Clean Your Jewelry Naturally
Some polishing cloths that work to polish silver and other metals are oftentimes unhealthy for humans as well as damaging to your jewelry. A select number of jewelry polishers consist of chemicals including tetra acetic acid and ammonia, which can result in irritation to the skin, eye issues, and damage to reproductive organs and kidneys.
If the cleaner does come in contact with the eyes, one must contact a poison control center immediately. Leaving these cleaners in your house with any small children around can result in a dangerous situation if the child accidentally swallows the cleaning agent. 48% of poison exposures happened with children under 6 years of age. It is vitally important that any type of jewelry cleaner that is not all natural, be kept safely concealed from any child in the household.
Furthermore, many of these polishers and jewelry cleaners are too strong for use on costume jewelry or metals like copper. Costume jewelry does not have the durability that one has when they polish silver or gold. While Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners are effective for durable jewelry such as diamonds or gold, they can damage other metals and gemstones like pearls, opals, and amber.
Copper for example, sometimes has an added patina contained in the metal, which can be damaged or rubbed off with a standard jewelry cloth. Jewelry dips and cloths can be too abrasive for copper and jewelry that is delicate. The best option for Costume Jewelry and delicate metals like Copper is an all natural jewelry cleaner.
Most women have a variety of gold, silver, and costume jewelry with various stones. A woman with a large variety of jewelry with gemstones and finishes must be careful with what type of jewelry cleaners she uses.
A jewelry cleaner with harsh chemicals such as ammonia is bound to strip the color and luster off the jewelry. An all natural jewelry cleaner however, will safely and effectively polish all types of metals and gemstones with one easy cloth. An all natural jewelry cleaner will protect the environment as opposed to most popular brands of jewelry cleaners that are not only harmful to humans, but also to the environment.
Clean Your Jewelry At Home
Jewelry is one of those things that can add sparkle to your personality. Do you know that jewelry can lose its shine and luster and become uninterestingly dull? Developing the habit of cleaning your jewelry at appropriate intervals is a good way to retain their sparkle for a very long time and also make your jewelry cleaning quicker and easier.
The cleaning of your jewelry can be done either by taking it to a professional to do it for you or at your local jewelry shop or doing it on your own at home using simple ingredients that are available.
If you decide to do it yourself at home, here are the ingredients and steps to follow to get the best result.
- Vinegar Solution: Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent for jewelry and other metals. Soak your gold jewelry and gemstones in a solution of white vinegar and gently scrub away the dirt with a very soft bristle toothbrush.
- Warm water and baking soda can also be used to clean your jewelry.
- Soapy water: Some elements like turquoise or pearls can not be cleaned using the first two options or any other harsh solvents because they are very soft and porous.
The best way to clean them is by soaking in a solution of detergent. Make a solution of soap with warm water. Dip the pearl jewelry in it and don’t let it stay long. Then take it out and wipe it gently with a clean piece of cloth or cotton and after that rinse with clean water and dry.
- Aluminum foil: Cleaning jewelry like Silver should be done properly because silver tarnishes with time. It is a process you must not avoid. To do the cleaning of larger silver pieces and also revamp their old beauty, put a piece of crumpled aluminum foil on a tray. Then put the jewelry on the tray and add or pour a mixture of baking soda and pour a bit of boiled water over it. Rub the jewelry with the foil to remove dirt. Rinse with water once it is clean and you are done.
Although the various methods listed here are very efficient, there are other easier and more modern ways to clean your jewelry. For example, there are ready made cloths for cleaning jewelry these days, and you can use it to polish and clean your jewelry with ease and without wasting any time. These cloths have been made with cleaning agents that will make it easy to remove the dirt and grime in your jewelry and bring back its original quality in just minutes.
However, do not use the fabric cleaner on 24 Karat gold and porous gemstones, for example, don’t use the fabric cleaner on 24 Karat Gold and Soft porous gemstones like opal, turquoise, emerald, amber, onyx and coral. You should clean that delicate jewelry with a solution of detergent with minimal contact.