Biltmore Loan & Jewelry Blog

Have you often wondered about the frequency of cleaning your jewelry? Most people overlook their jewelry in the process of cleaning everything else. Don’t be concerned if you have not cleaned or even thought twice about your jewelry in the past few years. The important thing is that you have come upon this post and have finally decided to include your jewelry cleaning into your yearly routine.

Keep in mind that there are various types of jewelry. There is real and faux jewelry. There’s the kind that you wear only on special occasions and the kind you wear daily. Some people don’t ever take off their jewelry, particularly their wedding ring. What this means is that no matter what you are doing, whether it is chopping onions, doing laundry, scrubbing pots and pans or changing your baby’s diaper, your jewelry is right there with you. If you think that your daily bath that consists of soap and shampoo is enough to clean the jewelry you wear daily, think again. You can go through the entire day doing many different chores, take a bath at night and then apply your nightly lotion, all without realizing the germs and bacteria that may be trapped within your jewelry settings.

A Weekly Cleaning

Give the jewelry you wear daily a weekly cleaning. Use lukewarm water and mild dish soap to soak your jewelry. Using a toothbrush, scrub all the parts of your jewelry while paying special attention to the small crevices and the prongs of the stone settings. Rinse your jewelry by soaking it in another cup with lukewarm water. You can also clean your real pearls this way using minimal soap. Keep in mind that when it comes to pearls, chemicals cause abrasion on the surface. The fewer chemicals you use, the better. Mild and gentle soap and nothing more than that is a good rule of thumb. It is never a good idea to hold your jewelry under running water as the smaller pieces could drop into the drainage.

Yearly Cleaning

For jewelry you wear only on special occasions, a yearly cleaning should suffice. If you wear pieces rarely, these will most likely be cleaner than the ones you use daily, for obvious reasons. Also, storing your pieces in a clean jewelry box will go a long way towards keeping your trinkets clean. Think about it, what is the point of getting your jewelry clean only to store it for long periods of time in a dirty box?

Costume Jewelry

If you have costume jewelry, it is not a good idea to rinse these in detergent. As a matter of fact, it is a bad idea to expose costume jewelry to moisture in any way. You are not sure what glue or findings were used to put these pieces together. Also, detergent is abrasive to faux pearls. Your manufactured pearls might lose their luster and shine if you soak them in detergent for long periods. Instead, wipe down your faux jewelry with a velvet or felt cloth. This will restore their shine and at the same time preserve your gorgeous jewelry year after year.