How to clean a silver chain from black deposits - only proven methods

To clean a silver chain that has become darkened by sweat or prolonged exposure to air, you do not need to go to a jeweler. There are many home and professional ways to restore jewelry to its former whiteness and shine.

Home Remedies

Cleaning silver at home is not that difficult - you will need substances that are sold in any supermarket or pharmacy.

Since in most cases cleaning involves physical - that is, force - impact on the jewelry, you need to be careful not to break the chain or deform its links.

Lemon juice

To clean one chain, depending on its length and thickness, you will need the juice of 2 or 3 lemons. It is poured into a glass glass, the decoration is placed there and left for a while. Typically, it takes 10-30 minutes to whiten silver. If the oxide film (which is what causes the metal to turn black) has formed a long time ago, it may take about an hour to dissolve it.

In the absence of citrus fruits, it is not forbidden to use citric acid from a bag.You need to dissolve 3 teaspoons of crystals in 100 ml of warm water and put a chain there.

In both cases, after completing the procedure, the jewelry is rinsed with clean water and blotted with a paper towel.

Ammonia

This product from the pharmacy allows you to effectively clean silver from blackness and dirt. Due to the strong unpleasant odor, you should only use it outdoors, and if you can’t go outside or onto a balcony, you should definitely open the window.

Prolonged inhalation of ammonia vapor poses a danger to the body.

For cleaning you will need a glass vessel with a lid - a small clean jar will do. Ammonia is poured into it, the chain is placed so that it is completely immersed in the liquid, and then closed with a lid and left for 20 minutes. Then the silver is taken out, washed under the tap and dried.

By the way, ammonia can be reused to clean silver, so you don’t have to throw it away.

Toothpaste

Since toothpaste is found in every home, it is worth using it if you need to quickly clean your chain. It is desirable that the paste be white and have a regular rather than gel-like consistency. A paste with a whitening effect is best - tiny abrasive particles are added to it. You will also need a toothbrush. You can take the old one, or you can take your own - nothing bad will happen to it.

Before you start cleaning, moisten the brush with water, squeeze the paste onto it (the larger the decoration, the more paste is needed) and foam it on the palm. If this is not done, the paste will get stuck between the links and it will take a lot of time to wash it out.Next, place the chain on the palm and clean it with longitudinal movements of the brush, continuing the procedure until the silver acquires its natural color and shine. After this, remove the remaining paste under running cold water and wipe the decoration.

Chalk

Not the most reliable method, which, moreover, is only suitable for thick and strong chains. However, in some cases it can help remove blackness if the silver has become darkened by sweat.

You can use chalk in different ways:

• Crush it into powder - then cleaning will take less time and the result will be of better quality, since the smallest pieces of the mineral will be able to penetrate into all places. In this case, chalk is poured onto the hand, the chain is placed there and thoroughly rubbed between the palms, and then either washed in water or polished with velvet until shiny.
• Use a whole piece - then the chain is placed on a soft surface and “drawn” on it with chalk. During the cleaning process, the chain is turned over several times and finally rinsed with water.

Since chalk is very dusty, it is best not to use it in the house.

Foil

This method is suitable for jewelry without stones or enamel. If there is a simple pendant on the chain - a cross or an icon - you don’t have to take it off.

To clean, you need to prepare a small enamel container (saucepan or saucepan), 2 tablespoons of soda, some foil and 500 ml of clean water.

The cleaning process should go like this:

1. Several layers of foil are placed at the bottom of the container.
2. Soda is poured there and decorations are placed.
3. Pour water over it all and bring to a boil.
4. Wait 5 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the chain from the water with a fork.

Thanks to a chemical reaction in which aluminum, soda and silver enter under the influence of high temperature, the blackness dissolves - and the jewelry becomes as good as new.

Soda

If a silver chain has darkened, you can remove the deposit with baking soda without boiling. To do this, just sprinkle it on a piece of cotton or velvet fabric, lightly sprinkle it with water, put the decoration there, wrap it and rub it. When the desired effect is achieved, the remaining soda is washed off with running water.

Professional products

There are also professional means for cleaning silver items. It cannot be said that their effectiveness is many times higher than that of the same soda or toothpaste, but in terms of ease of use they are noticeably superior. As for the price, some of these products are quite affordable for ordinary citizens, while others only make sense to purchase in a jewelry workshop or store.

Paste GOI

Before purchasing this paste (which, by the way, is more like plasticine than paste in the literal sense of the word), it is important to note that it comes in three types:

• Rough — after cleaning it leaves a matte surface, capable of removing heavy dirt.
• Average - the surface after it takes on its usual appearance. Suitable for removing light blackness from silver jewelry.
• Thin — polishes to a mirror shine, but almost does not clean itself.

That is, in order for the chain to become as beautiful as it was before blackening, you will first have to lighten it with medium GOI paste, and then carry out the final processing with fine one.

It is very easy to use the paste - apply a small amount of it to felt or woolen material and rub the decoration with it.The paste is dusty, so it is recommended to wear safety glasses and a mask while cleaning.

Wipes soaked in cleaning solution

You can wash a blackened chain using special wipes. As a rule, they are sold in sets of equal quantities of wet and dry - the first are used to remove yellow and black deposits, the second - for final polishing. These napkins are convenient to use on the road and on vacation.

Ultrasonic jewelry cleaning device

The cheapest of these devices will cost 800–1000 rubles, but it has several advantages over other cleaning methods:

• the whole process takes no more than 2 minutes"
• There is no prohibition on processing products with precious stones.

Using an ultrasonic device does not require special knowledge or skills:

1. The chain must be placed in a special basket.
2. Place the basket in the device so that it is immersed in the cleaning solution.
3. Close and turn on the device.
4. After cleaning, rinse the chain with water and wipe dry.

Now you can wear a chain around your neck without fear that it will darken. However, remember - all the methods described are only suitable for products made of natural silver. Jewelry without a sample applied to it or coated with a thin layer of silver, which is actively sold on sites like Aliexpress, may be irreversibly damaged after cleaning.