5 best gold jewelry cleaners

Secrets of wearing, caring for and storing gold jewelry

In order for the expensive metal to oxidize less, and for the jewelry to please the owner for more than one year, it is necessary to adhere to several rules every day:

1. Before any homework (especially if household chemicals are used), all rings and bracelets must be removed.Or wear gloves.
2. Avoid contact of solvents with metal (including acetone).
3. You can not visit the bath, sauna or solarium without removing all the jewelry.
4. Active physical activity should also take place without decorations.
5. Do not stack gold on a windowsill in direct sunlight.
6. Since salt in sea water can cause corrosion, you should not swim in gold jewelry.
7. If you have a habit of putting jewelry in a cardboard box, then you need to get rid of it as soon as possible! The composition of the cardboard contains sulfur - it leads to blackening.
8. Jewelry should be cleaned at least once a month.

The rules are simple, but by following them, you can significantly increase the life of gold jewelry.

Additional Recommendations

It is better to entrust the cleaning of antique gold items that are very dark and have a complex relief with stone inserts to professionals. Jewelry workshops have special equipment - very small brushes, ultrasonic devices that clean even the most hard-to-reach corners of dirt. Gold after cleaning by a professional master looks like new, but the cost of work is certainly higher than the cost of products used for home cleaning.

What if the decoration with stones

Jewelry with stones of organic origin is wiped with ammonia, cologne or gasoline with a cotton swab, capturing only gold and not touching the inserts. Some companies present preparations for rinsing gold jewelry with organics. 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.In particular, "Aladdin" perfectly copes with this task.

White gold usually contains nickel, manganese or palladium as a ligature, and is plated with rhodium on top to enhance brilliance and increase durability. In order not to spoil the jewelry, clean without mechanical impact, choosing gentle methods:

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

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

How not to clean gold

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

• bleaches containing chlorine;
• acetone and any solvents for paints and varnishes;
• Strong kitchen degreasers (e.g. oven cleaners).

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

Pollution Prevention

To make the need to clean gold as rare as possible, treat precious metal products with care:

• remove rings, earrings when doing housework, gardening or gardening, cooking, as well as when performing cosmetic procedures at home or at a beautician (when applying cream, peeling, manicure);
• do not wear gold at work if there is a risk of scratching it, hitting it;
• do not take a bath or shower in 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 a box. In any case, gold items 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 oxidizers.

Proper care of gold keeps its flawless appearance for a long time. The noble metal is vulnerable: it can be cleaned far from any of the means that remove dirt and grease. However, it is quite possible to cope with this task at home, returning it to its original sparkling brilliance.

Folk remedies for cleaning gold at home

Every woman has at least one piece of gold jewelry in her jewelry box. Over time, any gold product loses its original luster and needs to be cleaned. It is quite possible to give the original look to your favorite decoration at home.

Textile

You can quickly and effectively clean gold with a cloth. This is the most economical way. Use a soft fluffy cloth to thoroughly rub the product until a shine appears. For these purposes, fleece, flannel or suede is suitable.

So it will be possible to delicately clean any decoration. If such care is performed constantly, professional tools and liquids for gold will not be required.

The only disadvantage of the method is that the fabric will not cope with old dirt, will not dissolve the dark oxide film and will not clean dirt in hard-to-reach places. For these cases, one of the many folk recipes for refining gold will help.

Ammonia

To add shine to gold with ammonia, you will need the following components:

• 150 ml of ammonia;
• 150 ml of water;
• 2 drops of detergent.

All components are mixed and decorations are placed in the resulting solution for exactly 1 hour. After that, the products are washed in cold water and each separately wiped dry. White gold is wiped especially carefully, in no case should moisture remain on it.

Hydrogen peroxide

A solution that will help "rejuvenate" jewelry is a combination of ammonia with hydrogen peroxide. It is easy to prepare: 3 teaspoons of ammonia, 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and a drop of liquid soap are added to a glass of water. Enamelware is used to prepare the solution.

In this composition, gold jewelry is soaked for several hours. After the procedure, oxide films, old contaminants will leave the surface of the products, a delightful shine will appear

Please note, the product is contraindicated for cleaning jewelry with stones.

Foil

You can clean gold at home using ordinary foil. This is a very simple but effective way. In a deep container, lay out a layer of foil on which we lay out the decorations. In a glass of water, dissolve 3 tablespoons of soda and pour the resulting solution into gold items for 10-12 hours. It remains only to rinse the gold with running water and wipe it dry with a soft fleecy cloth.

Soda

Gold items are placed in a small container with water and brought to a boil. Table soda is added in the proportion of 1 tbsp. a spoonful of soda to 1 cup of water and boil for 5 minutes. After that, the jewelry is brushed, rinsed and dried.

There is a known method of cleaning gold directly with soda with the addition of vinegar.However, it is not recommended to use it, because the direct mechanical contact of soda particles with gold leaves micro-scratches, which will not be reflected in the best way on the appearance of the product.

Salt

Salt is found in every kitchen, so this method of cleaning gold jewelry is the most affordable and cheapest. A saline solution is prepared from 0.5 cups of hot water and three tablespoons of salt. At night, gold items are placed in it. In the morning they are washed with water and wiped dry. This method is suitable for small dirt, it will not cope with old stains.

Coca Cola

Many have heard about non-standard ways to use the popular Coca-Cola drink. One of these unusual ways is the purification of gold. As part of Coca-Cola, an increased concentration of acid, which dissolves plaque. Gold jewelry is placed in a small container and filled with a drink for one hour. After this, it is enough to rinse the product with water and dry it.

Lemon acid

Another great plaque remover is citric acid. To clean jewelry, prepare a concentrated solution of citric acid and boil gold jewelry in it for about 10 minutes. Then they are washed with running water, and the products will shine, as on the day of purchase.

Toothpaste

AT composition of toothpaste and tooth powder include substances with abrasive properties, and, therefore, capable of cleaning metal. Toothpaste contains foaming elements that soften the impact of the abrasive.

Gold is cleaned according to the same principle as teeth: paste is applied and the cleaning is carried out with the usual movements. Use the softest brush possible.

Rules for the care and storage of jewelry

Jewelry storage:

• Keep the jewelry in a box, upholstered inside with a soft cloth.
• Products should not be in constant contact with each other while in the box. Therefore, it is worth choosing a box with multiple compartments or placing jewelry in soft fabric bags before putting it in the box.
• Semi-precious stones can deteriorate from constant contact with direct sunlight. Therefore, for them, the presence of a box is a prerequisite.
• Also, some stones can deteriorate from heat, or extreme temperature changes. Therefore, the box should be placed away from heat sources.

Professional Care:

• About once a year, jewelry should be professionally cleaned by a jeweler.
• The cleaning process includes polishing with a special cleaning agent and placing the jewelry in an ultrasonic bath (only for those types of stones that are suitable for this).
• The jeweler will also be able to prevent the stones from falling out of the jewelry and secure the clasps.
• You can consult with him about the cleaning and care of your jewelry and purchase stone cleaners that he recommends.

What is jewelry afraid of:

• Temperatures. When heated, the stones attract dust and grease to themselves, respectively, after that they will not be able to shine as brightly in the rays of the sun as before.
• mechanical impact. From mechanical impact on stones and metal, microcracks appear. They may not be visible to the naked eye, however, products from this lose their original luster and fade.
• Cosmetics. The components that are part of cosmetics can react with metals and adversely affect them. This can cause stains on the jewelry.Apply various creams and lotions, only after removing jewelry.

Other general rules of care:

• Jewelry should always be removed at night and during housework. Doing sports, taking a shower.
• It is also worth protecting products from getting perfume on them, as this can lead to stains on the metal.
• Get a special cloth for jewelry made of soft material (for example, microfiber) and wipe the jewelry with it daily after removal.
• Pearls, as a very vulnerable organic stone, should be kept away from all other jewelry by wrapping them in a soft cloth. Also, if the pearl is not worn for a long time, it may fade. Therefore, it is recommended to wear it periodically.

How not to clean gold

When choosing a popular way to clean jewelry items, you need to start from the state in which the accessory is currently located, namely:

• are there any cracks, scratches;
• whether the stones are securely fixed and what are their properties.

Remember that any mechanical action must be delicate: rough movement is fraught with deformation or even breakage of the smallest fasteners.

If the gold ring has a stone insert, then information is needed on how this stone reacts to the chemical components of the cleansing mixture. Even a substance such as soda, used in dry form, can cause damage. If the stone initially has scratches, then such cleaning can increase them, make them more noticeable.

If the ring or brooch is decorated with stones (for example, cubic zirkonia), it is better to avoid their contact with aggressive substances such as:

• vinegar;
• ammonia;
• ammonia.

Such interaction threatens to tarnish the stone.

If there are doubts about the choice of cleaning method and active substance, then it is better to use professional products: special pastes or liquids that are applied with a cotton pad.

What to do so that the gold does not darken?

The following measures will help in this:

• Hide jewelry from ultraviolet light - the sun's rays have a negative effect on precious metals;
• Jewelry cannot be unnecessary, but there are situations in which it is not necessary to wear them, and just in these cases they should be removed so as not to harm them. This should be done before bathing, cleaning, washing dishes, going to the sauna, swimming pool;
• Protect products from getting iodine, other liquid, loose substances with a bright color on them;
• If moisture gets on the jewelry, they must be wiped;
• Try to protect them from interaction with cosmetics, chemicals, perfumes.

You can clean a noble metal without the help of a professional, and now you know how it's done. Just in case, save this information on the cache, disk, in a separate file, so that you can always use it. As you can see, keeping your jewelry in top condition is no more difficult than taking out the trash or making breakfast.

Cleaning products with stones

However, cleaning simple metal products is not difficult in itself. Difficulties arise when the product is inlaid with some kind of stone.

Depending on the level of hardness of the stone, there are three types:

• Gemstones (which have a hardness factor greater than 5). These include diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and others. Such stones are quite resistant to scratches.
• Semi-precious stones (having a hardness factor below five). These include turquoise, malachite, moonstone, opal and other minerals. They are quite sensitive and can be damaged after prolonged contact with water and other liquids.
• organic stones. These include corals, amber, natural pearls. They do not tolerate alkaline and acidic environments, as well as contact with ammonia.

Each of these types of stones needs special care. And, accordingly, the decorations in which they are contained, too. Let's analyze it in more detail.

Cleaning of jewelry with precious stones

Methods for cleaning products with precious stones:

• Such products can be qualitatively cleaned with alcohol. Soak a cotton swab in alcohol, and gently wipe the product, including all hard-to-reach places. Then rinse off the alcohol by dipping the product in an aqueous solution and wipe the product with a dry cloth.
• You can wash the product with a soft cloth dipped in a concentrated soap solution or a solution of washing powder.
• Diamond encrusted jewelry can be easily cleaned with a soft toothbrush dipped in soapy water.
• Also, products with diamonds can be cleaned in a weak solution of ammonia (six drops per glass of water), lowering the product there for half an hour.
• If a greasy coating has formed on the product, then you can get rid of it with the same toothbrush dipped in gasoline.

Cleaning of products with semi-precious stones

Such stones do not tolerate prolonged contact with water, acids and alkalis. Therefore, the most effective, and at the same time gentle way to clean such stones is a soapy solution. It is necessary to thoroughly rinse the product in it, and then wipe it with a soft cloth.

Cleaning products with organic stones

For organic stones, the following cleaning agents and methods can be used:

• Rinse the product in an alcohol solution (50% solution).
• Pearls require especially careful care. It should be cleaned with a soft brush dipped in soapy water. Then the jewelry should be washed with water. More information about one of the varieties of pearls - baroque pearls, can be found here.
• Amber and coral are cleaned in a dry way, by rubbing with a suede or flannel cloth.

What kind of soap can be used

Fat secreted from the sebaceous glands of the skin forms an oily coating on gold and diamonds. Dust settles on the surface, and the object begins to darken. The wedding ring is rubbed with soda, but the abrasive material scratches the precious stone on the ring, and boiling water changes color. The soap acts sparingly, cleans pearls and coral, topaz and diamonds from plaque, leaves no marks on gold.

baby

To restore shine to the jewelry, remove dirt on earrings or pendant, heat water, fill a bowl with it, add a little baby soap, beat into foam. Gold items are lowered into the solution, wiped with a soft brush, after an hour they are removed from the container, rinsed and laid out on a napkin.

Dermatological

This type of soap consists of synthetic substances with antibacterial properties. The detergent forms a small amount of foam, but disinfects and removes plaque that forms on gold items.

Self made

They clean the jewelry from dirt with gruel, which is prepared from water, chalk and grated soap, which is made on the basis of olive or castor oil and wax. The stone and gold are rubbed with the mixture, polished to a shine with a dry cloth.

liquid

Jewelry retains its beauty and sophistication when maintained regularly. You don’t have to turn to the master for a long time if you soak gold objects with a fixed stone in a composition of liquid soap that forms a thick foam. Plaque dissolves, and dirt can be easily wiped off with a soft brush. The product is rinsed and must be dried with a napkin or cloth flap.

Cream soap

Rings and rings with loose diamond inserts must not be soaked in a liquid composition. They clean such jewelry with a special paste or wipe it with a swab, typing cream soap on it.

Features of cleaning different types of gold and jewelry

Some types of jewelry require a delicate attitude, and therefore their cleaning must be approached with special attention.

White gold

White gold differs from ordinary gold in its noble shade, which is obtained by adding silver, nickel or palladium to the alloy. Such jewelry has a delicate coating, and therefore harsh cleaning methods are contraindicated for them.

White gold looks especially stylish if it is properly cared for and gently cleaned.

You can clean white gold with such a gentle agent as a mixture of ammonia (1 part) and hydrogen peroxide (2 parts). Place the jewelry for 30-60 minutes in a container with such a liquid, then rinse with running water and wipe dry.

get rid of from plaque on white sugar solution will help gold. Put two tablespoons of sugar into one glass of warm water and mix thoroughly. The decoration must be left in this solution for 12 hours.

Matte gold

Matte gold jewelry cannot be polished with special products.It is easy to guess that they are also not subject to mechanical cleaning - all the beauty of a matte smooth finish will be instantly spoiled by a lot of scratches. To clean such a product from plaque, it is enough to soak it in an ammonia solution (25%) for 30-40 minutes, then rinse with running water and wipe dry, wiping the remaining plaque with a rag.

Brushed gold jewelry is refined and elegant, and also requires extra careful cleaning.

Jewelry with gilding

Gold-plated metals have a very thin coating, which easily oxidizes and ages. Never use materials with abrasive particles to clean such products, as they will easily scratch the gold layer. To keep the original appearance of jewelry, you need:

• use rubbing alcohol for cleaning. Soak a cotton pad in it and gently wipe the product, then rinse the alcohol from the gilding under the tap;
• soak the jewelry for 30 minutes in light beer, then rinse the jewelry in running water and wipe dry;
• regularly wipe the jewelry with a cloth for the care of jewelry.

Gold-plated products have the same attractive appearance as gold, but at a lower price.

Jewelry with stones

If the piece of jewelry is decorated with precious inserts, it requires especially gentle cleaning. Do not use any abrasive products on such jewelry (pastes and any other preparations with small solid particles, such as tooth powder), and also refuse mechanical cleaning so as not to damage the stone. In no case do not clean with chemicals or folk remedies jewelry with the following stones:

• turquoise.Jewelry with this insert should not be exposed to prolonged contact with water, as the stone loses its original color, may fade and acquire an uneven color. Turquoise also reacts to chemical treatment, losing its attractive appearance;
• coral, pearls, mother-of-pearl. These materials have a very delicate surface that is easily scratched and comes into contact with various chemicals used to clean gold jewelry;
• disgrace. The unusual color of opal, when processed with folk or special preparations for cleaning gold, can acquire an undesirable grayish tint, lose its depth and purity.

Pearls, like some other inserts, are extremely sensitive to chemicals and require more gentle cleaning.

How to clean such jewelry? Use a damp cloth to wipe away sweat, buildup and grease, then immediately wipe the piece with a dry microfiber or special gold polishing cloth.

gold chain

A gold chain without any inserts can be cleaned with slightly more aggressive means than jewelry with precious stones. One of the most affordable methods is a mixture of ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, washing powder and warm water:

1. Mix a teaspoon of ammonia (ammonia), three teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide, a pinch of washing powder in a glass of warm water.
2. Put the chain in the resulting mixture for half an hour.
3. During soaking, periodically shake the mixture and turn the product over.
4. Rinse the chain under a faucet to remove any remaining product.

After cleaning with these improvised means, the gold chain will shine and delight you with its appearance.

How and how to clean yellow gold

In chains, earrings, rings of complex shape with engraving, there are hard-to-reach places that are difficult to mechanically clean (with a toothbrush, toothpick, napkin). In order to get to the "hidden" places, solutions that are simply prepared are ideal.

There are several recipes for cleaning gold at home. quickly and without hassle. First, prepare a container, preferably glass for this procedure. It should be deep enough so that the cleaning solution completely covers the jewelry and they are evenly cleaned. I propose to get acquainted with the most popular recipes in detail. Consider the options that are suitable for yellow gold.

Ammonia

How to clean gold with ammonia? Our mothers and grandmothers are well aware of the method from the Soviet encyclopedias of housewives. To do this, dissolve one tablespoon of pharmacy ammonia in 100 ml of water and add a tablespoon of washing powder. After thoroughly mixing and dissolving small grains, immerse your gold jewelry in the solution. After 2-4 hours, rinse the jewelry with water and lay it on a napkin to dry naturally.

Hydrogen peroxide

The second most popular method is hydrogen peroxide. To do this, pour 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a teaspoon of ammonia, 45 ml of hydrogen peroxide into a glass of boiling water.

Mix the liquid well and lower the jewelry into the container for 20 minutes. They complete the cleaning of gold in the same way as in the first version: they are washed with water and transferred to a napkin to dry.

sugar solution

If you do not know how to clean gold and silver with improvised means, use ordinary granulated sugar. To do this, dissolve one tablespoon of sugar in 200 ml of water and lower gold jewelry to the bottom. After 4-5 hours, take them out and rinse under running cold water. This is how ordinary sugar can make jewelry shiny again.

Liquid dishwashing detergent

Dishwashing liquid can be used not only for its intended purpose in the kitchen. Liquid detergent effectively dissolves dirt, which is what you need to achieve when cleaning gold. To prepare the solution, pour 200 ml of water and one tablespoon of the product into a metal ladle.

Then the container must be put on medium heat and bring to a boil. Then you can put decorations that require cleaning into the ladle and continue to boil for at least 10 minutes. During this time, water bubbles will react with detergent and remove dirt from the most inaccessible places. At the end, take out the jewelry, rinse it with a jet of cold water and wipe it with a gauze cloth. This method is especially suitable for cleaning gold chains.

Salt

At home, every housewife has the usual edible salt, without which not a single dish can do. It can also be great for cleaning gold jewelry at home. The thing is that table salt has pulling properties, which means that it effectively removes contamination from the surface of jewelry.

This method is just as easy to perform as the previous ones. All you need is to dissolve 60 g of salt in 150 ml of boiling water. Soak your gold jewelry in this solution and leave overnight.

Cleansing by this method is slower, but more gentle.The next morning, you just have to rinse the rings or earrings with water and dry.

Why do jewelry start to fade?

People who wear a gold chain or other jewelry for a long time notice that their surface darkens over time.

There are several reasons, because of which gold items tarnish:

• Violation of the ligature prescription in the production of jewelry. It is known that during the manufacture of jewelry, pure gold is not used. Specialists use high-quality alloys, which are 98% composed of a noble metal. Sometimes, to save money in jewelry production, low-quality alloys are used, to which an insufficient amount of ligature is added. This leads to poor wear resistance of the created jewelry.
• Constant skin contact. Waste products of the human body remain on the surface of the skin of any person. Over time, they coat the gold surface, causing it to become sticky and accumulate dust, sulfides, and grease particles. To get rid of the accumulated dirt, you will have to regularly clean the jewelry with soapy water and ammonia.
• Frequent use of products containing mercury compounds. Upon contact with this substance, gold is covered with small spots of gray color. Eliminate these spots will not work, as they were formed as a result of the destruction of the golden alloy. In this case, you will have to replace the jewelry with a new one.
• The ingress of iodine on the alloy. Like mercury, iodine belongs to the group of substances that should not come into contact with gold-plated jewelry. If iodine accidentally gets on gold, then its top layer will turn black. In this case, it will not be possible to restore it.Therefore, when using medicinal or cosmetic products, you need to make sure that they do not contain iodine.