How to Clean Tarnish Jewelry at Home?

Whether its costume jewelry or expense pieces, they tend to get tarnished when not cleaned or taken care of. Soap, lotion and everyday dirt can easily settle on the jewelry and the chain, pearls, and gemstones.

The good news you can clean costume jewelry at home. When a bunch of tricks, you can get rid of the tarnish and make the pieces look as good as new. Without further ado, let’s see how you can clean different pieces of jewelry at home:

Cleaning Gold 

You will need a container, dish soap, and warm water. Here is what you must do:

1. Fill the container with warm water and add a few drops of dish soap. 
2. Place the jewelry prices in the container and soak them for about 5 minutes. 
3. Swish them around, take them out and lay them on a towel.
4. Use a soft toothbrush for dislodging any dirt you see trapped here and there. 
5. Rinse the pieces under running water.
6. Dry them with a soft cloth and you are done!

Cleaning Pearls 

You have to be careful about cleaning original pearls. Even if you are to clean fake jewelry with pearls, be gentle otherwise you could lose the luster. You must NEVER soak pearls in water. If they are fake, they most certainly will lose the color and might break as well. 

Follow these steps:

1. Lay the jewelry on a soft cloth
2. Take a small makeup brush and dip it into a mixture of water and shampoo. 
3. Carefully go over each pearl.
4. Use a damp cloth to clean the pearls. 
5. Let them dry

If it’s real pearl, look for a sachet of cleaner and a polishing cloth in the box. They usually come with these. 

Cleaning Gemstones 

If you know how to get mascara out of clothes, you can quickly learn how to clean gemstones as well.

These include semi-precious and precious stones like emerald, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Here is what you need to do:

1. Take a container and mix seltzer water with dish soap.
2. Soak your jewelry in this mixture for 5 minutes. 
3. Lay the items on a towel and use a soft toothbrush to remove any dirt you see
4. Rinse them under water
5. Buff dry them and they will start sparkling like they used to.

Don’t want to fix tarnished jewelry again and again? You can prevent that from happening by cleaning the jewelry every time you take it off. For instance, keep a jewelry cleaning stick with you. Use the tip of the brush for removing dirt and grime before they build up. Rinse the jewelry piece, buff dry and store it in your jewelry box.

Cleaning Silver 

Silver is one of those metals that can tarnish very quickly. Of course, you can make fake jewelry silver again by applying silver polish but with ongoing cleaning, you can prevent it from turning dull.

When you are in a hurry, the liquid polish can get messy to use. And not all of us have silver polish at hand to clean the jewelry fast and make it look new. However, there are some handy tricks to clean the dirt and make it shine again. Let’s check them out:

• Wash with dish soap

This is the oldest trick in the book to clean costume jewelry. Add a few drops of dish soap in warm water. Dip a cloth in this solution, rub it on to your jewelry. Use a soft brush if necessary to remove grime and rinse the jewelry with cold water. Dry it and it’s ready to use.

• Wash with baking soda

If the tarnish is heavy, you will need a solid solution like baking soda. Mix 3 parts of soda in 1 part of water.  

Wet the jewelry item and apply this paste. Wipe it off using a soft cloth and watch it pick up the tarnish. Rinse it underwater and dry.

• Use toothpaste 

Toothpaste can remove mild tarnish from silver too. Apply it onto your silver jewelry and rub it gently using a soft cloth. Rinse it with warm water. Buff dry with a soft cloth and wear it like usual. 

If you are the type of person who keeps up with jewelry trends and collects all sorts of jewelry, hold onto these tips to further the life of your precious jewelry. 

Last Updated on January 9, 2021