Metal cutlery over time lose their luster and become covered with plaque. This applies to silver, and cupronickel, and even stainless steel. But any housewife tries to keep her dishes in perfect condition, trying to wash the plaque and restore the shine in all ways. That is why the question of how to clean cupronickel cutlery and other accessories was and remains relevant. It turns out that this can be done at home in affordable ways, literally using improvised means.
What is cupronickel
This material, from which cutlery, jewelry and other accessories are often made (figurines, other souvenirs), is an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel. Cupronickel looks quite attractive, sometimes no different from silver, but it costs much cheaper. But this material has one significant drawback - it darkens over time. That is, even if the devices are not used, they still lose their luster. And with regular contact with the products, they can also be covered with a coating.
So the owners of this property periodically think how to clean cupronickel spoons, forks and knives, while searching for all new ways and secrets.
Prevention is the best way
To prevent the appearance of plaque, which will be difficult to cope with, it is recommended to clean products after each use. Usually cupronickel devices are stored in a special case and removed only for the decoration of the festive table. True, some housewives do not cherish them, using every day. In both the first and second cases, regular preventive treatment is recommended.
The easiest option, how to clean cupronickel spoons or other accessories, is to use a soda solution. True, it works only as a prophylactic and in "especially severe cases" does not work. About 20 g of baking soda will be needed per liter of warm hearth.
Before cleaning cupronickel spoons, knives or forks, they should be washed. This is done in the most common way - under the tap or in a special dishwasher. Then make a soda solution, rinse cupronickel in it, washed in clean water and wiped dry with a soft towel. In no case should wet appliances be stored. Otherwise, spots may remain on them.
More complicated case
If after a while it turned out that cupronickel still lost its luster and became covered with a film or a coating, it is necessary to apply more radical measures. Here the usual ammonia comes to the rescue , which is sold in any pharmacy. It is unlikely that he will wipe off the stains, and he will not be able to cope with the old plaque, but he will definitely return the lost shine.
A tablespoon of ammonia is added to a liter of warm water and cupronickel utensils are placed in this solution. It is advisable to let her stand for about 30 minutes. Then the devices need to be rinsed in running water and wiped dry with a towel.
"Heavy artillery"
If it so happened that on the dishes made of this material old dark spots or stains have formed, do not despair, if you wish, you can deal with this trouble. Having learned how to clean cupronickel spoons from such complex contaminants, you should just wash them first. Then the appliances are placed in a deep pan, poured with clean water and boiled for several minutes. The shell of 4 eggs is ground in a coffee grinder, poured with a liter of water and a spoonful of salt is added. The solution is brought to a boil, and then cooled slightly so that you can lower your hands into it. Devices need to be washed with the resulting mixture using a soft sponge for dishes. After cleaning, spoons, knives, forks must be rinsed in cold water and wiped dry.
Another option is to use a decoction of garlic husk. It is not so effective, but it may also help in cleaning dishes. If stains are visible after all the manipulations, they can be wiped with a napkin dipped in preheated table vinegar. After that, do not forget to rinse the appliances with water and wipe them with a towel.
Another folk remedy is tooth powder. It perfectly eliminates stains, especially in combination with ammonia. True, the smell will be disgusting, but the result is excellent. Having chosen this method, how to clean cupronickel spoons, the powder is diluted with ammonia to the state of paste, rubbed with this mass of devices with a soft rag, and then washed thoroughly.
Polishing
Knowing how to clean cupronickel spoons, forks and knives, one should not forget about another important process. This is a cutlery polish. It allows you to return the shine, eliminates dust and small impurities. It is recommended to polish cupronickel ware, if it is not used, every few months.
Do this with a special paste purchased in a store. If desired, it can be made by yourself. You will need laundry soap and ordinary chalk in equal proportions. The ingredients are combined, diluted with water to the consistency of semolina. The chalk must first be shut off (in the absence of it it will be replaced by pharmacy calcium gluconate), and the soap is rubbed on the soap for convenience. The resulting paste is rubbed with spoons, forks and knives. At the end of the treatment they are not forgotten to rinse thoroughly with water and wipe.
Special napkins for polishing silver are sometimes sold in jewelry stores; they are quite suitable for cupronickel products. Although homemade pasta copes with the task no worse.
Storage cupronickel
As a rule, cutlery made of this material is sold in special cases, where each of them is allocated a separate place. It is best to store much-needed things in them, then the question of how to clean cupronickel spoons, most likely, will not arise. Inside the cases are made of soft fabric. Devices in them do not dust and are not exposed to external influences. If there was no such case or it became worthless, each of them must be wrapped in food-grade aluminum foil.
Cupronickel appliances are afraid of moisture, under the influence of which they are often covered with dark spots. Therefore, store such dishes in a dry place. And how to clean cupronickel spoons or knives, if they are still dark, described above.