Clean silver jewelry

To avoid tarnishing sterling silver, it is good to know the causes, so that you can avoid them, or at least mitigate the effects.

Pollution

The air is loaded with moisture and chemical compounds from nature and human activity.

All compounds chemically bond to the surface of the silver jewellery. If this surface is polished, it becomes matte and dull.

These chemical reactions take place quite quickly if the jewel is not protected when it is not worn.
When worn, friction with everything it comes into contact with enhances its shine.

The manipulations.

Fingerprints leave a very thin film on objects you touch.
This film interacts chemically with the surface of the polished silver and promotes oxidation. and tarnish.

Skin moisture also affects the surface of polished silver. The typical example is the silver chain which loses its luster and becomes dark from being worn on the skin.

Lotions and perfumes have the same effect on silver jewelry, and often in a more aggressive way.

There is also what we eat. In some people, in fact, the moisture composition of the skin changes with
a change in diet. We have seen the silver jewelry of some people oxidize much more significantly at the end of summer, when fresh vegetables and fruits are in abundance and often better...

Knowing the main causes of silver tarnish, how to correct the situation?

First cleaning with soap or detergent. Usually, if the product is tolerated by your skin, so will the money.

Soak the jewel in the detergent, slightly diluted, for the time it takes, which can be several hours.
Cleaning can be aided by gently using a toothbrush. Then rinse well with lukewarm water.

The jewel is now clean.

There are a few cleaning products, deoxidizers, that cancel out this chemical reaction.
They can be found at certain jewelers, in certain hardware stores, in the metal cleaning departments.
In liquid form, the jewel is soaked in it, in the form of soaked wipes or, in the form of a rubbing cream.
The latter is, however, to be avoided because it accumulates in the details of the jewel and is difficult to clean.

If you soak the jewel, do not leave it more than 5 seconds in the liquid, then rinse it well
and check it. If it's still a bit dark, go ahead with another 5 second soak. That should be enough.
We do this, 5 seconds in 5 seconds, because these liquids are powerful enough to continue the reaction
with the surface of the silver and matting the shiny polish.