As long as you own your jewelry, you always want those pieces to have their sparkle and shine. One way to help make sure your jewelry always looks its best is by keeping your treasured keepsakes clean.
Your Grandma may have taught you how she kept her jewelry clean, but some methods people routinely use can do harm to those precious pieces. Here are 5 no-go’s when it comes to maintaining your jewelry’s sparkle and shine.
1 Using Boiling Water
It’s widely known that boiling water can kill bacteria, viruses and pathogens. But it’s also harsh on your jewelry. The intense temp of boiling water is no friend to soft crystals and it can actually weaken some metals, causing them to bend or lose shape. Steam is perfectly fine for most jewelry, but placing pieces in boiling water is a no-go.
2 Don’t do the Duo of Lemon Juice and Vinegar
A couple common household items with tons of uses are good old vinegar and lemon juice. Their chemical make-up can do wonders on a number of cleaning projects but your jewelry shouldn’t be one of them. Sure it can get your jewelry clean, but the acidity and abrasiveness can damage silver. Some precious stones can be damaged too. Use the combo to clean things in your home, but for jewelry, it should be a no-go.
3 Keep the Toothpaste in the Tube
Toothpaste has been known to have a number of uses around the house besides keeping your chompers cavity free, which is awesome! But keep it away from your gemstones, diamonds, gold and silver. Toothpaste is an abrasive, that’s why it works so well on your teeth. That harshness can leave scratches in your jewelry, especially with added pressure from scrubbing. And once there’s scratches in your jewelry, you really don’t want toothpaste chemicals working their way in. While it may keep your breath minty fresh, cleaning your jewelry with toothpaste is a no-go.
4 Bleach Doesn’t Belong
If you’re trying to sanitize your jewelry, bleach is another no-go. It may be your wonder solution for cleaning floors and bathrooms, but your jewelry needs a little more cautious care. Bleach is so effective at what it does because it’s strong. Strong to the point where it can break down gold and other metals. You can see the damage bleach does on clothing, now imagine how bad it would be on your jewelry. No thanks!
5 Cleaning With Harsh Chemicals
Under your sink, there’s probably a number of random bottles like ammonia, acetone, alcohol and other cleaners. Each has their specific purpose where they shine, but for your jewelry, they’re pretty much always a no-go. In high concentration, they can do real damage. Using a small concentration mixed with water is a method used by some, but for jewelry that’s that important, do you really want to risk it?
The safest way to keep your jewelry clean is to take it to a jeweler, like your friends at Morgan’s Jewelers. They can safely clean your jewelry, giving you that sparkle and shine without the chance of damaging those metals and stones.
Keep your jewelry beautiful! Visit Morgan’s Jewelers at 77 East 3rd Street in Historic Downtown Winona, Minnesota. While you’re there, why not take a peek at your next favorite piece.
