).

It is also advisable to use special products to clean gold jewelry with inorganic stones. Aladdin, in particular, does this very well.

How to clean gold with stones at home

Features when cleaning white gold

White gold usually contains nickel, manganese or palladium as an alloy and is topped with rhodium to enhance shine and durability. To avoid damaging your jewelry, clean without mechanical impact, choosing gentle methods:

1. Wash them in soapy water using a soft small sponge.
2. Soak a soft cloth in ammonia and gently scrub on all sides.
3. Clean your jewelry with non-abrasive gel toothpaste.

After any type of cleaning, rinse the gold with clean water and dry with a soft cloth.

How to clean white gold

How not to clean gold

To clean gold of any kind, you should not use:

• bleaches containing chlorine;
• acetone and any paint and varnish solvents;
• Strong kitchen grease removers (e.g. oven cleaners).

Products made of matte gold, like white ones, cannot be cleaned with any GOI powders or pastes, since they are softer than ordinary gold and can easily be damaged.

Pollution prevention

To ensure that the need for cleaning gold arises as rarely as possible, treat items made of precious metal with care:

• remove rings and earrings when cleaning the house, working in the garden or vegetable garden, cooking, as well as when carrying out cosmetic procedures at home or at a cosmetologist (when applying cream, peeling, manicure);
• do not wear gold at work if there is a risk of scratching or hitting it;
• Do not take a bath or shower wearing gold jewelry;
• leave at home before visiting the gym, swimming pool, sauna, solarium and hot beach.

There are also rules for storing gold jewelry:

• keep them in a dry place out of direct sunlight;
• The best option is a special box with many compartments or dividers installed in the drawer. In any case, gold products should not come into contact with each other so as not to create minor mechanical damage;
• Do not store gold in cardboard boxes. This material contains sulfur, which harms it, being one of the strongest oxidizing agents.

Proper care of gold preserves its impeccable appearance for a long time. Noble metal is vulnerable: it cannot be cleaned with any means that removes dirt and grease. However, it is quite possible to cope with this task at home, returning it to its original sparkling shine.

How to clean gold jewelry with stones

Be especially careful with such jewelry. Remember that some gemstones require special care. For example, opal, turquoise or malachite can be scratched by abrasives, so forget about tooth powder, baking soda or salt. Ruby, garnet and topaz are sensitive to high temperatures and should not be washed with hot water. And amber, pearls, coral or ivory really do not like acids, alkalis and solvents - it is better to entrust cleaning to specialists.

If you are confident in your abilities, use the following methods for cleaning gold jewelry with stones:

1. Alcohol . Moisten a cotton swab with an alcohol-containing liquid (strong alcohol, cologne or alcohol lotion will do). Gently wipe the jewelry to remove grease and other contaminants.
2. Gasoline . Dampen an unnecessary soft toothbrush with it and treat the gold item. The fine bristles are great for removing dirt from hard-to-reach places.

Rules for wearing, caring for and storing gold rings

I love homely girls, quick in the kitchen, dexterous at needlework. But when friends do housework without taking off their gold rings, they create additional problems for themselves. Remove jewelry before cleaning, washing, or cooking - then you won’t have to worry about tarnished gold and waste time on cleaning.

Even if you have your own channel on YouTube, and you are wearing rings and wearing long shellac and telling how to plant seedlings correctly, remove the decoration. Nothing will happen to gel nails, but soil, dust and fertilizers will leave stains on the ring.

Swimming in the sea, washing your hands, taking a bubble bath, applying cream to your hands, and just sleeping with rings on... also not. In general, every third person loses gold jewelry at sea. Everything else is chemicals, sweat, fat...

By the way, it is better to store rings in jewelry boxes, where separate compartments are provided for them. Not in bulk (as they depict in cartoons about treasures). A harder stone can scratch its fellow stones; even on the edges of a diamond there will be nicks. But this is one of the hardest materials.

How to clean gold using special products?

A time-tested reagent that was used by another generation of our grandmothers is GOI paste developed in the USSR. It contains chromium dioxide, stearin, silicate gel, oleic acid and kerosene. Together they form a thick paste-like mass of dark green color, with which you can easily polish the surface of any precious metal.

There are three types of paste that are suitable for cleaning red or yellow gold:

• No. 1 and No. 2 are gentle compositions containing up to 70% chromium oxide. Suitable for removing minor deposits and polishing to a mirror-like gloss.
• No. 3 – concentration 80% and abrasiveness index in the region of 17 microns. Designed to grind metal to a smooth matte state, removing minor scratches.
• No. 4 – 85% chromium oxide, not intended for jewelry.

Cleaning white gold with GOI paste is prohibited!

The cleaning process itself is quite labor-intensive. The decoration must first be prepared by soaking it in a soap solution (or half a teaspoon of 10% ammonia in 200 ml of water) for several hours. After this, remove the product, apply a thin layer of paste to a soft cloth and rub it in a circular motion. No effort is needed to avoid scratching the coating; upon completion, rinse in running water.

An alternative to GOI paste is the liquid reagent flurin. It contains surfactants, aliphatic alcohol, and a corrosion inhibitor. The softer effect allows it to be used for cleaning gold-plated items and even palladium. The principle is as simple as possible - pour the decoration into a glass container, shake gently and leave for 5-7 minutes, then rinse with cold tap water.

Important: Take all precautions when using any chemical compounds. Wear disposable gloves and safety glasses, and carry out work only during the day in a well-ventilated area. Reagent bottles should be stored in a cool, dark place, out of reach of small children and pets!

Available means

This category of methods is more suitable for gold, the usual 585 or 750 standard, without stones.

Express methods

To quickly put the appearance of your jewelry in order, you can use the following techniques.

• Dissolve 1 tsp. dishwashing detergent in 200 ml of water. Place a rag in the container and dip the items to be cleaned. Boil for 10 minutes, rinse and dry. You can clearly see the effect of this method in the video.

• This mixture has more ingredients, but it also turns out “more vigorous”. Mix 1 cup warm liquid, 1 tsp. dish soap, 40 g hydrogen peroxide and 1 tsp. ammonia. Immerse the gold in this composition for 20 minutes, after which it must be removed, washed and dried.
• Buy sodium hyposulfite at a pharmacy or photography supply store. It can be used to clean even stubborn stains. 1 tbsp. l. dissolve the chemical in a glass of water and put the jewelry there for 20 minutes. Next you need to rinse and dry the products.

Soak

A long stay in a specially prepared liquid allows you to effectively and effortlessly remove dirt. All you need is to prepare the composition, place the jewelry there, leave for the specified time, and then rinse and wipe dry. Sometimes you may additionally need to clean hard-to-reach areas with a brush or cotton swab.

When implementing such methods, it is worth using ceramic or glass containers.

Let's name the four most famous and effective solutions.

• Ammonia and dishwashing detergent In one glass of boiling water, mix one teaspoon each of dishwashing detergent and ammonia. Place the treasures into the resulting mixture and leave for 1–2 hours.
• soda and foil Place foil on the bottom of the container and place decorations on it. Pour it all over with a soda mixture (1–1.5 tablespoons of soda per 1 glass of water) and leave overnight.
• Salt Regular table salt must be dissolved in liquid (3 tablespoons per 1 glass). It is important to thoroughly stir the salt crystals, otherwise they may damage the surface. Exposure time is at least 8–10 hours.
• Sugar 2 tbsp. l. sugar needs to be diluted in 200 ml of water. Soaking trinkets should be at least 3 hours, and if heavily soiled, you can increase the period to 8.

Polishing

No less effective than soaking, but will take more time and effort.

Powders, soda and any abrasives are not suitable for polishing. They irrevocably scratch the surface, and it becomes impossible to restore its original shine.

You can polish treasures using:

• a piece of flannel, velvet or felt - however, it will take quite a long time to work, and, alas, it will not be possible to clean heavy stains;
• onions - cut the root vegetable in half and wipe the decoration with the cut until clean;
• lipstick - it is advisable to use a colorless lipstick. Apply a small amount of lipstick to the fabric and rub the item;
• eraser - it will be able to remove not only unsuccessful pencil strokes from paper, but also plaque from jewelry accessories. It is enough to wipe dirty places;
• vinegar - soak a napkin in vinegar (5–9%) and treat the product;
• beer and egg white - an unconventional but effective method. Mix 2-3 tbsp. l. beer with 1 egg white and spread with a rag on a bracelet or earrings and polish thoroughly;
• paste - it can be prepared from toothpaste, chalk, grated laundry soap, Vaseline and warm water. All components are mixed in equal parts. Apply the mixture to the surface to be polished and rub gently in one direction. Afterwards, you need to wipe the item with alcohol to wash off the Vaseline.

After any treatment, rinse the jewelry, wipe and dry.

Cleaning items with stones

Values ​​with inserts require special treatment. If the stone is glued, immersion and prolonged contact with liquid may cause the glue to dissolve. Then the pebble simply falls away.

You should also know that stones are different.

1. Cubic zirconias, diamonds, topazes, sapphires, peridots, garnets, emeralds, rubies and zircons are hard stones, and they can easily withstand cleaning by almost any means.
2. Corals, pearls, malachite, turquoise, opal are soft rocks that require a reverent attitude. It is unacceptable to use brushes, toothpaste and other similar tools and substances. They also do not tolerate moisture well. It is not allowed to rub them with ammonia, as it will make the inserts cloudy. Pearls categorically do not tolerate acid, so you will have to immediately forget about vinegar and lemon.

Now let's talk in more detail about what recipes and methods are allowed.

A universal composition for any type of material is a warm soap solution. In the case of hard stones, you can use a soft brush, and for sensitive rocks, use a cloth.

For caring for hardwood, the following method can be recommended. Shake a teaspoon of ammonia in ⅓ glass of water and immerse the accessories there. After a few minutes, shake the glass to remove dirt in hard-to-reach places. After 10 minutes, the treasures need to be removed and washed. This technique will help get rid of difficult stains.

To remove greasy deposits and stains from diamonds and emeralds, use gasoline. Soak a rag in the fuel and rub the stone. You can do the same with hydrogen peroxide.

Corals, turquoise and hard rocks can be polished with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.

Removing dirt from white gold jewelry

The addition of silver, nickel or palladium, as well as rhodium plating, takes away the yellow tint from gold. These products require careful handling due to the fact that the rhodium layer is very thin and there is always a risk of damaging the coating. Therefore, it is forbidden to use mechanical cleaning methods and be very zealous when polishing.

You shouldn’t increase the time the jewelry spends in the cleansing mixture.

We can recommend the following options:

1. Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are mixed in a ratio of 1 to 2. Place jewelry in this cleaner and leave for 30 minutes. All that remains is to rinse and wipe.
2. A mixture of ammonia and shampoo will be softer. To prepare it, combine ammonia and water in equal quantities, add a little shampoo to them. Exposure time – 30 minutes.
3. The recipe we already know with sugar cleans well. Let's remember: 2 tbsp. l. per glass of liquid. Soak for 8–10 hours.

Cleaning Matte Gold

The matte effect is achieved through a special grinding technology. To avoid damaging the surface, carefully choose your treatment methods.

First of all, you should avoid any abrasives and rough brushes, i.e., anything that can scratch the metal.

This mash will help remove dirt: you need to prepare a liquid paste from water and lime (1 coffee spoon). Next, add a small pinch of salt and half a coffee spoon of soda. The finished mixture will have to sit for 3 days.

After this time, dip the jewelry into the mixture and wait 4 hours. Then rinse them and blot them with a cloth.

A 25% ammonia solution will also work. You need to place jewelry in it for several hours. Then rinse and dry your treasures.

Attention! This method is prohibited for items with inserts.

Cleaning gold jewelry with ammonia solution

Ammonia plus any washing powder (but with the condition: that it does not contain coloring additives).

It is preferable to use a plastic or glass container: in this case, the possibility of oxidation is eliminated.

Take a glass of boiled water, add 4 ml of ammonia and a tablespoon of washing powder. If the latter is not available, feel free to add the product you usually use to wash dishes. Mix everything well until the powder is completely dissolved (there should be no lumps).

Place the jewelry in the prepared solution for a couple of hours, then remove it, rinse with clean water, and wipe thoroughly: use a soft, but not lint-free towel or similar cloth.

Is it possible to restore scratched and tarnished gold?

If the product has lost its original shine or scratches have appeared on it, a jeweler can solve this problem.

You should not polish the product at home - if the scratches are large, you can damage it.

If the darkening is insignificant, the scratches are minor, use the following home recipes:

• wipe metal and stone with felt;
• use GOI paste for polishing.

When there is no felt or special paste, you should not try to solve the problem on your own . Give the product to a craftsman - he will return it to its original appearance without the risk of damage.