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).

Products for cleaning gold plated chains

There are several ways to return your jewelry to its original state, each of which has its own characteristics. When choosing what to use, you need to assess the severity of the contamination and choose the most suitable product.

Jewelry workshops use special compounds that remove plaque and do not harm the metal. With their help, the original appearance of the product is quickly restored. You can buy such products at any specialized store and carry out the procedure at home. Depending on the type of contamination you will need:

a solution that will remove any stains and plaque in a short time;
fabric napkins that polish the surface without harming the surface;
paste for cleaning heavy stains.

Instructions for use of any of the products are written on the packaging. It needs to be studied carefully to understand whether the composition is suitable for gold-plated jewelry or not.

If the chain needs cleaning, but there are no special products at hand, then you can use home methods. They are no worse, and maybe even better, at coping with dirt and polishing. The following are suitable folk cleaners:

wine alcohol. It will not only remove dark deposits, but also polish the metal surface. Suitable for frequent use. For the procedure, you need to moisten the sponge in the liquid and wipe the chain;
dark beer. The decoration is soaked in it for some time. If necessary, heavily soiled areas can be cleaned with an old toothbrush. After this, the chain is washed and wiped with a soft cloth;
egg white. Removes dirt and dark deposits, and also adds shine to the product. The white is separated from the yolk, a sponge is moistened in it and the decoration is wiped;
alcohol. Helps get rid of green plaque and greasy stains. Mix water and alcohol in equal quantities, place the product in the solution for 15-20 minutes, then rinse and wipe dry;
toothpaste. As in the case of silver, it perfectly cleanses any dirt from the gold-plated surface. The paste must be free of dyes and bleaching particles;
soda. Aggressive but effective. The powder is mixed with water and the decoration is placed in it for no more than 10 minutes. After this, the chain is washed under running water and wiped;
acetic acid. Cleans and polishes gilding. After soaking in a solution of vinegar and water, the product must be rinsed thoroughly, as the remaining acid can damage the top layer.

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When working with aggressive compounds, protect your hands with gloves. You cannot keep gold-plated items in them, because... Instead of cleaning, they may become damaged and lose their beauty forever.

Preparing the silver is the first step. First, you need to remove various types of contaminants (greasy deposits, dust, etc.) from the surface of the products.

Use the soft side of the sponge. It must be moistened in turpentine or ethyl alcohol. Cleaning is carried out with gloves. The room should be well ventilated.

At the moment, there are a large number of special cleaning products for silver. But this method is much more expensive than using traditional methods.

In order to clean the jewelry, you just need to dip it in such a product and wait a certain time. Then you need to take out the absolutely shiny product.

Yolk

This method is suitable in cases where your favorite chain has lost its shine. Cleaning with yolk works well to solve this problem. Step-by-step instruction:

beat the egg yolk and mix with javel water (1/2 tablespoon);
clean the product with the resulting mixture using a sponge;
Wipe the silver with a soft cloth or piece of suede.

Baking soda

Baking soda is the most popular and budget-friendly means for cleaning jewelry from dark deposits. Step-by-step instructions for using it:

Place the silver in a small container of soapy water.
At this time, you need to prepare a soda solution: 50 grams of soda per liter of boiling water. Pour the resulting liquid into a container with soapy water.
Wait for the solution to cool completely and remove the silver from there.

Dip silver jewelry into a container with a previously prepared solution. To prepare it, you need to mix water with ammonia.

Then you need to wait 30 minutes and remove the silver from the container. You can mix ammonia with chalk and apply the resulting product to jewelry. Wait until it dries completely and wash the mixture off your silver items.

You can remove blackness from gold-plated silver at home using toothpaste (or powder) and a soft toothbrush. This method is as fast as possible, but it has a significant drawback. The brush and powder leave micro scratches on the jewelry.

Sequencing:

Dilute the tooth powder with a small amount of water and apply the resulting mixture to the brush. If you use paste, you do not need to dilute it.
Gently clean the silver item with the product. It is important to move in one direction and not to rub or press on the product, otherwise the likelihood of damage to the surface of the material increases.

Gilded silver looks very beautiful - be it luxury jewelry, spoons or home decoration. However, over time, such products darken and a coating develops on them, which greatly spoils their appearance. To avoid this, you need to properly care for the products. After reading this article, you will learn how to clean gold-plated silver so that it begins to shine again, like the first day after purchase.

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 methods

Most often, silver items are plated with gold, but the cleaning methods for these two materials are different. To properly clean gold-plated silver at home, you need to consider the following features:

For cleaning you only need to use a piece of suede cloth, and it must be dry.
First, you need to prepare the surface of the product by removing grease, dirt and dust from it. This must be done, otherwise you may not see the result of further manipulations. For this purpose, it is best to use alcohol or turpentine: a cotton swab is moistened in the selected solution and used to wipe the entire surface of the product.

If desired, you can pre-wash the gold-plated silver; to do this, place the item in a deep bowl of water, adding a soap solution and a little ammonia. The product should be left in this state for 15–20 minutes, then dried and proceeded to cleaning. This method will get rid of the greenish tint that gilding can acquire.

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.

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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.

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.

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

Causes of darkening

To avoid having to clean cutlery and jewelry frequently, you need to understand why darkening appears on them. The reasons are usually the following:

contact with rubber, onions, egg whites, salt, household gas;
negative effects of cosmetics;
staying in a room with high humidity;
contact with sweat (you need to remove jewelry during physical activity so that the metal does not begin to oxidize);
contact with medications, chemicals (it is recommended to use gloves when doing household chores).

When cleaning gold, you need to remember certain rules:

abrasive compounds are not suitable for cleaning precious metals. Because of them, scratches may appear on the surface;
Before cleaning, dip a soft cloth in alcohol and wipe the product with it;
You can only wipe the gold plate with a cotton swab. Suede is also suitable for this.

To avoid having to clean cutlery and jewelry frequently, you need to understand why darkening appears on them. The reasons are usually the following:

contact with rubber, onions, egg whites, salt, household gas;
negative effects of cosmetics;
staying in a room with high humidity;
contact with sweat (you need to remove jewelry during physical activity so that the metal does not begin to oxidize);
contact with medications, chemicals (it is recommended to use gloves when doing household chores).

When cleaning gold, you need to remember certain rules:

abrasive compounds are not suitable for cleaning precious metals. Because of them, scratches may appear on the surface;
Before cleaning, dip a soft cloth in alcohol and wipe the product with it;
You can only wipe the gold plate with a cotton swab. Suede is also suitable for this.

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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.

Safe tools

A soft toothbrush will remove dirt from hard-to-reach places

In order to clean gold-plated silver at the initial stage at home, you need to use suede. You should rub the jewelry with it until any foreign contamination disappears from it.

Wooden toothpicks are great for getting dirt out of hard-to-reach places. A soft toothbrush will also help in this matter without damaging the metal structure.

Paper towels or napkins absorb moisture efficiently. They are good for drying items after cleaning.

You can find professional gold plating cleaning products in jewelry stores. They complete the task in a matter of minutes. Their action is aimed at adding shine to jewelry and cutlery made from specific types of metal.

You can choose a composition for caring for products with stones that require a more delicate treatment. Such products are more expensive than the components of traditional recipes, but they clean quickly.

Among these are:

Aladdin is a solution for cleaning gold-plated silver items.
Town talk is a jewelry cleaner. The composition includes a brush and a basket.
Town talk spray – useful for polishing gold plates. The kit includes: a polishing cloth and a brush for removing dust and grease.
Brilliance-connoisseurs – liquid for cleaning gold-plated items.
Flurin is a composition for removing stains from jewelry. Effectively cleans silver and items with precious stones. It is dangerous for pearls, lapis lazuli, malachite and blackening.
HG – cleans gilding from tarnish and dirt in 3-5 minutes. The set includes a brush and tweezers.
Eco miracle. The composition purifies gold, silver, natural stones such as amber, pearls, turquoise. It only takes 1-2 minutes to get rid of dirt and darkening.

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When using chemicals, you must carefully read the instructions. By increasing the exposure time, you can inadvertently damage the jewelry. It is especially important to choose the right solutions and pastes for products with stones.

Folk remedies

A soap solution will remove light stains on gold plating.

You can easily clean gold plate at home using regular products. Such components allow you to achieve the desired result at minimal cost. They are more environmentally friendly and do not contain preservatives, fragrances or other harmful chemicals.

To clean gold-plated silver from blackness at home, you can use gentle products. They will help restore brightness to products that have only slightly faded:

Sugar. Allows you to remove minor stains. 2 tbsp. l. dissolve the granular substance in a glass of warm water. Place gold-plated cutlery there for a couple of hours.
Soap solution. It will allow you to restore shine to gilded objects that have not become too dark. Immerse the products in a container, pour and leave for half an hour. After this, rinse in clean water, dry and polish.
Alcohol. Helps in removing grease and dirt at a preliminary stage. To do this, moisten a cotton pad generously with liquid and thoroughly wipe the gold plate.
Vinegar. Removes green tint from jewelry. 2 tbsp. l. Dissolve spoons in a liter of water. Place the products in the reagent for 15-20 minutes. After the time has passed, take it out and polish it.
Lemon acid. Lightens darkened jewelry. Dilute a packet of dry product in two glasses of water and bring to a boil. Dip objects into the seething liquid and leave for 10-15 minutes. Cool the water, remove the items, dry, and polish.
Beer. Brings back the shine to gold. Place utensils or decorations in the container and fill them so that they are completely hidden. Leave for half an hour. Take it out, dry it, polish it.
Onion gruel. Removes dark spots and bacteria that clog inside chains, rings, and earrings. Grind a medium onion. Completely immerse the jewelry in it for 2 hours. Wash the gold plate, dry it, and rub it with a soft cloth.

It is important to use suitable recipes in each specific case.

Ammonia will restore shine to heavily tarnished gold-plated cutlery.

There are also products that aggressively clean gold-plated items. Jewelry should not be left in them for longer than expected. They are even suitable for cleaning blackened items:

Turpentine. Helps clean heavily soiled jewelry. You need to moisten a cotton pad in it and treat the product. Rinse in running water, wipe dry, polish.
Toothpaste. Acts as a soft abrasive for dirt caught in the ornament on the product. Squeeze onto a cotton pad or a very soft toothbrush and work on the item. Then rinse with water, dry and wipe.
Ammonia. Brings back brightness and cleanliness to spoons and forks. Dilute 1 tsp in a glass of warm water. ammonia and a drop of any dishwashing detergent. Place cutlery in a container with the solution for 2-3 hours. Dry on a paper towel or napkins, polish.
Egg yolks and whiteness. Remove blackness from objects. Mix a tablespoon of bleach with 1 yolk. Moisten a cotton pad and apply to the jewelry. After this, rinse with water, dry, and rub until shiny with a soft flannel or woolen cloth.

In addition to the above remedies, you can use potato pulp, old lipstick or Vaseline and chalk.

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.

Preliminary preparation

Hard-to-reach areas can also be cleaned with alcohol - use a cotton swab for this. A chain or earrings can be immersed in an alcohol solution for a few minutes. This is done simply - pour a little vodka (cologne, etc.) into the bottom of a small glass and immerse the jewelry in it. By the way, you can also clean darkened jewelry this way. After 2 - 3 minutes, take out the item and place it on a clean cloth, let it dry a little.

For some gold-plated items, cleaning with alcohol is sufficient. If you are still not satisfied with the appearance of the product, continue working. Is there any alcohol in the house? Use turpentine or vinegar. Turpentine is not diluted, but vinegar is added to water at the rate of 2 - 3 tablespoons. spoons per liter of water.

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.

Choosing a cleaning solution

The following solutions can be used to clean gold-plated silver:

Regular beer. Soak jewelry or cutlery in it for half an hour.
A soap solution made from dishwashing gel and water. In a foam “bath”, gold-plated objects soak for 2–3 hours.
Vinegar. Used for repeated wiping after alcohol treatment.
25 grams of soap shavings, 5 - 6 drops of ammonia are dissolved in water and the darkened gold is immersed for half an hour.
Yolk + 1 tbsp. l. divorced "Whiteness". The ingredients are mixed and used to treat the darkened gilding. Whiteness is diluted at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per liter

Mix a little grated school chalk with Vaseline, water and liquid soap until you obtain a homogeneous viscous product. The result is a soft and gentle paste for cleaning gold-plated items.

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.

How to clean a gold plated watch

Gentle methods:

dry cleaning - done with a lint-free cloth;
wet processing - you need to soak a cotton pad in water, remove excess water, rinse the watch case;
toothpaste - apply only to a flat surface, as it can get between the links of the bracelet, from where the product will be difficult to remove.

When none of the methods help, polish the watch using WD40 lubricant.

Gold plated watch

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.

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

Rules for caring for gold-plated products

In order to avoid darkening or abrasion of the gold plating layer, you need to carefully care for costume jewelry and other items.

Gold-plated jewelry should be removed before showering, starting household chores, and before applying cosmetics (creams, perfumes, scrubs).
It is not recommended to take such products with you on vacation at sea. Salt water has a detrimental effect on gilding, and therefore, if parting with your favorite jewelry seems impossible, then it must be removed before bathing.
Store gold-plated jewelry, spoons and other cutlery, best in a closed box or special box, as far as possible from sunlight and heating appliances. This will protect both the gilding itself and some types of precious stones from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation and will help preserve their original appearance for as long as possible.

Products should be cleaned regularly, without waiting for darkening or plaque to form on the gold plating.

We recommend reading: How to clean gold items at home.

photo: depositphotos.com/photographee.eu

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.

Cleaning Rules

A gold-plated item is different from silver or gold, so the methods used for them are absolutely not suitable. Gold plating is very easy to ruin. The first stage of cleaning is the removal of surface dirt - dust, stains, grease. To do this, it is enough to treat the surface with alcohol or turpentine.

Gold plating is soft, so it is not recommended to use strong mechanical impact, as there is a risk of damage to the surface. Suede fabric is excellent for care; it adds shine to products and removes stains. To clean a gold-plated watch, sometimes it is enough to treat it with suede. If you need to clean gold-plated silverware, remove any grease from it first.

Before processing, perform the following steps:

Take a clean, dry cloth and wipe the gold with it. Flannel, suede and wool are perfect for this.
Then remove surface dirt.

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.

The correct course of action

After preliminary cleaning from dirt and dust using alcohol, turpentine or vinegar, immerse the products in one of the listed solutions.

When using a product with yolk or Vaseline paste, easily apply the product to the product using a natural cloth or sponge. Hand movements should be light, not pressing, so as not to injure the fragile surface. After soaking or treating with homemade paste, rinse the items in warm running water or in a small container.

There are other situations where the above methods are not sufficient. For example, you inherited cutlery or jewelry in a very damaged state - the gilding is cracked, disappeared in places, the product does not look like it, and cannot be used. There is only one way out - to completely remove the gilding from objects: it is difficult to do this at home, it is better to turn to professionals and take the product to a workshop. A special solution called “royal vodka” allows you to clean things efficiently.

It is prepared from concentrated acids - hydrochloric and nitric. It is important not only to accurately observe the proportions, but also to ensure the safety of the household, so do not take risks.

In the workshop, the gilding will be removed using a chemical or electrolytic method, but this is a topic for another conversation.

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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.

We extract gold using electrolysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhtzOLsurks

The etching method (chemical) is based on the inertness of gold. Precious metal can only react with halogens when heated. Therefore, to dissolve gold, a very strong metal oxidizing agent is needed. This is what “Royal Vodka” is.

“Royal vodka” can be prepared at home. To do this you need:

concentrated nitric acid;
concentrated hydrochloric acid.

You need to take them in a volume ratio of 1 to 3. “Royal vodka” has a strong smell of chlorine and nitrogen dioxide. The self-prepared liquid is colorless, but soon turns orange. When concentrated acids interact, a mixture of highly active products is formed, which make “Royal Vodka” one of the most powerful oxidizing agents.

The etching process is as follows: the gold-plated elements of radio components are eaten away by acid. As a result, all metals except inert gold will dissolve in the acid. The precious metal will simply float in the acid solution in the form of a thin gold foil, and to collect it you must carefully filter the solution through a cloth.

Removing the gilding

Extract gold as follows:

Carefully separate the gold-plated elements from all the others. For example, remove the contacts from the connectors, and cut off the metal caps with wire cutters and remove them. Remember that procurement of raw materials is a rather labor-intensive process.
Prepare a container made of glass, stone or porcelain.
Now you should prepare “Royal Vodka”. Mix hydrochloric and nitric acids. We obtain a strong oxidizing agent - nitrosyl chloride, which reacts with gold.
Pour the prepared mixture into a container.
Throw the part into nitrosyl chloride, wait a bit. Now you should have what is called “chlorine gold”.
To isolate pure gold, you need to add sodium sulfide (sodium sulfide) to the resulting solution.
The end result will be gold, which still needs to be collected. To do this, separate the damaged radio components from the test tube with gold.
Filter the resulting yellow precious metal powder from the rest of the solution using a thick cloth.
Wash, dry, and melt the resulting dust into a gold bar.

Unfortunately, gold plating wears off over time. Constant contact with various surfaces: body, sweat, water, soap, dirt has a very adverse effect on the condition and appearance of jewelry. Simple rules help extend the life of gold-plated products.

Wipe jewelry and cutlery with chamois whenever they become dirty.
Protect them from exposure to water, perfume, and various creams.
Store gold-plated items so that they do not touch each other. Wrap the jewelry in suede cloth, and put the cutlery in special cases.

Gold plated items require careful handling. It is very easy to spoil the bright appearance of gilding. Cleaning gives a good result and returns decorations and cutlery to their previous appearance, but do not forget about preventive measures. You can extend the service life of gold plating if you know the rules for handling it. Take care of your things and they will last you longer.

How can you clean gold plate?

Typically, items made of bronze or silver are gold-plated. 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.

How to wear and store it correctly?

Many people are sure that the gilding wears off very quickly, and as a result, the jewelry is not as impressive as it was immediately after purchase. For example, if after a shower the jewelry began to quickly lose its appearance, then most likely you bought a fake. Real gold-plated silver cannot be damaged by water alone. If you know some rules and wear it correctly, your favorite jewelry will delight you for many years:

It is advisable not to shower if you are wearing earrings or a chain. Firstly, in this way the product will fade, since soapy water will do everything necessary for this. Secondly, after a shower you should not rub the product with a towel, as this can really ruin it. Therefore, when going to the shower, remove all jewelry.
It is also better not to wear jewelry while playing sports. When human sweat gets on gold-plated jewelry, it loses its appearance.
Store the product in a box. Try to keep it in a separate box and do not store jewelry all together, as they can scratch each other.

The decoration should be cleaned regularly, then it will last a long time. But it needs to be done correctly.
Do not store the product in the bathroom, as high humidity can quickly cause it to lose its shine.
Make it a rule: after everyday wear, wipe your jewelry with a piece of suede cloth. This will help keep the product clean and you won’t have to frequently clean it using more radical methods.

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Methods for removing stains from gold plated

Gold-plated silver can be cleaned from tarnish in a variety of ways, so you can choose the appropriate option for yourself. You should rely only on the components that you have at your disposal at the moment, so as not to waste time purchasing them, and all methods are the same in terms of effectiveness.

Wine alcohol not only cleans gilded silver from darkening, but also returns it to its original shine, pleasing to the eye. You just need to moisten a soft sponge in alcohol and wipe the entire surface of the product. Wine alcohol can also be used for prevention by regularly treating the gilding with it.

This drink even removes neglected dark spots on gold-plated items. Choose any type of beer (preferably dark). Soak the gold-plated silver in the drink for at least half an hour, then hold it under running water and dry.

Beer treats gilding with care, even with regular use it will not cause harm. After treatment, wipe the surface with a piece of suede to add even more shine.

Cleaning with a cotton pad dipped in egg white will help restore the gilding to its original brightness and shine. If desired, you can mix the protein with one tablespoon of the “Whiteness” product. Work with this product carefully; be sure to wear rubber gloves before use.

Regular soap or dish detergent will restore the product to its former irresistibility. It should be placed in a deep bowl with warm, not too hot, water for 20 - 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of crushed soap or dish soap to the water. After time has passed, you need to go over the entire surface of the gilding with a soft-bristled toothbrush, the top bristles of which have been previously trimmed.

To clean gold plating at home, you need to select the product carefully so as not to harm the capricious surface. If the dark spots are in a small area and are not very ingrained, then at home it is enough to polish with a cloth. If the item is heavily soiled or has been stored for a long time without care, an effective cleaning method will be required.

Wine spirit

Gold-plated items can be easily cleaned from tarnish and dirt at home using wine alcohol. Saturate a soft sponge with the product and treat the surface of the product. You can replace alcohol with wine vinegar, which can be found in the kitchen. At the final stage, treat the surface with suede to rub the surface to the desired shine.

Cleaning with beer

You can clean a gold-plated chain, earrings, ring and other items dusted with gold at home using beer. Oddly enough, the mild action of this alcoholic drink effectively copes with darkening of the coating and any dirt, eliminating damage to the material.

Pour beer into a glass, dip the gold-plated item into it and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.

Soap solution

Take any hard soap and grate it on a coarse grater. Take 1 tsp. shavings and dilute in 1 liter. warm water. For best results, use a couple of drops of ammonia added to soapy water. Immerse the gold in the container for 30 minutes, rinse with cool running water, and wipe dry with a clean cloth. The product effectively fights stains that have a green tint.

Alcohol and turpentine

The products help fight grease stains, darkening and dirt on the surface of gold-plated products. Ethyl, medical, denatured alcohol is suitable for cleaning. Take one of the products available in the house, saturate a soft sponge with it, treat the gilding, rinse off any remaining dirt and product under running water, and polish with a cloth.

Table vinegar

The diluted product is used to wipe or soak the product.

Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 tbsp. water, moisten the sponge and treat the surface with the composition.
Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 l. water and place the item in the composition for 15 minutes.

After all procedures, it is important to rinse the gold plating from any remaining product and dry it thoroughly. Acid residue can destroy the gold plating and permanently damage your favorite jewelry or cutlery.