Your skull ring is starting to lose its splendor? have your jewels seen brighter days? Don’t you know how to recover the shine of your favorite ring? Or maybe you want to take care of your silver jewelry? You do well to ask yourself these kinds of questions. Over time, silver loses its luster and becomes black or stained.
It's not so bad, because with a few home remedies you can repair it quickly. Also, there are a few unique products for cleaning and maintaining silver to restore the jewelry to its former shine.
Welcome to Skull Action, the place where enthusiasts like you do their best to offer you quality content. We have compiled the most common tips and home remedies and some other ways to clean silver for you. On this blog, we will answer the following four questions:
- Why does silver tarnish?
- How do you clean your silver jewelry at home?
- How do you prevent silver from fading?
- What is the most important thing not to do?
However, we tell ourselves that if you are at our store, it is because you are passionate about silver rings. If this is the case, we invite you to click on the image below and discover our magnificent collection of silver skull rings.
Let's get down to brass tacks, and we’ll show you the culprit who blackened your jewels.
Why does silver tarnish?
Sulfur is to blame! Silver reacts differently with substances in its environment than other metals. The tarnishing of silver is due to minute traces of sulfur compounds in the air, which causes silver to tarnish gradually. Silver sulfide is formed and deposited as a dark to black discoloration on the surface of the silver.
Silver jewelry is not made of pure silver but of an alloy with copper to make the metal more rigid and robust. However, this alloy also gives the typical black patina - silver sulfide - that forms on rings, chains, etc., if you do not wear the pieces for a long time. The silver alloy reacts with hydrogen sulfide, which is contained everywhere in the air in varying concentrations.
To reverse this chemical reaction, chemistry is also required. You don't have to buy them at the pharmacy or supermarket. You are sure to have one or more of the following means in your household with which you can quickly and easily clean silver jewelry. 👩🔬
How do you clean your silver jewelry at home?
There are many ways to make silver cutlery, and silver jewelry shine again. The most effective methods are:
1 - Clean silver with aluminum foil and salt
The best known and most straightforward trick to clean silver with home remedies is to mix hot water (at least 60 degrees/140 °F) with salt (5 tablespoons per liter) and put the silver with the foil. The water can also be hotter.
You can cover the container with aluminum foil beforehand, wrap the silver in the foil or put the foil in small balls in the water bath with the silver. This trick can be used to clean silver cutlery and silver jewelry. The salt creates a tension between the silver and the foil, which loosens the silver sulfide from the silver.
Cleaning silver with aluminum foil and salt: The best-known tip for cleaning silver is gentle and effective. 🥳
2 - Clean silver with baking soda
Silver cutlery or silver jewelry can also be cleaned with baking powder. To do this, stir the baking powder in a small bowl with cold water until a liquid paste is formed. You can now apply the paste to the cutlery or jewelry with a small brush and brush it off.
The silver should lighten again as soon as it is applied. You can then rinse the silver with water and rub it thoroughly. But be careful: baking powder, such as toothpaste, contains small particles with a grinding effect. Sensitive silver jewelry (e.g., with a thin layer of silver) can therefore only be cleaned with baking powder to a limited extent. ⚠️
3 - Clean silver with a silver cleaning agent
There are many silver cleaning products on the market. Whether in paste, foam or immersion bath form, special silver cleaning agents are also very suitable for cleaning silver cutlery and silver jewelry.
However, quantities are often minimal, and cleaning agents are more expensive than home remedies, which is why you should also use home remedies for larger silver objects such as candleholders or bowls.
When using silver cleaning agents, be sure to wear gloves and, depending on the agent, adequate ventilation. 🖐🏻
4 - Cleaning silver with toothpaste
Toothpaste, like baking soda, is also suitable for cleaning silver. It binds and removes the dark layer of silver sulfide and makes the silver shine. Apply the toothpaste to the silver object and leave it on for a few moments (5 to 10 minutes).
Now you can brush thoroughly and rinse again. However, no chemical reactions occur either, so a direct mechanical application, such as brushing, is necessary for cleaning with toothpaste. It is possible to clean hard-to-reach areas or depressions in silver, but this method is more complicated. The frequent use of sensitive silver objects is not the gentlest either.
Cleaning silver with toothpaste: Toothpaste removes the dark layer of silver sulfide and makes cutlery and jewelry shine again.
5 - Clean silver with baking soda and salt
Soda has a binding and, at the same time, pearly property without attacking the money. Therefore, it is ideal for intensifying the cleaning of silver cutlery, silver jewelry or silver parts, for example, in the bath of aluminum foil with salt.
Note: Baking soda reacts strongly with acids such as vinegar and is rather impractical to use. Mix the saltwater with the foil as described above and add one spoonful of baking soda per liter. Instead of baking soda, you can also use soda. 🧂
6 - Clean silver with vinegar
Acids such as vinegar or vinegar essences help very well with prolonged exposure in a conventional water bath to dissolve the dirt and make the silver shine again. Mix vinegar in a bowl with warm water and let the silver soak for about one to two hours.
7 - Clean silver with citric acid
In addition to vinegar, citric acid is also an excellent way to make tarnished silver shine again. To do this, put the silver in a bowl and squeeze a lemon directly on it. Make sure the citric acid is evenly distributed over the silver and let it work for a while. The first dark spots should lighten after a few minutes.
Cleaning silver with citric acid: Acids are beneficial in dissolving silver stains. 🍋
8 - Cleaning of tarnished silver in the ultrasonic unit
Special ultrasonic cleaners use high-energy sound waves and what is called cavitation to remove foreign matter from silver jewelry, silver cutlery, silver coins, etc. Cleaning with ultrasonic devices is particularly suitable for objects with complex surface structures. 🔊
When using an ultrasonic cleaner, care must be taken to use a suitable cleaning concentrate. Not all concentrates are ideal for silver jewelry or even sensitive silver jewelry. Dishwashing detergent offers a gentle cleaning method. Simply add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to the cleaning bath, and the silver should be clean again after a few minutes.
9 - Cleaning silver with beer
In fact, you can also clean your money with beer. The acid in beer has a similar effect on silver as vinegar or citric acid. Put your money in a bowl of beer and let it stand for a few hours. With stubborn dirt, you can leave your money in the beer overnight. 🍺
How to prevent silver from tarnishing
There are several ways to prevent silver from tarnishing. The following tips have proven to be particularly useful:
1 - Know where to store your jewelry
La seule raison pour laquelle l'argent se ternit est à cause des composés soufrés dans l'air. Par conséquent, stockez votre argent avec le moins d'air possible. Les serviettes en coton dans lesquelles vous pouvez envelopper votre argent sont une méthode particulièrement simple pour le stockage à faible air.
2 - Chalk is your friend
Chalk absorbs moisture and, therefore, some of the sulfur compounds from the air. To prevent your silver from tarnishing, simply place a piece of chalk next to your silver, and your cutlery or jewelry will stay shiny longer.
3 - Correct storage in cutlery or jewelry boxes
Cutlery and jewelry boxes are often lined with sulfur-free velvet to store silver.
Not-To-Do List
1 - Not dishwasher safe
Silverware can quickly tarnish after being washed in the dishwasher. On the one hand, this is due to food scraps that often contain sulfur and, on the other hand, to the oxygen contained in the dishwasher shelves. It is, therefore, best to wash your silverware by hand.⛔️
2 - These products are taboo during the cleaning of silver jewelry
Under no circumstances should you use household cleaners for silver jewelry! The chemicals in it could damage the silver. You must also keep your hands away from other aggressive cleaners, such as scouring milk, cleaning the jewelry. Otherwise, you will damage or scratch the silver during cleaning. This also applies to special cleaning tablets such as Kukident.☣️
3 - Beware of gemstones and rhodium-plated silver jewelry
You can clean silver jewelry with gemstones yourself, but you should limit yourself to mild household remedies such as calm soapy water. A silver bath is also possible, but only with hard gems. The silver bath could permanently damage soft stones such as agate because of their porous structure.
Therefore, when cleaning silver with soft gemstones, apply only a little soapy water and rub the jewel carefully with it. Rhodium-plated silver jewelry has a protective layer that protects the jewelry from typical discoloration. Therefore, when cleaning, you can limit yourself to water and possibly the addition of soap.
Under no circumstances should you use a cleaning agent containing abrasive particles, nor should you use toothpaste? If you follow our tips on cleaning silver, you will enjoy your silver jewelry for a long time!
It's up to you to play the alchemist.
If you're still reading this, you deserve a diploma in silver jewelry care. We could see together what causes the blackening of your jewels, but also plenty of cheap and straightforward ways to remedy it. Don't forget all the things you shouldn't do; believe us, your gems won't like it, and neither will you.
Now that this blog is coming to an end, allow us to thank you for your reading and invite you to discover our magnificent selection of silver necklaces. It is of high quality, and it is the crème de la crème of our jewelry collection. Discover a unique collection of sterling silver skull necklace by clicking on the image below.