How to clean silver with foil and soda?

The loss of the initial shine of silver jewelry is explained by several factors: the formation of an oxide film due to oxygen exposure, the influence of chemicals (shower gels, cosmetics, chlorinated water in the pool), clogging of small decoration elements with dust and dirt particles. Cleaning silver with soda and foil effectively copes with all of these types of pollution. It belongs to the category of chemical, as it is caused by the reaction of aluminum and soda with water.

For cleaning blackened silver this method is not suitable. Dark areas will become faded, and white spots may appear from the oxide film deposited on them.

How it works?

Only 3 ingredients are involved in the recipe:

• baking soda;
• baking foil (aluminum);
• water.

Soda plays the role of a cleansing and whitening component. In addition, it enters into a chemical reaction with aluminum and water, during which atomic hydrogen is released. It is he who restores the metal from oxides. As a result, the oxide film from silver lags behind and is cleared. Sometimes it immediately dissolves in water, but more often after processing the product needs to be wiped with a soft cloth to remove residual plaque.

Step-by-step instruction

The procedure does not take much time. It will take 15 minutes to do everything about everything. At the same time, no special knowledge or skills are needed - the method is absolutely safe for use at home.

So, how to clean silver with foil and soda?

1. Tear the foil into a deep dish (for example, a mug), pour baking soda and mix. For 200 ml of water, 2 teaspoons of soda and a piece of foil about 15 cm by 10 cm will be required.
2. At the next stage, you need to place silver items in the container and pour boiling water on top. Be careful! A reaction will occur and a foam will form that can spill onto the table.
3. Without waiting for the water to cool, after 5-10 minutes, the silver will need to be removed and wiped with a soft cloth. After this, the products sparkle like new.

During the cleaning process, an unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulfide will be felt. Do not be alarmed, it indicates that a reaction has occurred and that silver is being actively cleansed.

How to enhance the effect?

There are several uses for the recipe. Cleaning takes place even in cold water when soaked. However, in this case, you will have to wait from 1 to 2 days. Many, on the contrary, seek to strengthen the reaction, so as not to wait, but to surely get a clean, sparkling product out of solution.

• To enhance the effect, a classic recipe includes laundry soap and salt. The proportions are: 500 ml of water, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of soda, 1 tbsp. tablespoon of salt, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of grated soap or the same amount of detergent for dishes.
• Heating always speeds up the chemical reaction. Therefore, to purify silver as quickly as possible, the solution with the products can be set to simmer on low heat. But no more than half an hour!
• Instead of ordinary baking soda, you can take calcined for washing. It is more caustic, so the concentration must be halved (1 teaspoon per 200 ml of boiling water).

Using foil, you can not only clean silver, but also store it. It protects the metal from darkening (oxidation). To do this, each product is wrapped in a dense layer of foil and stored in a dark place, for example in a casket.

In conclusion, the method with foil and soda is effective and allows you to quickly and effectively clean silver at home. However, with expensive products it is better not to risk it. It will be more correct to delegate this task to a professional jeweler or to acquire a special tool.To clean silver, wipes, washing and cleaning solutions (Tableau, HG or other companies) are available.