4 Tips for Cleaning Jewelry
Through the wear and tear of life and work, jewelry can become tarnished, scuffed, dirty, and scratched. If you want to keep your jewelry as pristine as possible, then it is important that you clean your pieces as often as you can. Here are 4 tips to ensure your special pieces of jewelry look like new forever:
Wash your jewelry properly
At the end of every day, be sure to clean your jewelry. This will protect the integrity of the metal and allow for the longevity of the pieces. You can wash your jewelry with lukewarm water and an extremely mild soup that does not have any moisturizers or scents. The moisturizers and scents can leave a grimy film on your jewelry and the scents have harsh chemicals that can break down the metal. You can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to get into the crevices and hard-to-reach places. After this, make sure you dry it very quickly and well. It is probably best to allow jewelry to completely dry overnight before wearing it to avoid growing mold.
Buy a tarnishing cloth
Most jewelry tarnishes with time no matter the metal but sterling silver, in particular, tarnishes extremely quickly. This is completely normal so do not worry that you bought fake or low-quality jewelry! Tarnishing is fairly easy to clean as long as you have the proper tools. Using a polishing or tarnishing cloth will remove the tarnish and get your jewelry looking brand new. After you are finished with the cloth, rinse it with lukewarm water and allow the jewelry to completely dry before wearing!
Invest in an ultrasonic cleaner
Do you have jewelry with a lot of hard-to-reach places? You may want to invest in an ultrasonic cleaner! Ultrasonic cleaners use high frequency and intensity sound waves through liquids to remove dirt and grime from small spaces submerged in the liquid of an ultrasonic cleaner. These, however, will not remove tarnish so it is important that you also use your tarnish cloth either before or after!
Don’t scrub hard when cleaning
The last step is to be sure you do not scrub too hard when cleaning your jewelry. This will cause excessive scratching that will need to be professionally buffed and fixed. This is extremely important for gold jewelry specifically.
If you want the ultimate clean you can get with your jewelry, search local jewelry cleaners in Northeast Ohio to find your perfect match today!
