How to clean spoons from cupronickel at home

Cupronickel spoons look gorgeous. They give the set table an aristocratic look and bohemian luxury. But over time, they oxidize. First a gray coating appears, then it turns black. How to clean cupronickel spoons at home? Actually pretty easy. Moreover, cleaning products can be found in the kitchen even at the most seedy housewife.

A bit of fun about cleaning the alloy

There are many ways to restore the color to cupronickel spoons. Conventionally, they can be attributed to two groups: chemical and mechanical. The first is based on the reduction of an alloy from oxide by chemical reactions. The second is the usual mechanical abrasion of oxide from a metal surface with cleaning agents.

Both methods are good, but have some disadvantages. The chemical method cannot clean nickel silver spoons with gilding or blackening. The result may be unexpected, from fading to the complete disappearance of decorativeness.

Mechanical involves the use of abrasive substances. These particles are not felt to the touch, they cannot be seen with the naked eye. But they leave small scratches on the cupronickel surface, which are immediately invisible, and after a while turn into a dull coating. And he already remains forever. You can get rid of this plaque only for hours of polishing. Occupation is meditative, but long and tedious.

I want to quickly, cleanly and without cost. Following the recommendations, everything is doable.

Chemistry is not only a school lesson

Don’t be afraid of the need to carry out a chemical reaction in your own kitchen. It is absolutely safe, does not require special tools or substances.

Sodium thiosulfate
Sold in every seedy pharmacy, it costs negligible. Apply to a soft rag, gently rub the spoon. The result appears literally before our eyes. Cupronickel brightens, blackness leaves.

Tip. Gloves are highly recommended. The product does not corrode the skin of the hands, but black oxide is poorly washed from the fingers.

Aluminium foil

Pour water, about 1 liter per 2 tbsp. l soda. Place cupronickel spoons, put on the smallest fire. Warm minutes 3. They carefully look, as soon as the plaque has disappeared, immediately remove items from the pan.

Tip. If there is no kitchen foil, then you can take the foil from the chocolate bar.

Carbonated drink
The method seems exotic, however, it works. Cupronickel spoons are placed in a suitable glass or ceramic dish, poured with soda. After 15 minutes, the cutlery is pulled out, clean, without plaque.

Tip. If in doubt, take colorless drinks. Through them, the entire cleaning process is clearly visible.

Special wipes
Silver jewelry is sold in jewelry stores. They can be used for cupronickel. These are napkins, liquids, pastes. The instructions are read without fail, act as recommended, so as not to damage the spoons.

Tip. All of these agents are based on sodium thiosulfate. Is it worth it to overpay? But, if you really want to "doraga and bohato", then a direct way to jewelry for a purchase.

Potato broth
Boil the most ordinary potatoes and put cutlery in this water for 30-45 minutes. Next, pull out and you're done! Spoons sparkle.

Tip. Water for broth is not salted. Spoons are placed directly in the hot liquid.

The most important thing: after any of these operations, it is imperative to thoroughly rinse cupronickel spoons with clean water. Then wipe dry. Any remaining drop of liquid is a new dark spot in the near future.

Strong arms and mechanics in action

Cupronickel spoons cannot be cleaned chemically. What to do? Rub! Slightly so that the surface does not scratch.

Toothpaste
Choose the least "poisonous", without any magic additives. Apply a thin layer to a soft cloth, lint-free cloth or cotton pad. And the tinder. According to reviews - the most gentle and effective method. It is inconvenient that figured elements are poorly wiped.

Tip. To clean the recesses, you can use an old soft toothbrush.

Tooth powder or chalk
The principle of operation is similar to toothpaste. For ease of application, the cloth can be slightly moistened.

Tip. The finer the grinding of the powder or chalk, the less the likelihood of scratches. For reliability, you can drive through a coffee grinder.

Salt or baking soda
Make a thick slurry of the product and ordinary clean water. With gentle movements, they remove the oxide from cupronickel spoons.

Tip. You can add a little alcohol or a few drops of glycerin to the mixture to soften the effect of the abrasive.

Ammonia
A cloth in ammonia is moistened, the plaque is removed with quick movements, immediately washed with plenty of water.

Tip. You can just dip cupronickel spoons in ammonia. But it must be washed off immediately.

Dishwashing Detergent
If the alloy has darkened slightly, then you can do without tricks. Sometimes it’s enough just to thoroughly wash the spoons with any non-aggressive liquid gel.

Tip. After washing, rinse the metal with warm vinegar. This gives shine to the product.

Naturally, after all procedures, rinse with clean water and wipe dry.

Sometimes in the recesses of a drawing or figured pattern, microdroplets of water remain that are invisible. But they are doing their insidious business, adding work for the future. To avoid this, after wiping cupronickel spoons are left on a clean, dry towel for half an hour. During this time, the remaining moisture will evaporate, and it will be possible to clean the cutlery for storage.

Useful Tips

1. In order to subsequently manifest the oxide as late as possible, it is necessary to properly store the cutlery. Absolutely dry cupronickel spoons are wrapped in foil or cling film, then cleaned in a tight box with a well-closing lid. The less the alloy is in contact with air, the less it will subsequently have to work on cleaning.
2. It is strictly forbidden to clean cupronickel with products that contain bromine or chlorine. These substances strongly oxidize nickel and copper, which are in the alloy.
3. If there are inserts made of stones on the figured pattern, then ammonia should be excluded from cleaning products. It dissolves the jewelry glue that secures the stones.
4. If you are too lazy to clean cupronickel spoons at home, then many jewelry shops have long offered their services of this kind. Just carry, pay money, pick up clean appliances.
5. All of the above methods remove oxide, but do not remove the greasy film from food. To achieve the best result, it is advisable to first thoroughly wash metal objects with soap, and only then clean the plaque.
6. They say that a decoction of pearl barley or garlic husk in an aluminum pan perfectly cleanses cupronickel. There are few reviews on this method, but why not try on an inconspicuous site?
7. The reverse side of the dishwashing sponge has a rough side. Many hostesses happily scraped her cutlery. And then they lament: “I didn’t clean the powder, but there were a lot of scratches ... Where did they come from?” And really, where from? It was necessary to rub harder, if only they would have taken sandpaper, for sure.
8. I even got exotic advice. Allegedly they knead the dough with a cupronickel object, and it was cleaned. Then baked from the same test. Recommended strongly now to do so always. Well, yes, and then gobble up the pancakes with the remnants of the black coating on both cheeks. Milota! If you clean it like that, then throw the dough out, and not pull it into your mouth.
9. Instead of a cloth with mechanical cleaning options, you can use a piece of suede. Then cupronickel spoons will also be polished to a shine effortlessly.
10. Some special cleaning products contain substances that form an invisible film on the surface of nickel silver. It perfectly protects the metal from the subsequent formation of a new coating. Read the packaging, everything is written there.
11. You can not rinse cupronickel spoons with hot water, they will quickly darken again. The room temperature is perfect.

If you carefully read the instructions and strictly follow the recommendations, then your cupronickel spoons with honor will play the role of "family silver" for many years. And after all, no one will guess about a little trick. Worthy and elegant - it's about cupronickel.

Video: how to clean cupronickel spoons