When it comes to jewelry, our purchases are often substantial investments and costly. However, numerous factors can contribute to the jewelry you wear getting dirty, whether you wear the item daily, just for special occasions, or somewhere in between. Some of the factors that often contribute to jewelry getting dirty, and even tarnishing in many cases, typically include dust and dirt exposure, subjection to light and air, hand lotions, and soaps. These are just some factors that can contribute to your jewelry getting dirty or tarnishing. Still, they are among many other aspects that occur from just wearing the jewelry item in the first place, regardless of how long you have the jewelry piece on yourself for when you wear it.
Although you may think jewelry cleaning is a one-size-fits-all situation, this is not necessarily the case. For example, how you would typically go about cleaning a woman’s engagement ring will often differ from how you would usually instead clean men’s pendants. Since different jewelry is made of other materials, depending on the exact item, you should employ varying methods for cleaning individual pieces according to their materials.
If you are searching for how to clean your jewelry items properly, we are here to help. Here, we have compiled the ultimate guide for cleaning your jewelry. Whether you want to ensure that you are correctly cleaning an engagement ring, men’s pendants, a bracelet, or any other jewelry item, depending on the exact material that makes up the particular jewelry item, we have covered you with answers for doing just that.
How Do You Clean Gold Jewelry?
When dealing with gold jewelry, the best method for cleaning such pieces always includes never using too hot of water and ensuring that you never use harsh cleaners when cleaning it. In most instances, a cloth for cleaning will work perfectly fine to clean your gold jewelry. Still, if you want to additionally clean for a more pristine look beyond this, you can use the following recommendation:
- Fill a bowl with water, ensuring it is hot but not to the point of boiling. You can create a DIY solution with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and a bit of warm water. Place smaller-sized gold jewelry items into a strainer before putting them in the solution, whereas you can place larger-sized gold jewelry items right into the bowl for soaking. Soak large gold jewelry in the solution for around five to fifteen minutes to help get rid of the dirt on the item. Move the items about, then remove them, place them on a soft cloth, and run over any crevices and chain links with a soft toothbrush to rid them of any dirt or grime that might be stuck there. Place small gold jewelry pieces back into the strainer or filter and rinse all of them under warm water. Finally, use a soft cloth to buff the items dry.
How Do You Clean Silver Jewelry?
A DIY home cleaning solution is a standard method for cleaning an array of silver jewelry items, such as men’s pendants. It can serve as an effective way for you to properly clean most silver jewelry by creating a DIY home solution with several items. The items generally consist of a bowl you will have to place water inside and a soft cloth or paper towels to dry the jewelry items with afterward. You will also need water to reach a boiling temperature point and a few other things, depending on which specific DIY route you decide to take. Here, we go over several popular home DIY methods that serve as cleaning solutions for silver jewelry in particular:
- Baking Soda
- Three parts baking soda to one part warm water can be an excellent method to remove tarnish and clean silver jewelry items. Get the silver item wet, then apply the pasty mixture with a soft cloth free of lint. Ensure that you get it into the crevices and change the side of the fabric you use as you pick up the tarnish. Remember to rinse sufficiently afterward and buff it dry.
- Dish Soap
- Combine a couple of drops of a dish liquid, such as Dawn dish soap, with warm water. Place a soft cloth gently into the mixture and rub the silver jewelry item, removing the tarnish as you do so. After, rinse the jewelry item with cool water and buff it dry with a different soft cloth.
- Toothpaste
- Since toothpaste contains mild abrasives, it can remove the tarnish from silver jewelry. To use this method, put a small amount of white paste toothpaste, specifically do not use gel toothpaste, to either your finger or a soft cloth, and delicately rub it on the silver jewelry item with tarnish. Then, rinse with warm water and buff dry with a soft cloth to reveal the shine.
Quality silver polish is also an excellent method for cleaning silver jewelry items. Quality silver polish is generally composed of ingredients that break down and, ultimately, get rid of tarnish. Further, it leaves behind a preventative covering in its wake, which serves as a coating to prevent additional tarnish from producing in the first place. There are numerous kinds of polishes for cleaning silver jewelry that you can opt for to clean it. Some standard methods include liquid or paste polish, disposable silver cleaning wipes, or reusable specially treated mitts. You can also use multi-layer clothes, which generally have one side of the cloth for cleaning and removing tarnish, with the other meant for shining the silver jewelry item.
Conclusion
It is no wonder that, generally, most of us want to ensure we keep our jewelry in the best possible shape. So, this includes ensuring to always properly clean it and rid it of tarnishing and other dirty marks to the best of our abilities. Here, we have gone over numerous effective methods for cleaning jewelry items, whether engagement rings or men’s pendants. You can create your DIY home cleaning solution, buy items intended explicitly for cleaning jewelry or take the thing in for a professional to clean it for you. But if you decide to clean your jewelry item yourself, always ensure you’re aware of the material things are made of and that the method you use to clean that item is applicable and practical.
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