Features of cleaning various types of products made of gold. Description of popular tools that are used in this procedure. The folk methods of cleaning and the rules of exploitation of gold jewelry are considered. Gold is a soft precious metal. Gold items are quickly covered with scratches, and from contact with sweat and water, the metal often darkens. For jewelry to always shine and look like new, it must be properly cleaned.
Cleaning of different types of gold products
Means and methods of cleaning are selected depending on the composition of the metal and the presence of precious stones. It is easiest to clean smooth rings without stones. You should be especially careful when wearing jewelry with a matte surface.
Shoe white gold
White gold is an alloy of the base metal with platinum, silver and palladium. It is these additives that give jewelry a silvery hue. Such products also need regular cleaning.
Please note that white gold products are often plated with rhodium, this metal can be erased from the surface if not properly cared for. Accordingly, no pastes with chalk or chromium oxide can be used for cleaning. GOI paste is also not suitable.
White Gold Cleaning Instructions:
- Pour 500 ml of water into a saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of laundry detergent or detergent.
- Dip the decorations into the solution and place them on the stove.
- Boil for 20 minutes.
- Rinse jewelry with cool water and dry with a soft cloth. Flannel or velvet will do.
You can clean white gold jewelry with toothpaste. Choose non-abrasive, gel-based products. Just moisten the brush and apply the paste to it. Rub the product thoroughly. It is better to clean smooth rings this way. Chains and bracelets are poorly cleaned with this method, because the brush does not penetrate between the links.
An interesting recipe can be used to clean white gold. Combine egg yolk and 50 ml beer in a bowl. Saturate a cloth with the viscous mixture and rub the gold jewelry thoroughly.
Shoe gold with stones
The cleaning method depends on the hardness of the stones. If your favorite ring contains cubic zirconias or zircons, then you need to take care of the jewelry using a cotton swab and a soft cloth. Such stones cannot be brushed, as they may be scratched from this.
Instructions for cleaning products made of gold with hard stones:
- Pour 200 ml of water into a container.
- Add 20 drops of liquid soap. Household cannot be used.
- Soak in the solution for 30 minutes.
- Rub with a soft brush.
- To add shine to zircons, immerse jewelry with stones in a solution of ammonia. No need to wash in plain water after cleaning.
- To clean diamonds and rubies, use special pastes that are sold at a jewelry store.
- Products with glued stones cannot be boiled.
- To remove greasy deposits from stones, rub them with cotton wool dipped in refined gasoline.
Cleaning gold chains and bracelets
The difficulty in cleaning is the presence of dirt between the links of the chain or bracelet. These deposits are difficult to remove with a brush. It is best to use harsh chemicals.
Instructions for cleaning the gold chain and bracelet:
- Pour 200 ml of hot water into a saucepan.
- Pour 50 ml of vinegar into the liquid and add 30 g of baking soda.
- Immerse the jewelry in the solution immediately.
- Keep for 3 hours.
- Rinse with a mild ammonia solution and dry with a soft cloth.
If the jewelry is very dirty and there are grease and dust deposits between the links, try making a cleansing paste. To do this, crush a piece of chalk with a rolling pin and add petroleum jelly to it. Stir until a homogeneous ointment is obtained. Add a spoonful of water and some liquid soap. Apply the paste to the fabric and rub the chain. Rinse with water.
Cleaning matte gold items
The peculiarity of jewelry made of matte precious metal is that the surface cannot be polished, so it is worth avoiding the appearance of scratches. Do not clean with abrasives, toothpaste or powder. Do not use a hard-bristled toothbrush.
Instructions for cleaning matte gold at home:
- Dissolve 10 g of lime in 100 ml of water (use not slaked lime).
- Pour 10 g of salt into the solution and add the same amount of baking soda.
- Leave the solution for 3 days.
- Then immerse the jewelry in the solution for 2 hours.
You can remove dirt from matt surfaces with ammonia. Purchase a 25% solution.
The use of special products for cleaning gold
You can use liquids and pastes to tidy up your jewelry. Typically, pasty compounds are used to remove stubborn dirt and gently polish the surface. The composition of the paste often contains soft abrasives.
How to use a gold cleaning solution
To put jewelry in order, aggressive liquids based on acids and alkalis are used.
Types of solutions for cleaning gold:
- Soap solution … Pour 220 ml of water into a container and add a spoonful of soap shavings and decorations. Place the pot on the fire and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not forget about the products, otherwise you run the risk of getting burnt jewelry, which is unlikely to be cleaned even by a specialist. This solution is not suitable for cleaning very dirty items.
- Sugar solution … Dissolve 50 g of sugar in 200 ml of boiling water. Immerse the jewelry in the solution for 2 days. Rinse in a mild ammonia solution.
- Peroxide and ammonia solution … To do this, you need to prepare a solution of hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and water. Place the jewelry in the solution and simmer for 10 minutes. Note that you should use the most concentrated peroxide solution you can find at a pharmacy.
Cleaning gold with alcohol
For cleaning, usually not medical, but ammonia is used. It is an aqueous ammonia solution with a characteristic pungent odor.
Ways to use ammonia to care for gold jewelry:
- Aqueous ammonia solution … For cleaning, ammonia 25% is used, it can be purchased at the pharmacy. Just put jewelry in liquid and soak in it for 1 hour. Wash jewelry with water and wipe dry.
- Ammonia with soap … Pour 100 ml of water into a saucepan and add a spoonful of baby shampoo. Pour in 30 ml of ammonia (10% solution). Immerse the items in liquid and keep in it for 2 hours.
- Ammonia with peroxide … Put gold in a container and pour 150 ml of hot water into it. Add an ampoule of ammonia, 35 ml of hydrogen peroxide (30% solution) and 10 g of washing powder. Close the container with a lid and shake thoroughly for 3-5 minutes. Rinse jewelry and pat dry.
- Magnesia and ammonia … Mix equal amounts of magnesia solution, glycerin and aqueous ammonia solution in a bowl. Saturate cotton wool and rub the jewelry. Do not use to clean jewelry with stones.
Cleaning gold with peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a substance that exhibits alkaline and acidic properties. That is why the reagent is used to clean gold jewelry. Peroxide is usually mixed with ammonia or soapy water.
Non-standard methods of cleaning gold with peroxide:
- Peroxide + borax … Pour 150 ml of hot water into a container and add 15 g of borax. It is sodium borate, which is a weak, alkaline salt. Pour 30 ml of 30% hydrogen peroxide into the same vessel. Leave it on for 3 hours. Rinse in cold water.
- Peroxide + soda … In a bowl, mix 100 ml of water, 20 g of baking soda and 30 ml of peroxide. Place the jewelry in a bowl and leave for 2 hours. Rinse with water and wipe.
Cleaning gold with soda
Under no circumstances use the abrasive properties of baking soda, because of this, the ring or chain will lose its shine. Soda is a coarse abrasive that will scratch soft gold. Usually, soda is used as a chemical element when cleaning gold.
Instructions for using soda to clean jewelry:
- Soda + foil … This is a pretty fun way to clean jewelry. Pour 200 ml of hot water into a plate. Place foil on the bottom of the dish and add 30 g of baking soda. Fold up the jewelry and leave it overnight. Rinse under running water in the morning and dry.
- Soda water solution … This is the easiest way. For cleaning, you need to prepare a 10% soda solution. Pour 15 g of baking soda into 150 ml of warm water. Stir well and dip the decorations in the liquid. Boil for 5 minutes.
Liquid for cleaning gold
Non-standard methods of cleaning gold at home are very effective. If you want to clean very dirty jewelry, use one of the methods.
Cleaning very dirty gold jewelry with liquids:
- Photo Fastener … Pour 50 ml of water into a container and the same amount of the solution to fix the images in the photo. Keep it on for 20 minutes. Rinse in water and dry. This method will help remove dark spots from jewelry.
- Onion juice … You can use a natural liquid - onion juice to clean your jewelry. Grate 2 onions and squeeze the juice with cheesecloth. Submerge the rings in the liquid for 30 minutes. Then rinse with cold water and dry.
- Special cleaning liquid … It can be purchased at jewelry stores. The product contains aggressive chemicals that bind dirt and dark spots.
Cleaning precious metals with salt
No salt crystals are used to clean jewelry. It is necessary to prepare a solution. To do this, heat 100 ml of water to almost boiling. Add 60 g of table salt to the liquid. Dip the jewelry in the solution and leave it overnight. In the morning, rinse the jewelry with cold water and dry.
Folk ways of cleaning gold
Our grandmothers used non-standard, but effective methods of refining gold:
- Rub the ring with lipstick and wipe thoroughly with a soft cloth. Grease and beeswax in the lipstick perfectly removes stubborn dirt and greasy stains.
- A hyposulfite solution is used to remove iodine stains from gold jewelry. It can be purchased at the pharmacy.
- Dark spots can be easily removed with a woolen cloth soaked in borax solution.
- You can clean the ring with stones with soda. In this case, the solution does not need to be prepared. Moisten the ring with water and dip in baking soda. Squeeze lemon juice onto the decoration. During the chemical reaction, the dirt from the depressions and pits will move away.
- For a glossy wedding ring, you can use a lemon wedge. Rub the crust over the ring, squeezing out some juice.
Rules for the operation of gold jewelry
Of course, if your ring darkens, then it will not be difficult to clean it using folk methods or liquids purchased in jewelry stores. But if you adhere to the basic rules, you can enjoy the purity and shine of jewelry for longer.
Rules for wearing gold jewelry:
- Be sure to remove the gold when applying hand cream.
- If seawater enters the chain, the clasp may break due to corrosion of the metal spring inside. So swim in the sea without jewelry.
- When cleaning the house and washing the dishes, take off the jewelry.
- Water does not harm the gold, but dirty water can leave stains that cannot be washed off.
- Clean your gold jewelry once a month. In this case, it will be enough for you to hold the rings and bracelets in soapy water.
- Coca-Cola contains phosphoric acid. Therefore, it is enough to dip the ring into the drink for 30 minutes, and then wash it with cold water.
- If the jewelry is not very dirty, you can wipe it with cotton wool dipped in vodka or rubbing alcohol.
- Do not use tooth powder or paste with abrasives for cleaning.
- Contact a jeweler to remove stubborn dirt.
- Remove jewelry when applying creams or makeup.
- Take a shower and bath without rings or chains.
- Use figurines or mini dressers to store jewelry.
- Try to keep the chains from breaking. It is impossible for the links to get tangled, from this they are scratched. If stored improperly, knots may appear.
How to clean gold - watch the video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = H4y4KIX5zHw] You can order a special locker in the workshop for storing jewelry. Try not to put jewelry and gold together. From such a neighborhood, the jewelry will darken, stains may appear on the gold. Take care of gold jewelry, and they will delight you with their shine for a long time!
