How to Clean Jewelry at Home

So Fresh and So (sparkling) Clean

Jewelry care isn’t as hard as you might think. You can clean your jewelry at home using simple ingredients you already have. Doing this only takes a little time and can dramatically increase the longevity of your jewelry!

This process works for fine and fashion jewelry, even delicate stones like pearls and opals.

Step #1: Gather Supplies

You will need:

• jewelry you want to clean
• small dish
• gentle soap (hand soap works fine for clean jewelry)
• a toothbrush (green tip: you can disinfect and use an old one)
• soft lint-free cloth (We like the flannel polishing cloths they sell at Michael’s in the jewelry section, but you can also recycle an old t-shirt or pair of flannel pajama pants.)

Step #2: Prepare the Cleaning Solution

SURPRISE!  No harsh chemicals needed!

A tiny drop of gentle soap in your dish with warm water will do the trick.  Just be sure to swish the water around with the toothbrush until the soap dissolves completely.

Step #3: Scrubba – dub – dub

Dip the jewelry in your soapy water dish, then scrub gently with the toothbrush.

PRO TIP: Make sure you get behind any gemstones and into any crevices or engraving!

Examine from all angles, then get back in there if you need to! (it’s sort of the rinse, lather & repeat of the jewelry cleaning world)

Step #4: Let It Dry

Lay your freshly clean jewelry on your cloth to dry.  Gently pat to remove excess water.  Pick up the piece and be sure to pat dry any water droplets taking refuge in tiny crevasses!

Step #5: Polish and Shine

If you chose a polishing cloth, you can use it to shine the surface of the metal and remove any residual tarnishing.  And don’t forget to clean those earring backs, too!

We hope we’ve inspired you to do a little jewelry cleaning.  Trust us… it’s MUCH more fun than spring cleaning!  And if you’ve been admiring, we featured our Posy & Pearl Earrings in this post.  And our photography was done by the impeccable Britney Clause.