Sooner or later, the time comes when darkened and tarnished gold jewelry ceases to please the eye. I would like to put the products in order, restore their attractiveness, and even without unnecessary financial investments. Below we will describe life hacks that will help you clean gold at home using improvised means, without giving it into the wrong hands.
Gold jewelry
The most common reasons why gold darkens or turns black:
- the share of gold
in the jewelry: with a standard of 585 and below, the products will darken faster; - the decoration is new
and the top polishing layer applied by the manufacturer for a better presentation is darkening - the problem is temporary and will disappear as this layer wears off; - wearing conditions
: exposure to aggressive environments, mercury, iodine, pollution.
In any case, if gold items have turned black, they can and should be cleaned.
More time and attention will be needed if the decoration has a complex design or is made with inlay
How to clean gold: effective ways
It never hurts to know how to quickly clean gold at home. For example, in case there are literally a few minutes before leaving, and the only pair of earrings or pendant that matches the look looks, to put it mildly, unmarketable. There are always suitable means for cleaning gold at home - don’t waste time and restore the attractiveness of your jewelry.
Ammonia
Cleaning gold at home with ammonia or ammonia is the easiest way to get rid of cloudiness of the precious metal and stains on jewelry. To effectively clean gold from blackness, you need to make a solution of water and ammonia with the addition of shampoo. Recommended proportions for a small container of warm water: 0.5 tsp. ammonia and 1 tsp. shampoo. Completely immerse the jewelry that requires cleaning into the resulting solution and mix; after removing the dirt, rinse the gold thoroughly in running water.
Gold rings in ammonia solution
In this way, you can soak gold with some stones: the ammonia solution perfectly removes dirt and oxides from hard-to-reach places. To dry, simply place the jewelry on a paper napkin or towel.
In particularly difficult cases, it is allowed to use ammonia with a high concentration, without dilution with water
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is also an effective and affordable liquid for cleaning gold. For minor stains, it is enough to wipe the jewelry with a cloth soaked in peroxide. In other cases, a more aggressive method is recommended:
- Make a solution: 1 glass of warm water, 30 mg of hydrogen peroxide (3%), 1 tsp. ammonia, a small amount of liquid soap (by eye).
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
- Immerse gold items in a container with the solution and leave for 3-5 hours.
- Rinse the jewelry with plain water and dry it on a napkin.
Vinegar
You can clean a gold chain, bracelet or ring using regular white 9% or apple cider vinegar, with the addition of soda or lemon. Please note that only yellow and red gold can be cleaned with vinegar; this method is unacceptable for white, matte or inlaid with stones.
You can use a toothbrush to clean gold.
In some cases, it is enough to simply soak the products in vinegar for 10-15 minutes, then rinse with water; in others, you will need to brush the surface with a toothbrush.
Soda
Baking soda will help clean gold from dirt, but it does not always cope with difficult stains. Most often, boiling with soda is used for cleaning:
- Place foil at the bottom of a small container of water and place gold on it.
- Heat water and add soda - 1 tbsp. water 1 tbsp. soda
- Boil for a few minutes.
- Clean with a brush.
- Rinse with plain water and dry.
Baking soda is not used to clean jewelry with inserts.
: it can cause tarnishing of stones, and the soda solution can also remain in hard-to-reach places of fastenings with a whitish coating.
Salt
Salt is typically used as an addition to vinegar or baking soda cleaning solutions. Due to the strong abrasive nature of salt, we do not recommend mechanical cleaning of soft gold items.
Lemon acid
To dissolve plaque, you can clean gold in citric acid:
- Dilute citric acid in boiling water;
- immerse the products in the solution for 5-6 minutes;
- rinse and dry jewelry.
Toothpaste
You can clean darkened gold at home even with the most ordinary toothpaste. Using a soft brush, evenly distribute the paste over the surface of the decoration and remove dirt with gentle movements.
You can clean gold with toothpaste
Important: the paste should only be white, without additives or whitening properties, preferably gel. Tooth powder cannot be used!
Paste GOI
GOI paste
This is a special composition for cleaning gold from impurities and giving it shine, developed by the State Optical Institute. There are 4 types of paste; you should choose a specific option based on the expected result:
- №1, №2
– polishing to a mirror effect; - №3
– cleaning of medium difficulty to an even matte shine; - №4
– rough cleaning with surface grinding and scratch removal.
Method of use: as with toothpaste. GOI paste is not used for white gold
.
Purchased professional products
Modern manufacturers offer a wide variety of professional products designed for cleaning gold jewelry. Among them are the following:
- Microfiber cloths. They have a special impregnation that helps remove black spots and dirt. The use of wipes is for cleaning, polishing and adding shine.
- Gold care products in the form of paste or gel. Their use protects the surface from staining for a long time.
- Balms. Cleaning gold jewelry using products of this type helps remove small scratches from their surface, as well as add shine.
- Solutions. One of them is Aladdin solution. The kit includes a container with solution, a soft brush, tweezers and a napkin. The amount of solution is enough to perform 5–8 cleanings.
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:
- a ring with topaz or any other gold jewelry with this stone will shine after soaking for 20 minutes in water with a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent diluted in it;
- acids should not be used to clean jewelry with chrysolite;
- earrings with stones such as emerald, ruby or sapphire can be easily cleaned in warm soapy water - hot water is contraindicated for these stones;
- Cleaning gold items with cubic zirconia is done using ammonia, toothpaste without abrasives or any washing powder.
Prevention measures
Caring for gold jewelry involves three components.
- Take breaks. It is especially important to remove jewelry before cleaning, as well as before using body cosmetics. Don't wear gold if you're going to the gym, pool, beach or sauna. Remove during manicure to prevent nail polish remover from getting on your jewelry.
- Use gloves. To protect your wedding band, get into the habit of using rubber gloves for various chores.
- Do prevention. At least once a month, carry out routine cleaning with soapy water or alcohol.
Video on the topic
Store your jewelry in a box lined with soft, velvety fabric. Cardboard is not suitable for these purposes. Protect jewelry from moisture. And be sure to make a note in your notebook about how to clean the gold so that options for solving the problem are always at your fingertips.
How to clean white gold
Not all classical methods are suitable for cleaning jewelry made of white gold, which is an alloy of precious metal with copper, palladium or nickel - in particular, any vinegar is contraindicated.
White gold cleaning
White gold can be cleaned with soapy water, ammonia, liquid detergent, paste or baking soda solution
White gold with inlay cannot be boiled
: High temperature will weaken and even deform the places where the stones are attached. For glued stones, cleaning with immersion in aqueous solutions is not used. White gold with diamonds can be cleaned without contact with the stones: simply wipe them with a soft cloth - this is often enough to restore the shine. If the shine has not returned, use the standard toothpaste cleaning described above, then wipe the product dry.
Clean with vinegar
How to clean gold so it shines ? To add shine and shine to gold, you can use regular vinegar. For work, we use 9% table vinegar, which we pour into a container and place the gold product in it, leaving it for 25-30 minutes. Then the gold needs to be cleaned with a soft-bristled toothbrush. After the procedure, the product must be rinsed under clean water and dried with a napkin.
Note! This cleaning option is not suitable for working with products containing stones.
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:
- Prepare a solution: 1 liter of warm water, 1 tsp. soap shavings, 5-6 drops of ammonia.
- Soak the jewelry for half an hour - they should be completely immersed in the solution.
- Rinse in running water, dry on a napkin or towel.
- Polish with a suede cloth.
Clean with foil and baking soda
You can clean gold using foil. For these simple manipulations you will need the following components:
- 2 tbsp. l. soda;
- 250 ml. hot water;
- Foil.
Combine the first two components. Place foil and gold on the bottom of the dish and fill with the prepared product, leave for 9-10 hours. Then rinse carefully and dry with a napkin.
Cleaning medical gold
Medical gold is an alloy of brass, silver, copper, titanium and zinc, but there may be no gold in it at all: the alloy already has a noble “golden” luster. Products made from medical gold are durable, not subject to external mechanical influences, and due to the special technology of polishing and sputtering, they practically do not darken, do not lose shine, and do not change color.
- If it is necessary to clean such jewelry from contamination, the following methods are used:
- Rinse in a solution (2 drops of shampoo or liquid soap per 0.5 cup of water) and clean the product with a soft brush.
- To remove dust, wipe the product with a cotton swab soaked in beer; there is no need to rinse with water after this.
- Wipe the decoration with table vinegar, and then be sure to rinse in running water.
Salt
Saline solution is the simplest, most affordable and fairly gentle means for cleaning gold jewelry. Pour a couple of tablespoons of fine salt into a glass and leave the gold in the concentrated solution overnight, and in the morning just rinse with water. The method is not suitable for soft stones that do not tolerate long soaking.
Photo: vk.com
How to Polish Gold
In some cases, it is better to entrust the polishing of jewelry with complex designs to professionals, but you can handle simple jewelry yourself. To make a gold ring shine like new, use the following techniques:
- Soak the jewelry in hot water with shampoo or soap for 7-8 hours, and then polish with a soft toothbrush. The method is suitable for both shiny and matte gold.
- Soaking for 10 hours in an ammonia solution (25%), which can be purchased at a pharmacy, will help to add shine to gold.
- Polishing gold from scratches is done using a cleaning paste for gold items - factory-made or homemade from Vaseline, powdered white chalk, water and soap shavings. Buff with a soft toothbrush without applying pressure.
- Apply GOI paste to the felt, wipe the product with unidirectional movements without pressure: this will help restore shine and effectively polish scuffs and scratches.
Remember: do not use baking soda or tooth powder for polishing - the abrasive particles of these products can only worsen the situation.
The cost of home polishing of gold jewelry is several times lower than professional polishing. But when polishing yourself, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the metal: dullness, color and quality of gold, the presence of jewelry inserts, blackened or rhodium-plated coating.
Why does gold jewelry darken?
There are several reasons, each of them is directly related to the physical properties of the metal:
- Low-quality alloy - unfortunately, unscrupulous sellers periodically pass off 375 standard and lower as 585 standard. It is often impossible to check this without an examination, and only over time do characteristic spots appear on the product.
- The polishing layer has worn off - most jewelry today is coated with rhodium for additional shine. Over the years, it wears out, and the surface becomes vulnerable to oxidation processes and other negative factors.
- Constant contact with a sweat-fat environment is the most common cause of darkening. Various diseases, taking antibiotics and other circumstances change the acid balance in the body, which is why gold can suffer when worn every day.
- Reaction to iodine and aggressive household chemicals. That is why it is recommended to remove all jewelry before taking a bath, washing dishes, etc. Potassium compounds can also be present in tap water in small doses, but over time they appear on the metal.
Only the last two examples will allow you to effectively clean gold jewelry from darkening or plaque. In the case of a low-grade alloy, nothing will help - such a product has already “served” its usefulness and will have to be thrown away. But it is quite possible to restore the polishing layer of rhodium, but this should be done by a professional jeweler with experience.
