If you buy new jewelry then you know all about how often it catches your eye in the light throughout your day. And if you’re more of an antique jewelry kind of person, then you know that overwhelming feeling of satisfaction when it’s sparkly clean after years upon years of built-up, well, gunk. But taking your jewelry to the cleaners can be costly, so we put together a little guide that will have you cleaning yours like a pro at home. Let’s get started!
The easiest and most cost-efficient way to clean your metal is with a toothbrush, water, and dish soap. All you have to do is put some lukewarm water in a bowl with just a few drops of dish soap and let your jewelry soak in this mixture for about 20 – 40 minutes, then use a toothbrush to get in the areas that are harder to reach. Then simply rinse and dry and your jewels should be sparkling like new! If you need to, you can always repeat this process if you find the first time just wasn’t enough. This is our go-to when it comes to cleaning costume jewelry as well, just make sure you dry these pieces in a way water isn’t just sitting anywhere that glue might be keeping a set in. Water will tear it down and any stones that are glued in will fall out.
If you rock a lot of silver, the best and most effective way to get rid of tarnish and keep it away is to use a silver polish. These products are made to dissolve and remove tarnish and they leave behind a protective coat that will also prevent new tarnish from forming. You can nab these products in liquid form, paste form, or even silver polishing wipes.
Windex and hydrogen peroxide works wonders on rings and this process couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is combine equal parts Windex and hydrogen peroxide and let your rings sit in this mixture for 15 – 20 minutes, take a toothbrush to them to make sure you got every little crevice, rinse, dry, and you’re ready to sparkle and shine.
Cleaning your pearls is a little more tedious because pearls are more porous so they lose their luster relatively quick. What you’ll do is lay your pearls on a soft cloth, then dip a clean, small makeup brush into a mixture of warm water and mild shampoo. Next, shake off the excess solution and go over all sides of the pearl, then to rinse you’ll run a damp cloth over each pearl. Then lay the strand flat to fully dry. Avoid soaking pearls in any type of solution because the water will weaken the string and cause it to break. This process also works for other porous stones like turquoise and opals.