Cleaning jewelry: The best home remedies & professional tips

Cleaning Jewelry: Home Remedies and Professional Tips for Radiant Shine

Cleaning jewelry is essential for its upkeep and preserves the value and beauty of your pieces. With the right methods, you can easily refresh gold, silver, and gemstone jewelry at home. We'll show you what really works – and what you should definitely avoid.

Cleaning Gold Jewelry: The Right Way

• Lukewarm water with a drop of dish soap in a bowl
• Soak jewelry for a few minutes
• Gently brush with a soft toothbrush (child's toothbrush)
• Rinse under running water
• Pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth

This method works for all gold jewelry without delicate stones. For jewelry with pearls or opals, do not soak – these stones are sensitive to water.

Cleaning Silver Jewelry: Against Tarnishing

You can clean tarnished silver with one of the following home remedies:

• Baking soda paste: Mix baking soda with a little water to form a paste, apply, let it sit, rinse off.
• Aluminum foil bath: Line a bowl with aluminum foil, place silver jewelry inside, add boiling water and salt – a chemical reaction removes tarnish.
• Silver polishing cloth: The simplest method for light discoloration.

Cleaning Gemstones Correctly

• Diamonds: Tolerate the soapy water method well. Ultrasonic cleaners are possible.
• Sapphires & Rubies: Also robust – soapy water is ideal.
• Emeralds: Delicate – only with a damp cloth, no ultrasound.
• Pearls: Only wipe with a damp cloth, do not soak.
• Opals & Turquoise: Very delicate – only dry clean.

What You Should Avoid When Cleaning

• Bleach or chlorine – corrodes gold and silver
• Abrasive agents – scratch polished surfaces
• Too hot water for jewelry with glued stones
• Drying in the oven or with a hairdryer

For heavy soiling or expensive pieces, we recommend professional cleaning by a jeweler. Corélune also offers care advice online – just ask us.