My love for jewellery has always been immense and unquestionable. People love some special and unique pieces and keep them forever. But most of the time, our favourite pieces, especially family heirlooms, have to just lay in the drawers for years. Some of them become dull with dust and grime, others are tarnished.
Since all the gold and crystals look good when they are sparkling, it is better to take constant care. Luckily, you can breathe life back into your dingy jewellery with tried and tested DIY cleaning. Must go and check the Jewelry Steam Cleaner Vs Ultrasonic Cleaner this will make your cleaning process easier and faster. If you are concerned about your mattress being infested with bed bugs then don’t wait to get your hands on the best steam cleaner for mattress.
To clean jewellery at home, all you need is the right supplies and the cleaning guide we have in this guide for you.
Types of Jewellery
For jewellery cleaning, you need to understand the wide variety of materials used for making it. Taking care and maintaining the jewellery depends on the type of material. Following are the three most common and trendy metals utilised in jewellery making:
Gold
Gold is the most common metal used in jewellery making. Since pure gold is soft and is rarely used in pure form. Most of the time, gold is alloyed with other metals including nickel, copper, zinc, silver, and palladium. Gold never tarnishes but it gets dull and scratched with the passage of time. So improper care may potentially ruin the metal.
Silver
Silver is quite similar to gold as it is not used in pure form. Instead, 92.5% silver is mixed with 7.5% copper. This is known as sterling silver. Silver needs more care than other metals as it tarnishes quickly. But you can take care of it by storing the silver in protective pouches or using DIY polishing options.
Platinum
Platinum is alloyed with a group of other metals to make jewellery. It is quite expensive as compared to others. This is because it is stronger, rare to find and it does not tarnish as easily as others.
Gemstones
Gemstones are another type of jewellery. They are not normally used individually, instead, they are used in gold, silver or platinum jewellery.
Ways to Clean Your Jewelry at Home in Few Minutes
You may find different methods for jewellery cleaning, but we suggest to you some best and most effective ways, that will not only accomplish your task but save your money in the end.
The next thing to remember is that not every piece of jewellery needs the same treatment. You do have to be careful, especially when dealing with expensive or antique ornaments.
Although jewellery is of different types that may contain gems like diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, pearl, etc, but no need to head to experts, as you can do it by yourself at home. All you need to follow our instructions carefully. Again if you are not sure about what to clean or what not to clean by yourself, then you may check it with jewellery professionals.
Every single one of these methods is specified for a certain material. So make sure to read them carefully because all of these take no time and are very easy to do.
Professional Jewelry Steam Cleaning Machine
One of the effective and safest ways to clean your jewellery is the jewellery steam cleaner. So, if you have the best steam cleaner for jewellery at home, then don’t go for the experts, and obviously no need to apply homemade remedies too, as steam cleaning is a complete cleaning solution for your jewellery.
The best jewellery steam cleaner offers several benefits.
- Bring back the original glory of jewellery
- Remove oil, dirt, and other grime effectively
- Increases the value of your asset
- Don’t use harmful chemical
- Kills germs and bacteria
- Save time and needless efforts
- Environmental friendly
Traditional Methods to Clean Tarnished Jewelry
1. Dish Soap and Water
Dish Soap and water is the most common cleaning bath for gold and platinum jewellery. This classic and gentle combo is a quick and effective way of polishing the items at home. Just take a solution of dish soap and warm water in a bowl. Soak your jewellery in this simple solution for about 15 minutes. This will soften the dirt and grime trapped in the crevices.
After that, use a soft-bristled brush to scrub any build-up. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a soft cloth. Avoid using detergent or hard bristle brushes.
2. Baking Soda, Salt and Aluminium Foil
Tarnish accumulates easily on silver and can be removed as easily as well. You can also use a silver polish for this purpose. But a concoction of three parts of baking sodas, one part warm water and one tablespoon of salt will do wonders.
Take an aluminium foil-lined disposable pan and add the concoction into it. Let your silver jewellery sit for several minutes. As a result of aluminium and salt, an ion exchange process occurs that draws all the tarnish from silver. Remove and rinse well. Dry it off with a lint-free cloth.
3. Ammonia and Water Solution
Ammonia, dish soap and water make a universal cleaning solution. Dilute ½ cup clear ammonia in 1 cup of warm water. You can soak silver, gold or platinum in this solution. However, it is best recommended to use a cotton swab and apply the solution to the jewellery. Rinse with water and dry off with a paper towel.
4. White Vinegar and Baking Soda
A light coating of baking soda with a bit of white vinegar acts as the best polish for all types of jewellery. You can use a damp sponge to apply the paste and wait for a few minutes. Rub and rinse the jewellery. Alternatively, you can use a soft toothbrush to rub the paste.
5. Seltzer and Water Solution
A glass of fizzing Alka Seltzer is known to be the best cleaner for gemstones. Soak your dull-looking gemstones in the solution and wait. After a couple of minutes, you will see the sparkle and shine. Avoid using flavoured Seltzer.
6. Boiling Water
Boiling water does not do as well as the above-mentioned methods, still it is the safest option. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the flame. Add your jewellery which could either be gold, silver or platinum. Wipe away any grime in a snap. The steam will loosen the dirt and debris from the jewellery.
7. Toothpaste or Shampoo
Toothpaste and shampoo have mild abrasives that can easily remove tarnish from silver. Rub a little amount on the jewellery with your finger or a soft cotton pad. Rinse off and pat dry. It is the most inexpensive and easiest way of cleaning your jewellery at home. This method is not suitable for gemstones.
8. Maintaining Jewellery
Even if you can clean your jewellery at home, it is much better to properly take care of your jewellery. Store all the gemstones, platinum and gold in a protective, soft bag. You can also store it in a jewellery box lined with felt.
But remember, you must not store the silver jewellery. Wearing it makes the silver shinier. Or you can store it in an anti-tarnish bag if you want. Remove jewellery while taking shower, swimming, cleaning and applying skincare. You should also get the valuable jewellery professionally cleaned from time to time.
Cleaning the jewellery also matters, as some fine jewellery does not require cleaning every other month. Make sure to get it checked by a trusted jeweller once a year.
FAQs
What do professional jewellers use to clean jewellery?
Professional cleaners use ultrasonic jewellery cleaners with high-frequency ultrasonic waves. The chemical cleaner with the help of these high vibrancy waves dislodges even the tiniest dirt particles. After the whole piece is cleaned, the jewellery is put under a strong blast of steam that brings back the shine. Lastly, it is polished.
Is steam cleaning safe for jewellery?
Steam cleaning is most definitely the safest jewellery cleaning method out there. This eco-friendly cleaning method is free from any harsh chemicals that may ruin the lustre of jewellery and could also cause harm to your skin.
How to steam clean jewellery?
Take a wire hanger that is simply a few inches longer than the mouth of the water reservoir. Make a solution of one tablespoon of TriSodium Phosphate (TSP) in two cups of water. Bring it to a boil. The distance between the wire hanger and the water reservoir should give enough room for jewellery to hang.
Make sure it is not touching the water. The water reservoir produces high-pressure steam that blasts away any oil and dirt off the jewellery. Leave the jewellery in the steam for five minutes. It will look brand new afterwards.
Can you use a handheld steamer to clean jewellery?
You can use a handheld steamer to clean jewellery. The steam and heat combine together to give an amazing cleaning effect. This is a quicker and more effective way of cleaning than the standard traditional ways. There are plenty of handheld steamers out in the market that hold an account for perfect cleaning. You can go for DIY steam cleaning if you want. But having a handheld steamer by your side is quite handy.
What is the best homemade jewellery cleaner for gold?
Homemade jewellery cleaners are much better than commercial cleaners which mostly contain harsh chemicals. You can use any dish wash cleaner e.g. Mr Clean or Dawn Dish Soap for the purpose. You can also opt for the above-mentioned methods which include baking soda, white vinegar, ammonia, shampoo and seltzer. Avoid using commercial cleaners as they may ruin and dull the jewellery.
Bottom Line!
On the whole, it is important to know how to maintain the lustre of your jewellery. Having the right knowledge while taking care of it helps a lot in preserving your favourite pieces. It is clear from the above-mentioned methods that cleaning jewellery at home is a piece of cake.
Since you do not want to go to professionals every time, it is better to try out these DIY cleaning techniques. Mark it as your weekend project since it will be a fun activity to do. Seeing your jewellery clean and shining will make the weekend more satisfying.
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