Jewelry is personal ornaments made from jewels and precious metals like gold and silver. Through the different production processes, they are forged into beautiful ornaments like zodiac necklaces, rings, anklets, and more.
Under normal conditions, jewelry sparkles; however, exposure to dust, dirt, lotions, and other chemicals causes them to fade. Although restoring your jewelry sparkle is often done by a professional jeweler, you can remove the tarnish on your gold, gem, and silver using household products. Here are trusted ways to clean your jewelry from the comfort of your home.
Cleaning Gold
Good jewelry like gold zodiac pendants, rings, and anklets are prone to diminishing. They often look matte with little to no sparkle as they attract dirt. However, here are simple ways to restore your gold jewelry sparkle:
1. Dishwasher Soap and Warm Water
Soak your jewelry into a mixture of warm water and a fragrance-free dishwasher for a few minutes; ensure you use a filter to avoid them going down the drain.
After a few minutes, use a soft cloth to remove the dirt on the surface; use a soft toothbrush and gently scrap the links and crevices inaccessible to the soft cloth.
Rinse the jewelry with cold running water and dry off immediately with a dry cloth before storing them.
2. Baking Soda
For good jewelry with stubborn stains that cannot be dislodged with a mere dishwasher, baking soda works better and can give a better-looking result.
Get one tablespoon of salt or more depending on the quantity of gold to be cleaned, baking soda, aluminum foil, and warm water. The aluminum salt helps clean the metal, and the salt removes the debris.
Get a bowl and cover the bowl floor with aluminum foil. Add an adequate amount of salt and baking soda. Pour in the hot water and soak the jewelry for 5 to 10 minutes.
Use a soft cloth to get the dirt off the surface and a toothbrush to access the hidden chain links. Rinse under running water and dry with a soft cloth before storing.
Cleaning Silver
Cleaning silver can be done in several ways, but toothpaste is one of the popular DIY methods that works wonders. Like the teeth, toothpaste removes mild abrasives on silver; however, the procedure slightly differs.
Apply a dash of white toothpaste (as gel does not work for silvers at all) on the silver jewelry. Use your fingers or a soft cloth to rub the paste around the tarnished jewelry, leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes.
Wash off the jewelry with warm water and buff with a soft cloth.
Cleaning Pearls
Pearls are fragile jewelry that can lose their shine upon rough contact; hence, they need special cleaning methods.
To clean pearls, clean with a soft cloth before proceeding to dip a clean makeup brush into a mixture of liquid wash and warm water to wash the pearls all over.
Rinse off the soap by cleaning the pearl with a clean, wet, soft cloth—Air-dry before storing.