How to clean steel chains?

[Polli]

I sell my jewelry outdoors at street festivals and events most of the summer.  Our last show was in a very dusty location and now I'm faced with cleaning everything from carrying containers and displays to jewelry and laminated signs!  Ugh!

Can someone tell me the best way to clean the silver plated steel chain I bought from R&T?  Early in the year we had a rainy weekend and my box with all my chains leaked and my chains sat in water overnight.  The brass chains were fine, but I lost a couple of full spools of the steel chains to rust!  Now I'm concerned about washing the jewelry I made with the steel chains.  If I wash and dry quickly will they be prone to rust?  I don't want to experiment at this point!

Thanks in advance!

[Russ Nobbs]

If it is only dust I'd think just wiping it with a soft cloth would be enough to clean them.
If it is dust held on with a little rain it might take quick rinse in warm  water , wipe dry and hang to finish drying.
You are right to avoid a lot of water because steel will rust.

A trick that might help with your displays, cards and so forth might be the pantyhose over the end of the vacuum hose trick.
It's the easy way to pick up seed beads spilled in a carpet. Just a hunk of panty hose held  (or rubber banded) over the end of the vacuum cleaner hose. Turn it on, pick up some beads, turn it off over a container & the beads drop off.
To clean displays is the same thing except the find dust goes thru the panty hose. Depending on the static charge on displays you might still need a slightly damp cloth or a lint roller to finish the job.

Once Dee & I ended up with an outdoor spot at an 8 day show we usually did inside.  (Came late - they sold our usual spot!) Everything was dusty even with closed lid glass cases for most rings & bracelets. Polly probably remembers that one. She was there, too.

Anyone else have better suggestions?

[Polli]

Thanks, Russ!  If they need rinsing, I'll just make sure to dry them well and let them continue to air dry.

Since I work mostly with crystal, I always use the white leatherette displays.  They are really good for outdoor vendors, too, because they clean up easily (mostly) with a damp cloth.  I'll keep this in mind if I ever use the others, though! 

Yes, most outdoor shows result in a little dust, but there are those that are REALLY dusty, especially when there's a good strong breeze!  I'm looking forward to the indoor shows now through the winter, much less cleaning needed after each show!

Another question:  is there anything that can be used to protect steel pieces from rusting?  A spray or something?  The wire wrapped heart connectors sometimes begin to show rust after being out in a damp weather show. . .

Thanks again!

[kcamel09]

I know of some natural rust removers:

You could soak them in undiluted vinegar (the standard 5% solution available in grocery stores works just fine) for as long as necessary before simply wiping or scrubbing the rust from the metal.
You can even use baking soda. You need to create a thick paste by mixing baking soda with a small amount of water and then putting this paste over the rusted area and allow to sit before scrubbing to remove the paste and the rust.
Plain 6% citric acid also helps remove rust. This is probably the best option for steel materials. Soak a cloth or paper towel in the citric acid solution and scrub the rusty area.

Hope that helps!

[Sherry]

There is a good natural way to clean them:
1.   Cover the inside bottom of a glass heat proof dish and place a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up inside it.
2.    Put the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish and add 1 big tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water over it until it covers the piece.
3.   The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil and clean the sterling.
4.   For jewelry baking soda is better. Put on a paste of baking soda and water.
5.   Rub gently and then rinse with water and then polish dry with a soft cloth.
6.   You can also use toothpaste to clean off tarnish. Coat the silver with toothpaste, then run it under warm water, and work it into foam. Rinse off. For stubborn stains or where there is a lot of hard to reach places.
7.   For your flatware, first wash in warm water with dish soap.
8.   Do not let your hollow handled silverware soak in the water as a combination of heat, water, and detergent may loosen soldering.

Moderator's note: The above method works on sterling goods but will not work on steel chains. It works by chemical reaction with the compounds that are silver tarnish.  --Russ
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[kaycee]

I think what sherry says is a feasible method and the tarnish will go slowly. It has a chemistry behind it. it.

[eddierrunner]

You can mix bleach and water together to clean it. Make sure more water than the bleach...