How to clean nickel silver spoons at home

It is always a pleasure to serve your table with glittering cutlery, which brings a special spirit of solemnity even during a regular feast. Stainless steel products are very practical and durable. Of course, besides everyday life, they can also be suitable for a special occasion, however, a silver set of spoons, forks and knives looks very presentable. Not every seven in the house has cutlery made of precious metals, but very often there are items made of nickel silver - an excellent substitute for silver, which by its appearance is practically no different from the silver equivalent. Melkhiorovye set of cutlery - a great solution for serving festive table, however, there is one drawback - over time they are amenable to oxidation processes, which are why they are covered with an ugly dark bloom.How to give them the former expressiveness? The answer to this question can be found in this article.

Where does such popular silverware come from?

For the first time, nickel silver items gained popularity in the last century, when silver items from the poorer aristocrats did not have enough savings, and it was necessary to keep their status. It was then that the alloy of copper, nickel, manganese and iron began to be used for the manufacture of cutlery. On the basis of external characteristics, no experienced master could have imagined that before him was just an analogue of a noble metal - the spoons and forks shone so brightly, completely repeating the shade of silver.

Understand the real composition of the alloy could only with careful inspection or laboratory tests - copper, which is easily oxidized metal, quickly reacted with other substances, while an ugly dark film formed on the surface. Exactly the same reaction occurs with oxygen, due to the long storage of nickel silver cutlery. Neither nickel nor manganese helps to maintain stability.The result is one - spoons sparkle only for some time, and then the oxidation process begins. Therefore, in order to serve the table with sparkling spoons, you must first do their cleaning.

Attention! Never use this method to clean nickel silver spoons!

Melchior is a very gentle alloy, which is damaged by one awkward movement and comes to a complete disrepair when interacting with abrasive substances. If you want to keep cutlery for yourself, and then also to inherit your children, never clean the spoons and forks with a metal brush, sand or other abrasive substances. You have to understand one thing - a dark film is the result of a chemical reaction that has occurred, therefore it should be eliminated from it with the use of chemicals. Further remove all hard, shkryabayushchie objects and take note of our most effective tips!

Effective ways of cleaning nickel silver spoons

1. Salt. For cleansing spoons of simple, without relief, you can use the most common salt. It is capable of corroding sediment, which will make your devices shine and sparkle first.In order to apply this method in practice, it is necessary to use finely ground salt, and so the spoons should be cleaned immediately after the reaction has begun.
2. Soda. This method, unlike salt, is more effective several times, so it can be used to clean the devices that have long been idle. It is advisable to wipe the soda slightly wet spoons that do not have noticeably pronounced reliefs. If there are deep depressions, then they will be harder to clean, so you need to pay attention to another, more suitable method.
3. Sodium thiosulfate. This drug can be safely put in the first place in the purification of nickel silver spoons. The composition containing chemical compounds react with the darkened layer and quickly discolor it and then "eat up". Sodium thiosulfate can be found in the pharmacy, it is a mere penny, and is sold without a prescription. In order to clean the spoons with this effective preparation, it is necessary to apply the solution on a cotton swab and wipe the cutlery. It is noteworthy that the dark patina is removed even from the deepest crevices that cannot clean the salt and soda.Sodium thiosulfate is washed off with plain water and does not cause any harm to humans.
4. Soda. This method refers to the folk, as it was found by chance, as a result of everyday experiments. Sparkling water (Kolo, Sprite, Sevenap), contain in their composition a certain ingredient, which negatively affects the film that appears. If you want to give your spoons of nickel silver the same shine and sophistication, you need only a few minutes to lower them into soda.
5. Water from boiled eggs. There is another method that can be used during the preparation of festive dishes. Boiled eggs are an indispensable ingredient in numerous salads or cold appetizers, so you do not have to cook hard boiled eggs specifically for this. In the remaining water from the eggs you need to put cupronickel spoons, boil for a few minutes. After a certain amount of time, you will notice how the cutlery will again sparkle with beauty and brilliance.
6. Soda and metal foil. The excellent recipe for the purification of nickel silver spoons offers the magazine "Chemistry and Life." To do this, you will need a few pieces of foil (preferably from a roll), soda and a deep pan, which will hold all the cutlery.At the very bottom put the crushed pieces of foil, then spoons and pour all the soda. Pour water and boil. As a result, you get the cleanest appliances that are not ashamed to decorate the most solemn holiday.

If you still doubt that such methods can be used to clean nickel silver spoons, rather, check everything in practice! The result will surpass all expectations!

Video: how to quickly clean melchior