How to clean gold-plated silver at home: the best remedies

Silver with gilding is quite common, since jewelry made from it looks luxurious and aristocratic, emphasizes the taste of its owner, and is not very expensive. However, sooner or later the time comes to clean your gold-plated silver. This can be done at home. We invite you to get acquainted with the most popular methods.

Basic Rules

To properly clean gold-plated silver and not cause harm to it, you must adhere to the following rules.

Chalk and tooth powder, of course, can remove dirt, but they will scratch the surface of the product itself, so they cannot be used.
For work, you cannot use products intended for cleaning both gold and silver.
If the dirt is not severe, a piece of suede cloth will help get rid of it. It will also allow you to polish the cleaned jewelry and give it shine.
Some gold-plated chains have clasps made of base metal, so they may rust if exposed to water. This is why the part of the jewelry with the clasp is not immersed in an aqueous solution.

The first stage of cleaning gold-plated silver is degreasing the contamination, for which the surface should be wiped with ethyl alcohol (pure) or vinegar diluted with water (2 tablespoons per glass).

What is prohibited for cleaning gold plates?

You can clean your jewelry using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or turpentine. This way you can restore the shine to your earrings or degrease them before more intensive procedures.
Simple beer helps to rid silver of tarnish. For effective cleaning, a gold-plated earring can be soaked in beer for about an hour.
The most problematic areas of earrings are the fasteners; dust and sebum accumulate on them the fastest. To clean small decorations, you can use a cotton swab dipped in glycerin or ammonia.
The same methods are suitable for cleaning gold-plated jewelry as for silver jewelry: ammonia, soap solution. But you should not use soda, vinegar and homemade wines; they will clean the silver, but will deprive the gold plating of its shine and can ruin the stones. It is also best to avoid heating the jewelry.
After cleaning, gold-plated earrings can be soaked in simple sugar or thick sugar syrup for several hours. This will not remove dirt from the jewelry, but it will help restore its bright shine, as if you were able to gild it again.
Soap solution, vinegar and glycerin are effective in cleaning earrings, but may cause discoloration if left in contact with the metal for long periods of time. Therefore, after each cleaning, it is recommended to thoroughly rinse the jewelry under running water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

It is not necessary to buy special products to clean gold-plated silver. You can care for this noble metal yourself at home using budget methods.

Toothpaste

We recommend using regular toothpaste or powder to deal with minor stains on jewelry. In addition, you will need a thin cloth napkin or a toothbrush with soft bristles.

Before the procedure, pay attention to the appearance of the paste. Choose one that is non-colored and free of any impurities that could cause damage to the metal.
Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste from the tube onto a brush or cloth, apply to the jewelry, wait a little and start brushing. Using this method, you can remove black oxide even from the most inaccessible places.
Rinse the product thoroughly with water after the procedure so that no white streaks remain on its surface.
Don't forget to remove excess moisture from the silver using a paper or terry towel.

There is no need to spend your money on purchasing professional metal cleaning products when you can use soda ash. This budget universal product perfectly dissolves plaque and dirt:

First you need to prepare a special paste. Mix the powder with a small amount of water until the consistency of a thick paste.
Gently apply a small amount of product to items that need cleaning.
Rub the metal well with a soft cloth, and then rinse off the remaining soda with water.

Ammonia

This method is usually used by some skilled craftsmen to restore the shine and attractiveness of jewelry:

Prepare an aqueous solution with the addition of ammonia in a certain proportion (take 10 parts of water for 1 part alcohol).
Soak the products in the resulting liquid for several hours.
At the end of the procedure, rinse the silver in clean water and wipe the body dry with a soft cloth or napkin.

To regularly clean silver items, a soap solution is usually used, to which a few drops of alcohol are added.

Yolk

How to make silver shine? The proposed method was discovered many centuries ago, when products made from this type of metal were valued more than gold. An ordinary yolk from chicken eggs can work real miracles:

Take a medium-sized raw egg and break it into a bowl, separating the yolk from the white.
Soak a cotton pad in it and gently rub the jewelry.
Wait a while for the egg mixture to dry on the metal surface.
The final step is to rinse the jewelry in running water. Your favorite earrings or pendant will not only be cleaned of plaque that spoils their appearance, but will also remain shiny for a long time.

We suggest you read why the refrigerator does not work after defrosting: it does not turn on, does not freeze, or works without interruption.
Usually, products made of bronze or silver have a gold coating. You can clean gold plating using the following available tools:

Soap or dishwashing liquid.
Egg yolk.
Beer.
Vinegar.
Turpentine or ammonia.
Alum.
Alcohol.
Nitric acid.
Crushed chalk.

Before you begin the cleaning procedure, you need to prepare equipment that may be useful in the process:

A saucepan or any other deep container.
Cotton rags and suede scraps.
An old toothbrush with soft bristles.
Sponge.

Gold plating is a thin top layer of precious metal that can be easily scratched or removed. In this regard, the use of the following products is not recommended:

Aggressive acids.
Hard brushes and sponges.
Dry powders.

Ammonia and soap

This method helps to quickly get rid of greenish stains that can appear on gold-plated silver items. Let's consider the procedure.

Add 1 tsp to a liter of warm water. soap (you can rub the bar on a fine grater or just take liquid).
Add ammonia to the resulting soapy liquid - 6 drops.
Mix the resulting solution.
Immerse the products in it for half an hour.
Rinse the silver.

The final stage is to polish the gilding with a suede cloth.

Advice
Silver cannot be kept in solution for longer than prescribed; this will not make it cleaner, and the gilding layer may peel off.

Cleaning gilding with a special product

When planning to thoroughly clean your jewelry, you should first remove minor dirt. It can be:

Soak a sponge in turpentine or ethyl alcohol and apply the product to the product. After this, you can begin more thorough cleaning.

Ammonia

Mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia and 1 tablespoon of water in a container. Place the product there and leave for 20 minutes. Some people combine ammonia with chalk and apply this mixture to the gold plate. You need to wait until the paste dries. Then remove the chalk using running water and wipe the product thoroughly using a soft cloth.

To clean a silver spoon, you can use a solution of soap and ammonia. Prepare 6 drops of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of soap (you can use liquid or grate solid soap), 1 liter of warm water. Place the gold plated silver item in this solution and leave it there for 30 minutes. Then take it, rinse with water and dry thoroughly. Do not keep the product in the solution for too long, otherwise its surface may deteriorate.

To get rid of darkening on silver, another option is suitable. Take 15 drops of ammonia and mix them with toothpaste. Using a toothbrush, apply the resulting product to the silver. Clean it carefully, then rinse in clean water and dry. Since ammonia smells unpleasant, it is better to clean it on the balcony or outside.

Baking soda

This cleaning method is the simplest:

Pre-soak the silver item in soap and water. Then put 50 g of soda in 1 liter of water (it should be hot). Place the silver in the container and wait until the solution cools. Then the product will need to be removed and dried using a soft cloth;
You can put baking soda (15 g) in water, put silver in it and wait a few hours. Then the decoration will need to be washed and dried thoroughly;
If the silver surface has darkened, mix baking soda with a few drops of water. You will end up with a paste that should be applied to the product.

We suggest you read: Mold and mildew on the wall in an apartment: what to do and how to remove it

Hydrogen peroxide

This product should be used with caution. Peroxide is suitable for silver, but before cleaning you need to make sure that there are no unexpected results (in the form of reactions). It all depends on the composition of the product.

Egg yolk

Beat the egg yolk thoroughly, add javel water (1 tbsp) to it, and mix them. Dip a sponge into the resulting mixture and wipe the product. Clean it using suede or wool material. Thanks to this method, the silver will begin to shine again.

Put the silver into the beer, wait 30 minutes. Then rinse the item, dry it and rub it with suede to make it shine.

Dilute vinegar (2 tbsp) in 1 liter of water. Place the jewelry there and wait 15 minutes, then dry the item thoroughly. Then rub it with a wool or suede material until it shines.

Wine spirit

This product is safe for gold-plated silver items. It effectively helps deal with stains and darkening. Dip a cotton swab into rubbing alcohol, wipe the surface with it, then rub it with suede to make it shiny.

Nowadays, there are a variety of means with which you can clean silver jewelry from blackness at home. This can be done quickly and easily. Place the item in the cleaning product, wait a few minutes, and you're done. The gold-plated silver surface will shine again.

You need to take care of gold-plated silver items regularly - only then will they always look beautiful. Remember that you need to store jewelry in special cases with soft upholstery. When removing jewelry, immediately wipe it using flannel material, otherwise stains may appear on the surface due to sweat.

For visual ways to clean silver and gold at home, see the video below.

Of course, the easiest way to clean precious items is with a special jewelry paste. A substance designed for cleaning precious metals will easily restore shine and a chic appearance to products. At the same time, it is worth noting that it is not cheap, so many people prefer improvised means and folk methods. Before you start cleaning gold-plated items, you need to clean them of dust and grease by doing one of the following:

Soak a cotton pad in alcohol or turpentine and wipe the gold-plated items.
Make a solution (2 tablespoons of vinegar per liter of water) and keep the product in it for 15 minutes.

To clean gold-plated items, we will offer several popular ideas, which one you will decide to use for yourself. The easiest way is to choose a method for which the household already has the means. It is worth noting that all methods are highly effective and will provide the desired result.

Method 1

Fill a pan or bowl with hot water.
Pour in dish detergent and lather.
Place gold-plated silver items into the solution and wait 1-2 hours.
Take an old soft-bristle toothbrush and trim the bristles.
Rub the items soaked in the solution with a brush.
Rinse under cold running water.
Dry and polish with a piece of suede.

Method 2

Soak a cotton swab in wine vinegar.
Rub the gold plating in problem areas.
Wipe off any residue and polish.

Method 3

Pour beer into a small bowl.
Dip gold-plated items into it and wait half an hour.
Remove cutlery and decorations and wash.
Polish with a suede cloth.

Method 4

If gold-plated products have lost their attractive appearance and a green coating has already appeared on them, then you can do the following:

Prepare a solution: a liter of warm water, a teaspoon of grated laundry soap and 5 drops of ammonia.
Dip gold-plated items into the solution.
Wait half an hour.
Remove and wash jewelry or cutlery.
Polish with a suede pad.

Method 5

A method that is only used for gilded bronze:

Make a solution: 100 grams of water, 40 grams of alum and 50 grams of nitric acid.
Apply the mixture to the product using a brush.
Wait 15 minutes.
Polish, removing any remaining mixture.

We suggest you read: How to clean an enamel pan from dark deposits inside

Method 6

Prepare a mixture: 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of Javel water (a chlorine-based cleaner).
Apply the substance to a rag and wipe the gold-plated jewelry with it.
Rinse under cold running water.
Dry and polish.

Important! Concentrated cleanser can be harsh on your hands, so gloves must be used when using this method.

Method 7

Mix crushed chalk, water, petroleum jelly and soap shavings in equal parts.
Apply a little mixture to a soft cloth and rub the gold with it.
Rinse under cold running water when the items begin to shine as before.
Polish.

Important! This method is one of the most highly effective and easily restores the attractive appearance of gold-plated products. However, the material can be damaged if the chalk is poorly crushed. Also, do not rub the surface too intensely, as the product can be damaged.

Wine alcohol

This substance helps to quickly and effortlessly remove stains from a gold-plated item without spoiling it. How to proceed?

Soak a sponge in alcohol.
Rub the product until completely clean.

We recommend: Is it possible to wash photo wallpaper and how to do it correctly

Finally, you can also use a piece of suede, then the products will shine like new.

What not to do

Among the mass of common methods and recipes, there are often methods that can lead to damage to the product.

Is it possible to use ammonia to wipe gold-plated silver? This question worries many, since the network is full of recommendations on this matter. Professionals do not recommend cleaning gold-plated silver with ammonia. This will only give a temporary shine effect, but will gradually help remove the gold plating.

Do not use ammonia to clean gold-plated silver.

Under no circumstances should you clean products using soda, tooth powder and salt. This will cause damage to the coating and scratches.

It is also easy to scratch gold-plated silver with paper towels, a toothbrush and rough cloths (waffle towel).

Baking soda

This simple product will help restore the beauty and shine of gold-plated jewelry and remove blackness. You should proceed like this:

Pour 300 ml of water into a container and place on the stove;
place jewelry in heated water;
add 1 tsp. baking soda;
boil;
boil for 5 minutes;
turn off the stove, cool the water and rinse the product.

Advice
You cannot rub gold plate with a sponge and soda - the dirt will be removed, but the item itself will be scratched.

How to understand that it's time to clean the gold plating

A gold-plated chain is a silver product coated with gold on top. Both metals can darken and become stained over time. This happens due to the interaction of jewelry with human sweat and sebum. After a certain time of wearing, they become clogged in the links and fasteners of the chain, become covered with dust on top and cause a change in the color of the product. If the jewelry has lost its shine or a noticeable black or greenish coating has appeared on it, then a cleaning procedure needs to be carried out.

Beer

This drink does a good job of cleaning gold-plated silverware and removing light stains from jewelry. The procedure is as follows:

pour beer into a container;
place the products there for half an hour;
rinse the silver under running cold water;
dry.

For shine, you can rub it with a suede cloth.

Choosing the right gold plated jewelry

So, what do you need to know about choosing gold plated products? The material that is sprayed is of primary importance in this matter. It is important that it is 925 silver. This fact speaks volumes about the value of the product. Sometimes spraying can be applied to aluminum, copper, and tin. Such works are valued even cheaper than silver ones.

How can you determine what kind of jewelry you have in front of you: made of gilded silver or another metal? First, examine the product from all sides, find the brand and markings. To do this, familiarize yourself with silver hallmarks and hallmark standards in advance. In the Russian Federation, the following standards are established for silver: 999, 960, 925, 875, 830, 800. Most often, 925 silver is used for gilding. Since Soviet times, a mark in the form of a barrel has been used on silver jewelry.

Soap, Vaseline and chalk

The procedure is simple.

Take 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline, chalk, water and pre-grated laundry soap.
Using a soft cloth, gold-plated products are carefully coated with this composition. You can’t rub it, you just need to apply the product to the surface.
Wait 10 minutes.
Rinse the items and rub them with suede.

If you strictly follow the recommendations, the method is completely safe. The chalk must be thoroughly crushed to a powdery state.

How to restore shine

Sometimes objects simply become dull from lying in a box for a long time or standing in a sideboard. In this case, the following method will help perfectly:

beat the egg yolk;
mix it with simple bleach (1 to 1);
apply the mixture to the surface with a cotton swab;
gently (without effort) wipe for 1 minute;
rinse with plenty of water;
dry and lightly polish with suede.

It is better to carry out work outdoors, and rubber gloves should be worn for protection.

Sugar

A simple, effective and safe means of updating gold plated items at home.

Add 3 tbsp to a glass of warm water. l. Sahara.
Stir thoroughly.
Place decorations in the glass.
Leave for 4 hours.
Remove items and rinse.

Advice
This method will not help get rid of stubborn dirt and heavy dirt, but it will perfectly renew the jewelry and return it to its original shine.

Advantages and disadvantages

Each potential consumer, before purchasing a particular product, must evaluate all its advantages and disadvantages . Gilding may raise doubts among many, so let’s talk in detail together about the pros and cons of such products.

Their advantages include the following factors:

almost impossible to distinguish from gold ones;
gilding, with proper care and use, lasts quite a long time;
affordability - the cost of gold-plated products is much lower than those made of precious metal;
excellent appearance;
does not cause allergic reactions;
lightness - thanks to the composition, the jewelry is not heavy at all, it is easy and comfortable to wear;
have excellent properties;
can be reconstructed - if the coating peels off, it can be re-coated with a layer of gold, choosing any color;
The product can be engraved.

No matter how many advantages there are, there are also disadvantages. And speaking of disadvantages, it is worth noting the following.

Gold-plated jewelry must be worn correctly and its condition must be constantly monitored. The thing is that over time they wear off and the golden layer peels off.
The products have a distinctive shine, which is not typical for jewelry made of precious metal. This parameter helps to distinguish gilding from real gold.
Such jewelry or, for example, dishes require special care.
Since gilding is in trend today, and such products are often bought, there were also those who decided to make money from this in a not very honest way. There are quite a lot of fakes on the modern market that are difficult for a person who does not understand precious metals to distinguish from the original.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of pros and cons. And after getting acquainted with them, each consumer decides for himself whether to buy gold-plated products.

Considering the relevance of the topic of fakes, we would like to give some useful tips on how to distinguish “fake” from gilding . So, a fake is characterized by:

uneven color;
presence of contact with a magnet;
presence of defects in the product.

There are also several ways to identify a fake at home.

Use a special set of reagents.
If you drop a drop of alcohol on a gold-plated item and it darkens, then you are dealing with a fake.
Mechanical damage – the gold plating layer may be slightly scratched. If small particles appear at the damage site, this is gilding.

If you already have gold-plated silver jewelry, you can use one of the above methods to ensure its authenticity.

Lemon acid

It’s easy to prepare a composition that helps clean homemade gold-plated silver items.

Pour ½ liter of water into an enamel pan.
Add a packet of citric acid (15 g) to it.
Place the container on the fire and bring to a boil.
Place decorations in boiling liquid.
Boil them for 15-20 minutes.

We recommend: 5 jokes about cleaning – and the same number of rules for self-love

Next, the products must be cooled and rinsed. This method is suitable for cleaning tarnished jewelry and gold-plated cutlery.

Advantages of gold-plated silver products

The main advantage of jewelry can be considered their low cost, while 925 sterling metal is used to make earrings, rings and chains, and it is coated with a layer of gold. The cost of jewelry will pleasantly surprise you; only a jeweler can visually distinguish such jewelry from gold.

not subject to corrosion;
easy to use;
combined with stones;
suitable for everyday wear.

Not only earrings, rings and chains are popular, but also cutlery coated with a layer of gold.

Cutlery, figurines and sets are very often used as gifts. At the same time, silver items are not as capricious as gold ones, but they require care. Therefore, it is worth taking care of your jewelry and cleaning it regularly, since a dense film of dust and dirt can damage the gold plating and ruin the appearance of the jewelry.

Even gold loses its shine and color over the years, and it is not difficult to break the gilded film, but to do this you will have to mechanically damage the product. If you take proper care of your jewelry, it will last a long time and the coating will not wear off.

If gray or dark spots appear on the newly purchased jewelry, then you need to take the product to a jeweler: he will determine the quality of the metal and issue a conclusion. If this is not possible, then you should take the jewelry to a store or pawnshop, since such stains indicate the low quality of the alloy from which the jewelry was made.

Source

Javel water and protein

Another effective remedy to help clean gold-plated items. Javel water can be purchased in specialized stores or marked as “White”. The sequence of actions is as follows:

beat 1 egg white - with a fork, whisk or mixer;
add 1.5 tbsp to it. l. "Whiteness" or Javel water;
Place the decoration into the resulting thick mixture;
gently rub the product with a sponge;
rinse.

Important!
You should work with gloves to avoid damaging the skin of your hands.

Silver with gold plated “Sokolov”

The Sokolov jewelry brand offers a large selection of products. Reviews of this company's gilded silver are very good. Many people are pleased with the affordable prices of the products. Jewelry with various stones looks especially beautiful. Reviews of gilded silver “Sokolov” indicate that it shines very beautifully for a long period. The new products are not at all different from gold ones. Some consumers even buy gold-plated engagement rings from this company. The beautiful ring in the shape of a crown received the most positive reviews. Such models are very popular today.

Salt

This method will not help get rid of stubborn stains, but will return the product's shine and lightly clean the metal.

200 ml of water is poured into the pan.
Add 1 tsp. salt.
The solution is placed on gas and heated.
Products are immersed in it, brought to a boil and boiled for 15 minutes.

After this, jewelry and cutlery should be rinsed and polished with suede.

Removing greenish plaque

The characteristic stains usually appear due to the oxidation of copper contained in both silver and gold alloys used in the jewelry industry.

Fortunately, it is not difficult to eliminate them - the previously described solution of laundry soap with ammonia is suitable for this.

In addition, there is another proven method - the object is immersed in a pan with a soda solution, covered with aluminum foil. Then it is boiled for at least 30 minutes. This option is suitable for cutlery, but is not suitable if you need to clean jewelry with stones.

Pollution prevention

In order for gilded silver to retain its attractive appearance for a long time, you should follow simple care rules that will help avoid contamination.

When exposed to sweat, silver oxidizes, so items made from it should be removed during sports training.
Cutlery is washed and wiped with a suede cloth after each use.
Gilding and gold products are stored separately. When choosing a place where such things will lie, you should remember that dampness leads to the appearance of black spots.
Products made of gold-plated silver should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
The gold plating layer may be damaged by accidental exposure to perfume or cosmetics.
Wipe gold-plated silver with a soft flannel.

Following these simple rules will help you achieve an attractive appearance for gold-plated items and jewelry for a long time.

Advantages of gilding and methods of applying it

Reviews of gilded silver prove that it retains its original appearance for a long time. International, European and Russian state standards have established 4N color for gold plating. It is worth listing the main advantages of gold plating:

Absolutely safe for health.
It has an attractive appearance, similar to gold.
It is little exposed to external aggressive influences: it does not oxidize, does not corrode.
It has a democratic value, much cheaper than gold.

Gilding has been practiced since ancient times. Back then, church domes, cutlery, jewelry and dishes were decorated with precious metal. It was at that time that hot and cold gilding was invented. The cold method involves stamping or gluing thin layers of gold leaf onto silver.

Hot gilding requires fire. Only such gilding turned out to be dangerous because mercury was used for it. Soon they abandoned it so as not to be poisoned by dangerous mercury vapors.

Why methods for silver and gold are not suitable

Silver, gold and precious metal plating are materials with different properties. Even gold plating can behave differently than gold, which is due to the small thickness of the surface layer, a combination with Ag. When products designed for one type of metal are used for other purposes, they often damage the jewelry.

You should choose universal semi-professional products; the label should indicate that the product is suitable for cleaning gold and silver.

How to choose quality jewelry?

In order to choose the right product, you need to know some selection rules that will help you become the owner of high-quality jewelry:

If there is no hallmark or hallmark on the product, then it is unlikely that you will be offered to buy silver jewelry. Most likely this is gold-plated jewelry. Thus, manufacturers significantly reduce the price of the product, and when you buy this product, you receive a low-quality item that will be deformed.
It is best to give preference to a product made from 925 standard. It is much better quality and, accordingly, will delight you for many years.
Remember that the percentage of gilding should not be less than 40%. You can always ask the seller to tell you more about the product and show documents that would correspond to his words.

How to create a bright image?

And now - a few tips that will help you complement your bright image and amaze everyone around with your beauty.

As a rule, fashionistas choose gold-plated pendants most often. Try to wear an outfit with a “V” shaped neckline, then your pendant will look great. Especially if your decoration is not too large and massive.

Try to wear earrings and pendants from the same set. This will make you look more impressive. If you chose earrings that are too large, then you should not choose a large pendant or pendant - it’s not beautiful.

If you are right-handed, then be sure to wear the bracelet on your right hand. It will be much more impressive. Also, try not to match your bracelet and watch together.

Gold-plated jewelry looks impressive with outfits in black, dark blue and green. These colors in clothing help jewelry to fully reveal its beauty.

For information on how to properly clean gold and silver, see below.

Despite the fact that gold-plated jewelry is not made of pure gold, it always looks elegant and aristocratic, emphasizing the good taste of its owner. However, in order for such products to always have a bright appearance and not fade, they must be properly looked after and cleaned in a timely manner .