How to clean your jewelry at home
We get it. Not everyone has time to take their gold jewelry and gemstone jewelry to the jewelry store for a professional cleaning every week. Here are some handy how-tos for cleaning jewelry at home.
All you need are a few simple kitchen items to get started...
Home hack - if you don't have vinegar, you can use ketchup, as counter-intuitive as it may sound.
How to clean gold jewelry
Mix 1 teaspoon of dishwashing soap and 1 cup of warm water. Vinegar can be added, if desired. Soak for 15 minutes and brush gold with a toothbrush. Rinse with water and pat dry with soft cloth.
How to clean diamonds
Mix 1 cup of warm water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Soak for 15 minutes and brush diamond(s) with a toothbrush. Rinse with water and pat dry with soft cloth.
For cleaning sterling silver jewelry (925)
Wipe silver with a soft chamois cloth. If you still need a solution, then we suggest putting aluminum foil in the bottom of a bowl. Add 1 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda in the bowl with foil. Soak for 15 minutes and brush silver with a toothbrush. Rinse with water and pat dry with soft cloth.
If you want your silver cleaned instantly, we recommend silver/or jewelry cleaner from the grocery store. Use with good ventilation. As a side note, when you use a harsh chemical, such as silver or jewelry cleaner, it may strip off a layer of your silver and your silver may be more susceptible to tarnish easier in the future.
For cleaning oxidized silver
Mix 1 teaspoon of dishwashing soap and 1 cup of warm water. Soak for 15 minutes and brush lightly with a toothbrush. Rinse with water and pat dry with soft cloth.
Note - please make sure your jewelry is not plated because scrubbing will move some of the gold or silver plating.
For more cleaning questions, contact amy@throwingstarsjewelry.com
For more information about jewelry terms, check out our jewelry glossary.