Ideally, you would have taken off your jewelry before craft time, but things don’t always go as planned. It can be easy to forget that you’re wearing your engagement ring, for example, because you’re so used to it being on your finger. But now that it’s messy, how can you clean it?
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How to Clean Jewelry the Right Way
You don’t need fancy cleaners to bring the shine back into your precious gemstones and brilliant gold bands. Here are a few household items and tricks you can use to clean your jewelry.
Bring a Pot of Water to a Boil
Let’s say you just bought a ring with natural aquamarine stones, and you have glue, paint, or plaster on or inside the band or stones. You may be worried that chemical-laced cleaners will deteriorate the stone or cause it to lose its luster. That may happen, depending on the cleaner.
You can gently and easily clean your jewelry using boiling water instead. Simply bring a pot of water to a boil and place your jewelry in a heat-proof container. Run the hot water over your jewelry until you notice the grime loosening. Wipe the excess away with a microfiber cloth.
Use a Gentle Dish Detergent
If you’re going to boil water, add a few drops of the right dish detergent to the pot. Most people swear by Dawn dish detergent because it’s gentle on your hands as well as jewelry. You won’t even need to dilute it, either, as you’re already diluting the soap in the boiling water anyway.
However, if you want to use dish detergent directly on your jewelry while you’re scrubbing, don’t use boiling water or the detergent without diluting it first. Add one drop of detergent for every 1 cup of warm water, not hot, and mix it thoroughly before applying the mixture to your jewelry.
Purchase a New Toothbrush
A soft-bristle toothbrush is the perfect weapon for cleaning dirty jewelry, but never, ever use an old toothbrush for the job. Old toothbrushes will have a lot of toothpaste residue, which could scratch the jewelry. While you’re at it, don’t use new toothpaste to clean your jewelry, either.
Once you have your toothbrush and cleaning solution (the soap and hot water one mentioned above), dip it inside. Wipe off any excess water and gently scrub your jewelry in a circular motion. If you can’t get the residue off your jewelry, let it soak in warm water overnight.
Try Shampoo and Warm Water
If you don’t have dish detergent and you need to clean your jewelry quickly, check if you have a baby or all-natural shampoo. To use shampoo safely on jewelry, it can’t contain any ingredients you can’t read, nor should it be made with anything corrosive, like azelaic acid or retinol.
Most oils are safe to use on jewelry as long as they aren’t too concentrated. That means you can’t use essential oils on your rings and necklaces, but you can probably use coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Shea butter, beeswax, and honey are also considered safe to use.
Avoid Baking Soda and Vinegar
You’ve probably read blog posts that say baking soda, vinegar, witch hazel, beer, window cleaner, vodka, ketchup, and toothpaste can clean jewelry really well. However, you shouldn’t use any of these substances because they’re abrasive, acidic, or don’t make any sense.
For example, ketchup is commonly thought to shine silver, but there are better ways to remove tarnish. Cheap silver wipes do less damage to silver than ketchup, so stick with dish soap or detergent for most of your needs. For everything else, use shampoo and microfiber cloth.
Infographic provided by Gems on Display