7 Tips on Cleaning Your Gold Jewelry ...

For lightly soiled jewelry, wash items in a solution of warm water and a few drops of dish soap. If you see that there is a lot of debris and gunk built up on your pieces of jewelry, then you can use club soda to help bubble off the filth. Whichever method you choose, allow the jewelry to soak for at least 15 minutes before scrubbing.

Use a very soft toothbrush. If you look at toothbrushes in the store there is a label on them that tell you which ones have firm bristles and which ones have soft ones. You can go to the dollar store and pick up one that has soft bristles. You don’t need a fancy brush to clean your gold jewelry. Another type of brush that can be used is an eyebrow brush. Make gentle circles while you are scrubbing with the toothbrush or eyebrow brush.

Make sure the water is warm too. You can use the brush to continue to scrub a bit as you are rinsing each piece. Take the time to inspect each one as you are rinsing it. If you notice that there is junk still stuck in the grooves on a particular piece, then you might need to give it one more good scrub. Pat the jewelry dry with a very soft and nap-free cloth once it is completely rinsed.

If scrubbing with the dish soap and water solution doesn’t get your pieces of jewelry looking as radiant as you’d hoped, then try using ammonia and water to clean them. Use one part of ammonia for every six parts of water. This means if you use a capful of ammonia, then add six capfuls of water to the same container you put the ammonia into. Mix well and be sure not to use ammonia each time you clean jewelry pieces. Using ammonia too often can darken some jewelry. You only have to soak pieces for a minute before rinsing and drying them.

The glue that holds most gemstones in place can easily be loosened by using any of the above cleaning methods. Take a soft cloth and dip it in the solution of water and soap. Gently dab the jewelry piece clean and rinse in the same manner with warm clean water. It’s best if you can turn the piece of jewelry upside down so any excess water can drain out.

Dip jewelry pieces in boiling water and the wax or grease should come right off. Once you’ve removed any signs of wax or grease, then you can use the water and soap solution or the water and ammonia solution to clean each piece as described above.

Good old toothpaste is cheap and really does a nice job of cleaning gold jewelry. Be sure to rinse the toothpaste off well so as to keep the finish from being dulled on your jewelry pieces.

Unless you have a relative in the jewelry cleaning business, these 7 tips on cleaning your gold jewelry might save you a bit of money if you have quite a few pieces to be cleaned. What is your current method of cleaning your jewelry?

Top Photo Credit: chinaskymen