Are your cupronickel spoons, forks and knives getting dark? Do not know how to properly clean such metal in order to restore its former luster? Not scary. So that you can cope with a similar task, in this material we will analyze how to clean cupronickel.

Why do cupronickel spoons and forks darken? This can happen for various reasons:

• due to storage of such dishes in unsuitable conditions;
• high humidity in the room;
• improper care of such products.

In such cases, moisture accumulates on the surface of the products, which subsequently leaves dark spots and stains. Fortunately, with proper cleaning, they can be easily and quickly removed both with special means and with the help of folk recipes.

Method 1 - special cleaning products

How to clean cupronickel coins and kitchen utensils? It is best to use specialized products for this purpose, which do not harm the metal, but remove any darkening well. Such products are produced in the form of special cleaning wipes, as well as powders, pastes, sprays. In most cases, it is enough to apply such products to cutlery or coins and rub them well to remove any plaque.

Important: when choosing professional tools for cupronickel cleaning, give preference to those that not only remove dark deposits, but also form a protective film on the dishes. They will allow you to forget about this problem for a long time.

Method 2 - baking soda

How to quickly remove dark deposits from cupronickel dishes? This can be done with ordinary baking soda. If the products have darkened not so long ago, it will be enough for you to dial a small amount of soda on a cloth and wipe all products well with it.

If the dark coating from the dishes is not removed well, you can treat it with soda in a different way. They do it like this:

1. They take a small piece of foil, they line the bottom of the pan in which the cutlery will be cooked.
2. After that, put 4 tablespoons of soda into the pan. Then they lay out on the bottom the cupronickel dishes that need to be put in order.
3. Next, you just need to pour boiling water over the products and leave them in water for a few minutes. During this time, the dark layer will come off them completely.
4. If the contamination on knives, forks, spoons is very strong, you can put a saucepan with them on the fire and boil them for 15 minutes. This is guaranteed to save the products from any dark plaque, even very old ones.

Important: never use this cleaning option for products with gold or silver plating. Beautiful spraying from them will come off completely in such a solution.

Method 3 - alcohol

How to clean darkened spoons and forks? Use ordinary alcohol for this purpose. Just take a small amount of it on a cloth and wipe the appliances with it.

Tip: if you don’t have pure alcohol at hand, feel free to use vodka instead. She copes with dark plaque no worse.

Method 4 - ammonia

Darkened cupronickel can be easily cleaned with a solution of ammonia. In it, you just need to soak the products for a few minutes, after which they will need to be pulled out, rinsed under running water and wiped especially carefully. There will be no trace of the dark plaque.

You can also use this tool in a different way: just collect a small amount of ammonia on a cloth and carefully wipe the spoons and forks with it. In a few minutes of work, ammonia will completely remove any dark spots from your appliances.

Method 5 - potato broth

This is another easy cleansing recipe. cupronickel products at home. For him, you will need to take a decoction of potatoes, bring it to a boil, put products there and leave for 20 minutes.

After that, you will need to carefully remove the spoons and forks, rinse them thoroughly and wipe them dry. After that, the raid is still for a long time will not appear on them.

Method 6 - Vinegar

If you need to quickly get rid of a slight browning, use vinegar. Apply it like this:

1. Take a glass of water, add a teaspoon of table vinegar to it, mix everything thoroughly.
2. Dampen a cloth in the solution and go over all the dull cutlery with it.
3. Rinse the products well in running water and rub them with a clean cloth.

Important: this cleaning method can be used quite often. It practically does not harm the metal.

Method 7 - sodium thiosulfate

This is another inexpensive and very affordable cupronickel cleaner that can be purchased at almost every pharmacy. It is used as follows: a small amount of sodium thiosulfate solution is applied to the instruments, and then carefully wiped with a cloth. After this, the products must be rinsed in running water and wiped dry.

Video: we clean cupronickel cutlery to a shine:

Tip: use this method if you want to deal with a light dark coating. He will get rid of the product in a matter of minutes.

Method 8 - eggshell

How to clean cupronickel so that it shines like new in just a few minutes? Use fresh egg shells for this purpose. Proceed like this:

1. Chop up the shell.
2. Put a pot of water on the fire, add a tablespoon of table salt to it.
3. Bring the water to a boil, add the eggshells to it first, and then the cutlery.
4. Soak the instruments in the solution for 15-20 minutes. During this time, they should completely brighten.

Important: Do not use this recipe to clean silver. This metal will react to such an impact differently than cupronickel.

Method 9 - toothpaste

Cupronickel cutlery cleans very well with ordinary toothpaste. You will need to work with it like this: the paste itself should be applied to a rag and wipe the cutlery with this rag until they completely get rid of dark spots. After this, the product must be rinsed.

Tip: You can also use regular toothpaste instead of toothpaste. It even copes better with various darkenings.

Method 10 - crushed chalk

That one more is enough effective method, which was previously used even by some jewelers. Apply it like this:

1. Dissolve 50 grams of soap in water, then dilute 50 grams of chalk in the same solution.
2. Next, add another liter of water to the resulting mixture and mix everything until smooth.
3. The products are polished with the resulting mass, after which they are wiped dry with a cloth.

Important: make sure that the polishing compound is completely removed from the metal after application. Otherwise, it may leave white streaks on it, and you will have to start cleaning from the beginning.

Video: effective method cleaning appliances made of cupronickel and silver:

Method 11 - ultrasonic washing machine

How to clean cupronickel spoons if you didn’t have any household chemicals for this case at hand? Use an ultrasonic washing machine for this purpose. To do this, simply take a small bowl, fill it with water, put spoons and forks in it, then place an ultrasonic cleaner in the bowl and let it work for a quarter of an hour.

This method can be applied even to those devices that have not been cleaned for a very long time. It works great on the toughest stains.

How to care for cupronickel so that it does not darken

It is not enough to figure out how to quickly clean cupronickel. It is also necessary to make sure that products from it do not darken for as long as possible. To do this, it is worth observing the following rules for handling such metal:

• Store it only in places where chlorine-based products cannot reach.
• Wash products made of this metal only in non-hot water.
• Always wipe cupronickel spoons, forks, knives dry. Never store them if they are still slightly damp.

Video: sparkling spoons in minutes:

Cupronickel cutlery was popular in the last century, and is still preserved among many housewives among the dishes. But every woman knows that over time they darken ugly, so the question arises of how to clean cupronickel at home quickly and effectively in order to restore their original shine and beauty. There are many tools and methods to help you with this.

Cupronickel is similar to silver, but due to improper storage and rare use, this material turns black and loses its attractiveness. High humidity in the kitchen contributes to the appearance of stains and stains on the appliances. Cupronickel cleaning at home should be competent and regular, then this darkening can be avoided. Moreover, there are quite a lot of means that effectively cope with the pollution of devices.

Cupronickel spoon before and after cleaning

Store cleaners

The modern chemical industry offers a lot of gels and powders that allow you to quickly restore cupronickel devices to their original cleanliness and shine. Best to use liquid products or special wipes impregnated with a cleaning compound, since the powder can damage the surface of the products. The most popular among them are "Metal Cleaner" of the Israeli company Bagi and Sanita "Ultra Shine". As a rule, their use involves the usual washing of dishes without the need for additional effort.

In addition, chemical compositions for cleaning cupronickel leave a protective film layer on the devices, which prevents them from further darkening and damage. Therefore, the use of gels and cleaners for cupronickel is the best way to renew blackened cupronickel. But if you couldn’t buy them, you can use household time-tested cleaning methods.

How to clean cupronickel with baking soda

A simple and effective household method that will help return cupronickel appliances clean and shiny is to use the usual baking soda. The only nuance of using this method at home is that soda copes with small and not chronic pollution. It is best to use it as a prevention of darkening of cupronickel. That is, after washing the dishes, the forks and spoons must be rinsed in a solution with soda. To prepare it, you need to dilute 50 g of powder per liter of warm water.

Cupronickel cutlery is popular due to its practicality and perfect appearance. That is why they often become a decoration of the festive table. However, due to oxidation, products are often covered with plaque, which is very difficult to deal with.

Therefore, in the article we will describe in detail, how to clean cupronickel how to properly maintain, and why the material is oxidized.

Advantages and disadvantages

Cupronickel is an alloy of copper and nickel, which can be supplemented with other components. They can be iron or manganese.

By its appearance, the material is very similar to silver, but the cost of such cutlery will be much lower.

The main advantages of this metal are:

• Price. This great alternative table silver. Therefore, if you want to impress your guests with spoons, forks and knives with an aesthetic appearance at an optimal cost, then cupronickel will be the perfect solution;
• Low thermal conductivity. The material heats up very slowly. So, the likelihood of getting burned is minimized, which is very important when eating hot foods and drinks;
• Corrosion resistance. Cupronickel belongs to stainless materials, so its service life will be long.

Despite its positive characteristics, the material has several disadvantages:

• fast oxidation. This reaction leads to the formation of a black coating and loss of gloss;
• The need for constant care. To keep the material intact for a long time appearance, every housewife should know what care products can be used.

Why cupronickel blackens

The reason for the appearance of black plaque is the presence of cupronickel 50% copper. This metal tends to oxidize easily.

Despite the fact that the other half of the alloy is manganese, nickel and iron, they will not be able to cope with such a strong reaction.

Therefore, as a result of oxidation, small brown spots initially appear, which then begin to darken, gradually acquiring a black tint.

It is not easy to get rid of it, however, by buying professional ones or preparing them from improvised ingredients, you can protect spoons, forks and knives from their appearance.

To protect your appliances from the appearance of such a raid, the hostess is required to follow the rules of care.

How to remove dirt

Since cupronickel cutlery requires constant care, the following methods for cleaning plaque can be used for this.

Traditional folk ways

Cleansing with baking soda and alcohol

This method can be used at home. This requires the following components:

• 1 liter of warm water;
• 50 g of soda or 50 ml of ammonia.

Soda and alcohol tend not only to clean from dirt and plaque, but also to return the original shine of any surface.

To do this, dissolve the selected component in water and thoroughly wash the devices in it. Once all dirt and stains have been removed, rinse them.

After that, wipe them with a rag until the moisture is completely removed to prevent the oxidative process.

You can also use pure alcohol or vodka. To do this, dip spoons and forks into one of the liquids. Wait for stains and dirt to dissolve.

Acetic solution

To do this, dissolve 1 teaspoon of concentrated vinegar in 200 grams of warm water (if you add more, the surface may suffer). Dip a napkin and wipe the forks and spoons until the dirt and plaque completely disappear.

Chalk cleaning

To do this, the hostess needs to prepare a mixture that will consist of:

• 50 grams of ordinary laundry soap;
• 50 g of chalk;
• 1 liter of water.

All ingredients must be mixed in a glass container until completely dissolved. After that, you can start. Once the stains are removed, wash the appliances and wipe with a cloth.

You can also prepare a solution that will contain:

• 2 glasses of water;
• 50 g of chalk;
• Ammonia. You need to add it in proportions of 30: 60.

Thus, it turns out good remedy to add shine and create a protective layer.

Removing stains with potato broth

If you have leftover broth after boiling potatoes, then you can use it for cleaning.

To do this, bring it to a boil and put products in it. Hold them for 20 minutes. After that, you need to thoroughly rinse the spoons and forks and wipe them.

Solution with the addition of garlic peel

Take the garlic skin and add it to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, then put spoons and forks into it. Once all dirt and stains have been removed, you can rinse and wipe them.

Foil cleansing

According to many users, this way purification is considered the most effective. To do this, put foil on the bottom of an ordinary aluminum pan or other container. Then put cutlery on it and fill it with soda solution. Bring to a boil.

The foil tends to absorb any pollution, including black plaque. However, if your product has a gold or silver coating, then it is best to refuse it and choose a more gentle way.

Removing stains with toothpaste

Apply toothpaste to a cotton pad and wipe the utensils with it.

Preparation of a decoction of ground shells

To do this, prepare:

• Shell from two eggs;
• One tablespoon of salt;
• 1 liter of water.

Grind the shell in a coffee grinder and add table salt to it. Combine all the ingredients with water and put the mixture on fire. Put cutlery in the prepared broth and boil for two minutes. After that, rinse them and wipe dry.

Solution with the addition of Sodium Sulphate

To do this, dilute the medicine in water in proportions of 1: 3. Then, use a cotton swab to wipe each product.

Cleaning with soda

To do this, you need to buy regular soda, so that after you fill it with products and keep them for 2 hours.

How to Remove Black Spots from Silver or Gold Plated Appliances

The following methods are perfect for this:

• A solution prepared with the addition of turpentine;
• Processing with egg white.

Basic rules for cleansing

If you want to keep cupronickel appliances in their original form, you must remember the basic rules for cleaning:

1. Do not use products that contain chlorine;
2. In order for the surface to retain its shine, cleaning powders should not be used, since most of them contain chlorine. The exceptions are such funds as Pemoxol and Pemolux. You can buy them at a household chemicals store;
3. Solutions should contain a minimum amount of caustic substances, such as alcohol. If they are in the composition, then you need to add them very little;
4. In addition, there are special tools for restoring, cleaning and polishing dishes;
5. Products must not be washed in a dishwasher.

Also in stores you can find napkins and special paste, which are designed to clean spoons, forks and knives. They are ideal for products with complex decor. You need to apply such a paste with a special cotton swab.

If you want to avoid black spots, then you can use the following recommendations:

• Periodically after washing the products, lower them into a soda solution;
• The main reason for the appearance of black spots is moisture. Therefore, the devices must be thoroughly dried with dry rags or napkins;
• Try to make sure that they do not lie together with products made from other materials. Also, for extra care, you can put a small piece of chalk on them.

If the devices are used only for holiday tables, wrap each piece with paper and ordinary plastic wrap. If you have an airtight container at home, you can use it.

Thus, moisture will not accumulate on them, which means, if necessary, you can use clean spoons, forks and knives without marks and plaque.

Outcome

As practice shows, cupronickel requires a lot of attention. With regular maintenance, cutlery will remain clean and beautiful for several years.

Before purchasing such devices, it is worthwhile to understand whether you are ready to spend your time cleaning plaque and dirt, or whether it is easier to purchase an expensive option whose surface will not oxidize.

Not so long ago cupronickel table sets were in almost every family. Such popularity was due to the beauty and practicality of these products. They are almost impossible to distinguish from silver, but the cost of cupronickel spoons and forks is much lower than from dredge. metal.

In addition to external similarity and strength, cupronickel has another property inherent in silver - over time, it turns black and requires cleaning.

In order for metal appliances not to lose their visual appeal, running water and ordinary cleaning products are not enough. We will tell you how to clean cupronickel at home.

There are many ways to return the former shine to metal cutlery and get rid of darkening:

1. soda and salt. Mix fine table salt and baking soda in equal amounts, apply to a damp sponge and rub the surface thoroughly with the mixture.

   The method is quite time consuming, as it requires a sufficient amount of time and it is difficult to wipe off the figured finish on the product. However, as a result, the forks and spoons will look like new.

2. Chalk and ammonia. Dissolve one teaspoon of pure crushed chalk in two tablespoons of ammonia and add all this to a glass (150 ml) of warm water.

   If you do not have chalk, you can replace it with 5-6 tablets of calcium gluconate - this is a purified pharmacy chalk that can be eaten. Pour the blackened products with the resulting solution and leave for a while.

   The flight must come off. It remains only to rinse with clean water and wipe dry with a napkin.

3. The original way cleaning metal cutlery with ordinary food foil. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with several layers of food foil folded.

   Pour 3 - 4 full tablespoons of baking soda, place the products there and fill it all with a glass of boiling water. In order for the oxide to go away, it will take no more than five minutes.

   If the blackening is very intense, boil the contents over low heat. With this method, everything will be cleaned evenly and dirt will not remain even in hard-to-reach places.

4. Toothpaste or tooth powder. Rub dry products with these substances and remove plaque, trying not to clog the depressions in the pattern of the cuttings. Rinse with water.
5. Alcohol or vodka. Just rub the contaminated area with a damp cloth. This method is only suitable as a preventive measure, since it will not cope with severe pollution.
6. Sodium thiosulfate. In general, this is a drug that has an anti-inflammatory and detoxifying agent, which is recommended to have in a home medicine cabinet. It costs quite a bit and is sold in the form of a solution or powder.

   Neither the powder nor the solution needs to be diluted with water. Simply apply the liquid or powder to a clean, dry cloth and wipe your spoons and forks with it. This method will perfectly relieve even strong, outdated blackness.

7. Carbonated drinks. The usual "Sprite", "Cola" or "Fanta" will perfectly remove dark spots if you fill them with tableware for several hours. Rinse and dry the clean cutlery with a cloth afterwards.

Note! After cleaning, cupronickel cutlery needs to be polished.

This is done with dry soft tissue, which spoons and forks are rubbed to give them a bright metallic sheen. Do not store wet appliances. This will speed up the oxidation process.

Cleaning of other cupronickel products

Cupronickel is used not only for the manufacture of cutlery. This unusual metal is successfully used in the manufacture of jewelry. Rings, earrings and bracelets made of cupronickel look very impressive and are often decorated with semi-precious stones.

Cupronickel figurines, caskets, candlesticks, coasters and other kitchen utensils are also very popular.

All these items oxidize over time, due to which an ugly appearance appears on them. dark patina, which also requires regular removal.

1. Soak metal items in hot soapy water for several hours. Rinse with running water and wipe dry.
2. To restore the shine of cupronickel jewelry, dip them for 10-15 minutes in hot potato broth, for example, after cooking boiled vegetables.
3. two fresh egg shells crush and fill with one liter of water. Add a heaping tablespoon of salt. Boil and carefully lower a chain, ring or earrings made of cupronickel into the solution.

   Turn off the heat immediately and leave for ten minutes. After that, drain everything and rinse the products with clean running water.

4. Garlic and onion husks also do a good job with darkened metal. Place the decorations in a small amount of water with the addition of waste after peeling the onion and garlic.

   Boil over low heat for a few minutes and cook until the plaque is completely removed.

Important! Cleaning Tips jewelry apply only to products without stones. Some precious and semiprecious stones very sensitive to hot humid environments or to the influence of active substances such as vinegar, ammonia or alcohol.

The stones may darken, become cloudy, or even change their color.

Store cleaners for cupronickel products

For those who do not want to reinvent the wheel, the chemical industry offers a wide range of effective means for cleaning metal products. All of them can be purchased in the departments of household chemicals.

Here is a small list of the most popular brands, their comparative characteristics and the approximate cost of the goods.

For the first time mention of cupronickel is found in history ancient China. Coins were minted from it, jewelry and household items were made. Later, the alloy came to Europe, where it quickly gained great popularity and received the name "new silver".

The very name "cupronickel" is a mixture of two names of the French masters Mayo and Chorier, which originally sounded like "mayoshore". In Russian, this word was transformed into "cupronickel", as we call this beautiful metal to this day.