Cleaning Your Jewelry at Home

Good jewelry hygiene should be practiced every day, not just during times of a pandemic.  Just think of the months of lotion, perfume, makeup, cookie dough, burger grease, ranch dressing, and of course….bacteria that builds up on a ring.  At Warren Jewelers, we recommend coming in every 4-6 months for a free jewelry cleaning and inspection.  For a DIY cleaning method for now here are some tips.

• Make your own jewelry cleaner. Use an ammonia based household cleaner, Windex, 409, Fantastic ratio of 2/3 cleaner and 1/3 water and a soft toothbrush.

• Rings, Pendants, Bracelets- Soak your item in the bowl of cleaner. Then, GENTLY scrub with a soft toothbrush, you don’t want to loosen any gems or diamonds,  and thoroughly rinse off and dry.

• Bracelets-Soak your bracelet in the solution, gently scrub with your toothbrush, thoroughly rinse off and dry.

• Watches-Do not soak or dunk your watch in the solution. Using the brush, dip the brush in the solution and scrub the watch band links and then carefully, rinse off the band and thoroughly dry.

• Don’t use disinfectants that contain bleach or peroxide on your jewelry. They can not only damage delicate stones but cause premature wear and damage to precious metals and platings.

• Best practice is to take off your jewelry and place it in a safe location while cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. to avoid food and dirt build up.

These are general guidelines.  Nothing is better than a professional cleaning and inspection done by Warren Jewelers in our specialized cleaning solution and ultra sonic cleaner and finished off with a hot steam.