You don’t need a specialized cleaner to make silver, gold and gems sparkle. Discover the 12 best homemade tips to clean and shine your jewelry!
#1 Among the best homemade jewelry cleaning tips, Alka-Seltzer
Drop your tarnished jewelry into a glass with an Alka-Seltzer sparkling for a few minutes. It will sparkle when you take it out.
#2 Foil and detergent
To clean your jewelry, line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Fill it with warm water and mix in 15 mL (1 tbsp.) of non-bleach laundry powder, such as Tide – but not liquid. Put your jewelry in the solution and let it soak for a minute. Rinse well and dry with a dryer. This chemical process, ion exchange, is also very effective for cleaning silverware.
#3 Ammonia
Shine your silver knick-knacks by soaking them for 10 minutes in 125 mL (1/2 cup) of ammonia mixed with 250 mL (1 cup) of water. Then remove the excess water with a soft cloth and let dry.
Caution: Do not use on jewelry with pearls, as this may damage the delicate surface or tarnish it.
#4 Baking soda
To remove tarnish from your silver jewelry, make a thick paste with 65 mL (1/4 cup) baking soda and 30 mL (2 tbsp.) water. Apply with a damp sponge, rub gently, rinse and dry. To polish gold jewelry, cover it with baking soda, pour a little vinegar on it and rinse.
Caution: Avoid polishing jewelry with pearls or gems as this may damage the surface or dissolve the glue.
#5 Beer
Restore the shine to your solid gold rings (if they have no gemstones) and other jewelry by pouring beer (not black or brown beer) on a cloth and gently rubbing the jewelry. Take a clean cloth to dry.
#6 Club soda
Soak your diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds in club soda to give them a nice shine. Simply place them in a glass full of club soda and forget about them overnight.
#7 Restore Diamond Luster with Denture Tablets
Has your diamond lost its beauty? Drop a denture tablet into a glass containing 1 cup of water. Then put your ring or earrings in. Let it soak for a few minutes. Remove the jewelry and rinse: you will see that it will have regained its shine.
#8 Make your silver shine with ketchup
Let the ketchup work to make tarnished silver shine. If your silver has smooth surfaces, place it in a small bowl of ketchup for a few minutes. If the surface is worked, use an old toothbrush to work the ketchup into the cracks. To avoid damaging the silver, never leave the ketchup on longer than necessary. Rinse utensils or jewelry and dry thoroughly.
#9 Toothpaste
Put some toothpaste on an old toothbrush and scrub your diamond to make it shine. Wipe the stone with a damp cloth to remove any residue.
#10 Vinegar
Make your silver jewelry (including silver bracelets, rings and other jewelry) shine like new by soaking it for two to three hours in 125 mL (1/2 cup) vinegar mixed with 30 mL (2 tbsp.) baking soda. Rinse under cold water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. There are also millions of other ways to use vinegar.
#11 Vodka to clean jewelry with crystal stones
A few drops of vodka will clean any type of glass or jewelry with crystal stones. So even if people look at you the wrong way, you could dip the corner of your paper towel in your vodka on ice and clean all the grime off your glasses or soak your diamond ring in it for a few minutes to get it back to its full brilliance. But don’t try this with your contact lenses! And avoid soaking any stone that is not crystal clear in alcohol. Only diamonds, emeralds and the like will benefit from a vodka bath.
#12 Glass cleaner
Take a glass cleaner to bring your metal or gemstone jewelry such as diamonds or rubies back to life. Spray the cleaner on and use an old toothbrush to clean them. But don’t do this on opaque stones like opal or turquoise or organic stones like coral. Ammonia and cleaners could discolor these porous materials.