Make Jewelry Cleaner

Over time, frequently-worn jewelry pieces will develop a grimy layer that can dim the brightest gemstone. The best way to keep jewelry clean is to take it to a jeweler for a professional cleaning. However, the most convenient, inexpensive and earth-friendly jewelry cleaning method is to make your own homemade cleaner from items as simple as water and dish soap.

Steps

Homemade Cleaner for Semi-Precious Stone Jewelry Pieces

  1. Select a mild cleaning agent for your homemade jewelry cleaner recipe. Dish soap with grease-cutting properties can be used, but skip dish soap with harsh anti-bacterial properties as this can strip the finish off jewelry surfaces. Dish soap is a good idea for semi-precious stones with softer surfaces or those that have been chemically treated by the jewelry designer, such as amber and turquoise.
  2. Fill a small bowl with 1 cup of warm water. Do not use boiling water as this may be risky for some stones and jewelry surfaces.
  3. Mix 2 tbsp. of dish soap with the warm water to clean jewelry. Swish with your hand to create bubbles.
  4. Fill a second bowl with 1 cup of warm water. This water will be used for rinsing your jewelry after cleaning it with the dish soap and water solution.

Homemade Cleaner for Precious Stone Jewelry Pieces

  1. Pour 2 tbsp. of ammonia into a medium-sized bowl. Ammonia is a good cleaner for more durable, precious stone jewelry pieces. Gemstones such as diamonds have harder surfaces that can be cleaned with slightly stronger chemicals when necessary.
  2. Add 1 cup of warm (not hot) water to the ammonia solution. Stir with a spoon to mix well.
  3. Fill a second bowl with warm (not hot) water. This water will be used for rinsing your jewelry after cleaning it with the ammonia solution.

Pearls

  1. Fill a spray bottle with warm water, then spray water onto a clean, soft polishing cloth.
  2. Dampen the cloth, then wring out as much water as possible. Homemade cleaner for pearl jewelry is easiest to make, since it only has 1 ingredient. This is because pearls are extremely delicate and the strands holding them together are difficult to dry. Never clean a pearl jewelry item with anything more than a damp cloth.



Warnings

  • Don't clean costume jewelry by immersing it in a jewelry cleaning solution. Costume jewelry is made with low-cost components and cannot stand up to cleaning with anything more than a soft polishing. The surfaces may become discolored and gemstones can come loose.
  • Avoid exposing your jewelry to hairspray and other aerosol products as much as possible. Aerosols can adhere to the jewelry and create a dull finish.

Things You'll Need

  • Dish soap
  • 2 bowls
  • Water
  • Ammonia
  • Spray bottle
  • Damp cloth

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Sources and Citations

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