how to clean jewelry

Use an old, softbristled toothbrush and toothpaste to gently scrub off grime. The toothpaste can be applied to a cloth to hand polish an item as well. If youre seeing scratches on your jewelry, its probably the toothbrush, not the toothpaste use as soft of brush as possible. Alternatively, simply scrub with undiluted toothpaste. This, however, can be harder to rinse out of small crevices in your jewelry.

Just like when you rinse after brushing your teeth, you should rinse your jewelry to remove any loosened dirt or grime

Carefully pour the water over your

Gold itself can be boiled with no problems. However, boiling delicate gemstones (like opals, pearls, coral, and moonstones) can cause them to crack or become damaged especially if the jewelry is cold before boiling. Boiling is also a bad idea for jewelry with gluedin gemstones, as it can loosen the glue. However, if youre looking to clean heavilysoiled jewelry made entirely out of gold or gold jewelry that contains strong gemstones (like diamonds), boiling is a great choice.

You dont need to boil much water just enough to submerge all of the jewelry in. As youre waiting for the water to boil, set your gold jewelry in a sturdy bowl or another vessel that wont be damaged by boiling water. Pyrex or metal cooking bowls/dishes are good choices. Arrange jewelry in the dish or bowl so that no piece of jewelry is covering up another piece water should be able to reach every piece of jewelry.

Be very careful not to spill or splash by pouring too rapidly boiling water can cause serious burns. When all of the jewelry is completely submerged, youve added enough water.

When you can comfortably put your hands in the water, you can remove the jewelry. Follow a good boiling by scrubbing each piece of jewelry with a soft brush, then dabbing it dry with a soft towel and allowing it to sit and airdry completely. Dont be afraid if the water appears dirty this is good! As boiling water loosens the dirt, wax, grime, etc. thats built up on your jewelry, it may float to the surface of the water. The dirtier your water looks, the more dirt youve removed from your jewelry!

Drop your dulllooking jewelry in a glass of fizzing AlkaSeltzer for a couple of minutes. It will sparkle and shine when you pull it out.

To clean your jewelry, simply line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Fill the bowl with hot water and mix in one tablespoon of bleachfree powdered laundry detergent (not liquid), like Tide. Put the jewelry in the solution and let it soak for one minute. Rinse well and airdry. This procedure makes use of the chemical process known as ion exchange, which can also be used to clean silverware.

Brighten up your gold and silver trinkets by soaking them for 10 minutes in a solution of 1/2 cup clear ammonia mixed in 1 cup warm water. Gently wipe clean with a soft cloth and let dry. Note: Do not do this with jewelry containing pearls, because it could dull or damage their delicate surface.