There's no other fashion piece like jewelry to instantly put an oomph to your getup. They require minimum effort to wear yet lend maximum impact to your overall look. What many jewelry owners forget, however, is that their most precious stones are not immune to signs of wear. Lotion, dust, and repeated use can all take a toll on your golds, silvers, and gems, making them appear dull, cheap, and lifeless.
Fortunately, the task of resparkling your jewelry is something you can expertly do on your own and requires even only the simplest household items to perform.
Use this guide to help get back the original shine of your favorite and most treasured accessories, and keep slaying that chic and classy look.
This cleaning technique is the simplest home solution you can use. It is ideal for jewelry pieces made of platinum, diamonds, and others using a combination of stones and hard metals, such as your precious engagement rings or wedding rings or valuable gem-embedded necklaces.
Simply put your mixture of soap and water in a dish, and then add in the baking soda. Using a brush with small and soft bristles (a small toothbrush will do), lightly and gently scrape the surfaces of your piece to clean off tarnish and dirt. You can also use a lint-free cloth or fabric for this purpose.
Alka-Seltzer
Drop your jewelry in a glass of pure Alka-Seltzer, and wait for a couple of minutes before drawing it out of the mixture. Avoid using flavored Alka-Seltzers for cleaning your jewelry as they tend to produce a stain or affect the original quality of your gems.
Use Alka-Seltzer tablets for cleaning hard stones and diamonds. Simply dip or dissolve the tablets in water and soak in your jewelry. The results are amazingly effective.
Aluminum Foil, Baking Soda, and Hot Water Solution
An excellent cleaning solution for silverware, this method makes use of the process called ion exchange, a type of purification process that ultimately removes the tarnish completely from your jewelry.
To perform this process, simply put a piece of aluminum foil, baking soda, and your jewelry into the glass. Proceed to pour in the hot water. Stir the mixture to accelerate the purification process, then let it sit for a couple of minutes.
Most of the time, you will not need to reinforce the cleaning with brushing as the liquid will completely rinse off the impurities on the jewelry.
Beer
For your gold rings, bracelets, necklaces, and any other gold-coated accessories (without gemstones), beer is the best cleaning liquid. Never dark ale.
Pour a small amount of beer into a lint-free cloth, and then start gently polishing the items. Once they're clean, use a clean second cloth to dry them off and also get rid of the alcohol scent.
Ketchup
Another surprising household item that can bring back the shine of your beloved silverware, jewelry or otherwise, is ketchup. The acidic properties and ingredients in ketchup make it effective in ridding your precious silverware of unwanted tarnish.
To see for yourself, simply submerge your silver into a bowl of ketchup and wait for 5 to 10 minutes before taking it out. Then, rinse off the ketchup with a glass of hot water. If you're working with detailed silverware, use a toothbrush with gentle bristles to get rid of stubborn dregs left on the crevices. Dry it off, and wear it back on like new!
Don't leave your silver in the ketchup longer than is necessary. While the acid is an effective cleaning ingredient, it can also be abrasive and damage your item instead.
Vinegar
Make cleaning gold and gemstone jewelry easy with white vinegar. Drop your jewelry into a jar of white vinegar, and let it soak for around 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally agitating the liquid. Your items will be all sparkly and gleaming once you take it out. Use a brush to work out small crevices and a light cloth to dry it out.
Toothpaste
The cleaning properties of toothpaste go beyond dentures. It can also clean your diamonds and almost anything in your jewelry box except those with pearls. Put an adequate amount of toothpaste on a toothbrush, and scrub away at your dulled pieces of gemstones, gold, and silver.
Wipe off the residue with warm water and a clean cloth.
Window Cleaner
Window cleaners such as Windex are a safe and effective cleaning solution for gold and silver. You can also use them to clean your hard gemstones and diamonds. Just not for opals, emeralds, pearls, amber, or turquoise.
To use Windex for the purpose, simply place your jewelry items on a bowl, and spray them with the window-cleaning solution. Let it sit for some 30 seconds before you can complete your cleaning by brushing the surfaces of the jewelry with a small toothbrush. This will not only help you remove the dirt but also scrub away the remaining residues on small crevices.
Once you're satisfied with the quality of the clean, rinse it off with warm water, and dry out with a clean cloth.
Dish Soap
Dishwashing soap can be used to clean gold and silver but not pearls.
Fill a bowl with hot water, and mix in a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid. Then drop your jewelry in, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a brush to reinforce cleaning, then dry it out with a clean cloth.
Lemon
Lemon's obvious acidic properties provide excellent cleaning action for jewel items. If you have time, simply use a mixture of one tablespoon of lemon juice and a half cup of water. Then soak in your silver overnight. If you're in a hurry, just liberally pour the lemon juice directly on your jewelry and gently polish with a soft cotton cloth. Rinse off, dry out, and put on. Simple.
Final Word
As you can see, getting back the charm and sparkle of your jewels does not really require much time and money. Follow these simple cleaning hacks to make your jewelry look always expensive and dashing.
