how to clean gold jewelry

Toothpaste

Toothpaste works great when it comes to cleaning Costume Jewelry. Simply squeeze some toothpaste (the paste kind – not the gel) on an old toothbrush and lightly scrub the costume jewelry. Then rinse well and pat dry.

Rubbing Alcohol

Place costume jewelry in a container or bin. Pour a little rubbing alcohol over the item and let jewelry soak for three or four minutes. Then remove and wipe dry with a clean cloth.

Denture Tablets

Denture tablets such as Efferdent or Polident can also work wonders when it comes to cleaning costume jewelry. Simply fill your sink or a basin with hot water, drop in two denture cleansing tablets followed by the jewelry. Let the jewelry sit for 30 minutes – rinse and pat dry.

Liquid Dish Soap

In many cases simple water with a couple of drop or two of dish detergent will do it (not too much detergent though because it can leave jewelry looking dull). Fill a basin halfway with warm water and add a drop or two of liquid detergent.

Let costume jewelry soak for about 20 minutes then remove and gently pat dry with a clean cloth.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

This handy little cleaning sponge works wonders when it comes to cleaning many things and it is also great for cleaning gold jewelry. Simply dampen the Magic Eraser and gently rub off the stains from the gold jewelry. Then wash the gold jewelry thoroughly with some warm soapy water, rinse and pat dry.

Ammonia

Diluted Ammonia is another easy way to clean gold jewelry. This works best however with Gold Jewelry that is free of gemstones. You do not want to submerge any gold jewelry in liquid if it has gemstones because the liquid could rust the setting or discolor the stones.

Mix equal parts ammonia with equal parts of warm water in a basin and soak gold jewelry for ten minutes. Gently rub off any stains with a soft clean toothbrush and then place jewelry on a towel to dry (do not rinse solution off.

Liquid Dish Detergent

Liquid Dish detergent can work as well for gold jewelry as it does for costume jewelry (again make sure there are not gemstones involved). Fill a small bowl with warm water and add a couple of drops of liquid dish soap. Place gold jewelry in the mixture and leave to sit for about 20 minutes. Then use a clean, dry cotton cloth to rub dry. Leave jewelry on a top to finish air drying on its own.

Gold Jewelry with Gemstones

To clean gold jewelry that contains gemstones, mix warm water with a few drops of liquid dish soap, but instead of submerging jewelry, dip a cloth into the mixture instead. Then use the damp cloth to gently clean the gold and the gemstones. Make sure cloth is damp but not soaked — because you do not want excess liquid to settle in gemstone settings. Gently dry with another clean cloth and then leave upside down on a clean towel to completely air dry on its own.

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

This combination works great for removing tarnish from Silver jewelry. Make a paste by combining lemon juice and baking soda on a place or dish. Then get a soft, clean old toothbrush, dip it in the paste and brush onto the silver jewelry. Let the paste dry, then brush and rinse jewelry clean. You can then follow up by polishing the jewelry with a clean dry cloth.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

The magic eraser is good for cleaning both gold and silver jewelry. Simply dampen a piece of the magic eraser and rub off tarnish stains from silver jewelry. Then wash the item in soapy water, rinse clean and dry.

Aluminum Foil, Salt and Water

This method not only helps clean tarnish from silver jewelry it also works great for tarnished silverware.

Put some aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan, bowl or jar. Fill halfway with hot tap water and add one tablespoon of salt. Place silver jewelry in the solution for at least 5 minutes. The aluminum and salt act like a magnet for the tarnish. Then remove jewelry and dry.

For tougher tarnish stains you might need to do this two or three times, but it will get your silver jewelry clean.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste can also help clean Silver Jewelry. Squeeze a dollop of toothpaste (paste kind not gel) on a clean piece of cloth and rub the item until spots or tarnish is removed, then rinse and dry.