Making a jewelry cleaner within a snap of a finger

Do you own pieces of silver, white and yellow gold, stainless steel and other jewelry variants? If you have a collection of precious and semi-precious stone and would like to take good care of them but you don’t really know what commercial jewelry cleaner to trust, stop shopping for one. You can make you own. It’s so easy and when you make the cleaner yourself, you can be sure that the solution is mild enough not to harm your treasures.

For jewelry without stones

This homemade jewelry cleaner recipe works best for the following metals:

• Gold-fill
• Brass
• Nickel
• Sterling Silver

However, this is NEVER to be used for jewelry pieces which have stones. This is too harsh for the stones and could cause damage. You will need:

• One tablespoon of salt
• One tablespoon of baking soda
• One tablespoon of dishwashing soap
• A cup of water
• A piece of aluminium foil
• A soft cloth

To make this solution, heat the water in a microwave of saucepan. Get a small bowl and cover the bottom of that bowl with a piece of aluminium foil. Put the hot water into the bowl. Add salt and baking soda into the hot water, and stir everything in with the dishwashing soap.

Once the solution is ready, submerge the jewelry pieces into your homemade jewelry cleaner. Leave them there for at least five minutes and ten minutes at the latest. After ten minutes, remove them from the solution and rinse them with cold water. Wipe off the excess moisture with your soft cloth and your jewelry should look shiny and new again. Never reuse the solution. You can discard of it by draining it on the kitchen sink.

For hard stones like diamonds

If your jewelry pieces have stones, and they are classified as hard stones, you will just need vodka. Sink your diamond and hard stone pieces in a bowl of vodka. Let it sit for five to ten minutes, rinse it with cold water afterwards, and polish them off with a soft cloth.

For softer stones

Capiz, pearls, opal, and coral should never be cleaned with chemicals because they’re so fragile, they could be damaged even with just a few minutes’ worth of exposure. You need to purchase an untreated piece of chamois or leather cloth. This cloth type can be bought from the hardware store. Don’t wipe it with any scented oil, either, because the stones can and will absorb the oil. This can cause deformation.

Tarnished jewelry

If you have gold, silver, or white gold pieces, you may just be facing tarnishing. To treat tarnished metals, simply use toothpaste but avoid the fancy ones with anti-plaque gels or the ones with tartar control. Look for the original toothpaste variants from Colgate and other brands. These don’t have silica crystals which could scratch your jewelry. Use an old toothbrush, apply toothpaste on it, and gently use this brush to scrub your tarnished jewelry. Make sure you scrub the inner side of your tarnished rings. You may want to use your fingers for necklaces and other frailer pieces. Don’t brush too hard because you want to clean your jewelry, not ruin them.