Most of the ways to clean jewelry with improvised means, such as tooth powder, ammonia solution or a mixture of soda and edible salt, migrated to us from distant Soviet times.
The times when, in order to clean a gold ring or a silver chain from dark spots, it was necessary to open a chemistry textbook and independently find a way to do it with improvised means without damaging the jewelry itself.
From those times when practical work and in-depth study of subjects at school replaced smartphones and tik toks for children. From a time when the lack of a product on the shelves of jewelry stores, such as cleaning gold, forced people to look for alternatives and invent truly effective ways to clean gold with the tools at hand.
The total shortage of goods at that time and the good Soviet school became the main reason for the emergence of effective ways to clean jewelry at home, many of which we use to this day.
And it is worth noting that a truly huge variety of methods were invented. The simplest of them are popular among modern lovers of good jewelry to this day. However, most of the slightly more complex, but no less effective cleaning products invented at that time have already begun to be forgotten today.
So, for example, few people will remember the method of cleaning gold with the help of women’s decorative cosmetics and titanium dioxide contained in some of its varieties.
The titanium dioxide and carminic acid contained in the lipstick are great for darkening and oil deposits on gold jewelry. That is why in Soviet times, lipstick was used not only as cosmetics for the face, but also rubbed gold jewelry with it. After that, they were allowed to “lie down” for 3-5 minutes and rubbed with a dry napkin.
Few people will remember, but in those years, in addition to lipstick, a woman’s cosmetic bag always contained at least one match. It allowed you to get the entire rod of lipstick out of the tube, which was also a very useful “life hack” in conditions of scarcity.
Copper wire also served as an excellent assistant to the Soviet silver jewelry lover. With its help, it was possible to clean silver many times better, while spending less time.
A silver ring or other item was wrapped with copper wire and placed in water diluted with citric acid. After that, the water was heated to a boil and left to cool. Next, the silver was freed from the copper wrapper and washed well with soapy water.
A more sophisticated way of cleaning jewelry, which almost no one uses today, was to clean silver jewelry with sour milk.
The silver accessory was immersed in sour milk, where for 4-5 minutes, under the influence of acids and bacteria, the metal was cleared of fat accumulations and oxides. Next, the jewelry was washed with warm water and polished with a napkin. For gold, they could use a bow, which was also rubbed on chains and bracelets.
It is worth noting that, despite the fact that the Soviet methods of cleaning jewelry at home, although they are distinguished by their originality, they are very effective and, in my opinion, are not deservedly forgotten by society. What Soviet ways of cleaning jewelry do you remember?