DIY: How to clean jewellery?

Silver jewellery

Silver jewellery darkens over time and loses its shine. Recovering their lost glam can be done easily by using a few simple procedures with home remedies. You will only need a piece of aluminium foil and salt, toothpaste or baking soda. But beware, because the ways to clean silver jewellery are different from the way to clean surgical steel jewellery, for example, the correct determination of the type of metal from which the jewellery is made is a prerequisite for success. Genuine silver jewellery is marked with a number, most often 925, which indicates the number of milligrams of pure precious metal per gram of product.

Aluminium foil and salt

Wrap the silver jewellery in foil and place in a pot. Pour about one litre of boiling water on the package and add one or two teaspoons of salt. Leave the saltwater on for about ten minutes and then unpack the jewellery and rinse with cold running water. This method is not suitable for silver jewellery with precious stones because salt can damage them.

Toothpaste

Take a soft toothbrush or cotton cloth and silver jewellery thoroughly, but gently polish with a little toothpaste. Then rinse the jewellery again with cold water and dry with a clean, dry cloth.

Baking soda

Add a few teaspoons of baking soda to a bowl of warm water. Put your silver jewelry in the solution and let the soda work overnight. The next day, rinse the jewelry briefly again with cold water and dry. The dark color should be gone. Even in this case, the method is not suitable for silver jewelry with precious stones!

Gold jewellery

Unlike silver jewellery, gold jewellery does not blacken, but over time acquires a matte finish and gets dirty. These three simple instructions on how to clean gold jewellery at home are fast, cheap and surprisingly effective.

Detergent

Gold jewellery shines again after a bath in lukewarm water with the addition of detergent, possibly soap. Wash the jewellery carefully, then let it rest for a while. After removing from the water, rinse with lukewarm water and dry with a soft cloth.

Cigarette ash

Your great-grandmother already knew this method of cleaning gold jewellery well. Mix a little ash with water and mix the paste. Using a soft brush or cloth, apply a little paste and thoroughly clean the jewellery. However, do not push too hard to avoid scratching. Then rinse briefly under running cold water and dry. It is better not to use ash paste on jewellery with precious stones. The ash has abrasive properties and could damage the surface of the stones.

Cleaning with a cleaning tablet

Put gold jewellery overnight in a glass of water and add a tablet that is used to clean dentures or braces. The next day, rinse them with cold water and your gold jewellery will shine again in a new shine. 

Watches 

The wristwatch is definitely one of the accessories that deserve regular cleaning as well. Even over time, resistant dirt adheres to them. That's why we advise you to clean the watch like a jewel here, and most importantly don't forget that you can only afford a damp cloth and rinse with water if the watch is waterproof! It is best to use a damp cloth for heavy soiling and to apply slight pressure to the watch. When choosing a fabric, give preference to microfiber. Many women's watches are studded with rhinestones and the fibres of other fabrics could catch on them or even loosen them. Avoid all chemicals and abrasive cleaning methods. If you think of using a sponge for dishes, use only the light, most often the yellow side. Metal components are incorporated into the dark parts of the sponges, which would immediately scratch the glass and, in the worst case, even damage the casing.