How to clean jewelry from browning at home?

Costume jewelry is an important attribute for many of the fair sex. Like any jewelry, jewelry is difficult to maintain its original gloss for a long time. Over time, there is a darkening of products, which seems to be an irreversible process for many. In fact, there are many ways to help restore the original appearance of the jewelry at home. Given a number of important nuances, you can effortlessly give a second life even to those decorations that you have been wearing for a long time.

Most jewelry begins to darken in the process of contact with various substances. The basis of many materials is metal, which begins to oxidize and lose luster.

Especially fast costume jewelry begins to darken when the following types of mechanical manipulations occur:

• Contact decoration with water. Even if the product comes into contact with moisture for a short time, this interaction still affects its appearance.
• If all the elements of jewelry are in the same box and cling to each other, then not only darkening can occur, but other mechanical damage. Some materials need their own storage compartment.
• Contact with household chemicals - dishwashing detergents, washing powder, window cleaners - significantly accelerates the loss of the appearance of the product. Jewelery is more susceptible to the influence of chemistry than precious metals, so the oxidation process can occur quite quickly.

If you notice that your watch, ring or other jewelry darkens, then do not take immediate radical action. It is recommended to clarify what material is made of things, because the choice of cleaning will depend on it. The most common types of raw materials from which they make jewelry include: copper, plastic, metal with various types of spraying, glass. Additional elements include rhinestones and stones, which are artificial and semi-precious.

Based on the characteristics of the materials used in the manufacture of jewelry, there are several means by which you can clean the product from browning.

• Metallic accessories without spraying and additional elements can be cleaned using ordinary baking soda. After adding a pinch of soda into a small vessel, a few drops of water are poured in there and stirred until a slurry is formed. The composition is applied to the darkened areas and after some time gently removed. During the time spent on decoration, the particles of the mixture peel off the dirt from the product. Another way to clean jewelry from metal is to use tooth powder. It is ground over the surface and then washed off with water. After that, the decoration is wiped with a soft cloth. An alternative solution for cleaning is a similar use of chalk.
• Plastic products are easiest to clean - just put them in a container and pour water with detergent. For some time, the jewelry is left in the solution, then the container is shaken and the accessories are washed under warm water.
• To clear glass, you can use a powder or soap, making them a solution.To the surface acquired gloss, it is treated with ammonia.

• A soap solution is also used to remove browning. rhinestone. But it is not recommended to apply it to products coated with rhodium - it is preferable to use a weakly concentrated ammonia.
• To restore shine copper jewelery is prepared with special formulations from commonly available ingredients: Middle-sized edible salt is mixed with nine percent acetic essence so that the mixture has the consistency of a paste. Having rubbed the jewelry with this tool and rinsing it with water, you will be able to return the original appearance to the bracelet, earrings or pendant. A similar result provides garlic mixture. Dental crushed and add a little salt. The composition is left on the jewelry for 5 minutes and then washed off.
• Gold plating - A very popular coating for metal jewelry. Such products are especially fragile and unstable to various mechanical and chemical influences. Sometimes, as a result of oxidation, a patina is formed on them — a foreign film covering the surface. Gilding on such jewelry should be constantly maintained in perfect condition.

The easiest way to care is to place the accessory in warm water with soap and a couple of teaspoons of ammonia. The most preferred soap - baby, because it does not contain fragrances. Jewelry should be slightly rubbed with a soft sponge or cloth, they are not recommended to keep in water for more than a minute, otherwise a wet environment can have the opposite effect on the state of decorative items.

Each time after using the jewelry should be cleaned with a special soft microfiber cloth. Flannel material is also suitable. This will save the surface from darkening and dirt for a longer period of time.

A good tool for cleaning jewelry for gold will be wine vinegar. Gold-plated earrings and other jewelry are wiped with a swab moistened with this liquid, and then washed under cold water. After washing off the vinegar, do not wipe the product, but let it dry on its own. You can use a cold stream of air from the dryer to speed up the drying process.

For the safe cleaning of gold-plated surfaces, such commonly available tools as egg yolk or good quality beer will do. Just half an hour to leave the product in a glass of beer, then rinse and dry.

Do not attempt to return the original appearance to gilded accessories using concentrated or caustic compounds. It is strictly forbidden to use acetic acid, soda and even tooth powder.

Special attention should be paid to cleaning some stones.requiring special care:

• Turquoise and artificial pearls are very fragile materials that do not tolerate any exposure to foreign substances, even water. The best way to keep them in good condition is to polish with a dry, soft cloth.
• Aquamarines and pearl stones are washed in clean cool water, then wiped with a rag or dried with a hair dryer.

Important is the process of purification of precious and more expensive metals, because they are subject to the influence of the same factors as jewelry.

• To refresh the appearance of silver, it is placed for a couple of hours in water with chopped raw potatoes. After a time, it is rinsed.
• The easiest way to clean silverware is to use a paper eraser. Only a few movements will restore the pristine beauty to the decorations.
• To enhance the brilliance of gold products they are placed in water with a small amount of sugar.
• An unusual remedy for cleansing gold is the use of lipstick for lips. It is applied to a cotton pad, which is subsequently wiped decoration.The composition of lipstick takes dirt on a cotton pad and leaves the surface of gold accessories sparkling.

Sometimes gold plating is applied to silverware. After a certain period of wear, you may want to change the appearance of the jewelry and make it completely silver. Such a need may also arise from damage to the gilding. Exists A few recommendations on the conversion of jewelry:

• The first method is based on the effect of a strong oxidizing agent - “royal vodka”, which has a very sharp smell. This composition is obtained by mixing a high concentration of nitric and hydrochloric acids. The proportions of the mixture - 1: 3.
• Another way is to use an electrolytic bath.

The top layer of the decoration is a lacquer coating that is removed with sulfuric acid, acetone, or alcohol.

For the long maintenance of jewelry and other decorations in an attractive form, you need to follow the proven tips.

• Be sure to remove your jewelry before taking a bath or visiting a sauna. Even if there is no open contact with water, humidified air can also adversely affect the condition of the accessories.
• Avoid the interaction of jewelry with substances such as cologne, perfume, acetone.
• Costume jewelery does not tolerate contact with compositions that have a fat consistency, for example, creams or oils.
• Before cleaning, inspect the decoration carefully. Sometimes it may contain elements that need to be cleaned differently than the rest of the surface of the product.
• If the costume jewelry is made of surgical steel, in no case can acetic acid be used to clean it. This may cause the material to turn black.

• When you need to remove scratches from a plastic product, you can use nail polish of a suitable color. This option is valid only if the damage is small. Otherwise, it is unlikely to fully restore the aesthetic appearance of the jewelry.
• Products with a dusting or gilding need to be cleaned, no matter how often you wear it. It is unstable to contact with vapors, flying in the air, and can lose its beauty even without active exploitation.
• After cleaning the jewelry, be sure to make it dry to the end. Otherwise, rust may appear, the material is able to change color and start to peel off.

Following all the recommendations, you can easily extend the life of your favorite jewelry.

About how and what to clean jewelry, see the following video.