Discover how to use homemade ingredients to clean jewelry. Learn the tips and get the best suggestions on how to do it yourself.
Jewelry is precious and expensive. It has an amount of sentiment connected to it. So, understanding how to clean your jewelry properly is vital. This is because it will help keep it in good condition. After usage for a long time, you might begin to notice your jewelry is wearing out.
This can be a result of a buildup of dirt, debris, and grime over a period of time. This makes your jewelry look dull and causes serious damage to it. So, regularly cleaning your jewelry is one of the simplest ways to keep your jewelry looking shiny.
You can do this within a few minutes in your home. To clean your rings, necklaces, earrings, and others, you don't need professional help. But if you prefer the professionals, look up cleaning services Edmonton to help restore the vibrancy of your gems.
So, this article will walk you through ways you can clean different jewelry types and use homemade ingredients to clean your jewelry.
How to Clean Jewelry by Type
To begin this section, ensure you know what your jewelry is made of. If you are unsure, take the route of caution and allow a professional to examine your jewelry. Methods to clean jewelry differ from others, so that is what we will unravel here.
Silver jewelry.
Metal jewelry is longer lasting than gemstones, but real silver can tarnish quickly. This occurs when the jewelry is not cleaned or kept properly. So, it is necessary to spend more time when cleaning these pieces.
It is entirely safe to soak silver jewelry in a liquid cleaner for some minutes. Once it is soaked, you can use a soft brush to scrub the silver pieces.
Gold jewelry.
This particular type of jewelry can be cleaned with various materials like ammonia glass cleaner, dish soap, and hot water. Just like silver jewelry, you can scrub it very well if necessary. But ensure you use a soft brush.
Gemstones jewelry.
If you have any jewelry with stones, like a diamond ring or vintage necklace, it should be given extra care. So, if you are familiar with gemstone jewelry, you'll know that each stone has its own setting. As time goes on, the settings can become slack. This means that your gemstone is at risk of falling out.
So, it is advisable to take the gemstone to a jeweler to confirm the settings are intact before doing any cleaning on it at home.
Soft gemstones like opal, pearl, onyx, and so on should be handled with care. Do not scrub them with a brush. Only clean them with lukewarm water and a mild soap.
These are the tools and materials you will need if you intend to use a homemade method to clean your jewelry.
Bowl, toothbrush, antibacterial cleaner, soft cloth, dish soap, baking soda, and glass cleaner. In the next section, we will explore in detail how to clean your jewelry with the materials and tools mentioned above.
How to Clean Jewelry With Hot Water
Below are the steps to clean your jewelry with hot water.
- Pour water on the jewelry.
Hot water is an easy and cheap way to clean hard metal jewelry. Heat and steam release the dirt and debris from jewelry. This makes it very easy to clean. So, just put your jewelry in a container, then gradually pour in the hot water till it is covered.
- Soak and clean the dirt.
Allow your jewelry to soak for some minutes, or wait till the water cools off. Then remove it and clean the grime away with a clean cloth. If your jewelry is too dirty, you may need to scrub it with a brush after soaking.
- Dry the jewelry.
Allow the jewelry to dry properly before keeping it. You can also clean it dry with a neat cloth.
How to Clean Jewelry With Household Ingredients
A do-it-yourself jewelry cleaner can naturally get the cleaning done safely and quickly. Not all jewelry is created the same way. So, it is proper to do some research about the type of stone or metal you have before you clean. Below are some of the common home solutions.
Clean jewelry with antibacterial cleaner.
In most cases, you don't need to use an expensive cleaner to breathe life back into your jewelry. Using one of your home antibacterial cleaners is a cheaper and quicker way to clean your jewelry. Just add a few drops into a glass bowl and soak your jewelry in it for 5 minutes.
While you wait, the dirt buildup will begin to drop off to the button of the bowl. Once it's time, remove it and dry or scrub when necessary.
Clean jewelry with baking soda.
Using a baking soda can cause a chemical reaction when mixed with water. This reaction generates bubbles that can effectively remove the dirt buildup on your jewelry.
So, just place the item in a bowl of water, then add the baking soda. Allow it to soak for some time, then remove and clean it with a neat cloth.
You can only apply this method for silver or gold jewelry and diamond rings. Avoid using it on pearls or soft gemstones.
Clean jewelry with dish soap.
Use a mild dish soap for metal jewelry. A few drops of dish soap can cut through dirt and debris buildup. So, to use this as a jewelry cleaner, add a small amount of dish soap to a cup of hot water. Allow it to soak for some time, scrubbing them if necessary. Remember that this method works best for gentle stains, tarnishes, or normal wear and tear.
Clean jewelry with glass cleaner.
Spray the glass cleaner on the piece of jewelry and gently scrub or clean it with a soft cloth. When you are done, rinse well with water. Use this method on only gold, silver, platinum, and diamond pieces. If used on any other stone or metal, it can cause harm to the jewelry.
Conclusion
You don't need a fancy method to preserve your precious metal and stone. With the basic homemade solutions shared here, you can restore the shiny nature of these pieces.
Each piece is unique, and you have to pay keen attention to them. Do the necessary research on your own jewelry. This will help you apply the right homemade cleaning method suited for it.
