What to Use to Clean Jewelry at Home

• Use gentle soap, lukewarm water, and a soft toothbrush to clean jewelry of nearly any type.
• Clean gold jewelry with baking soda and vinegar, baking soda and aluminum foil, or ammonia.
• Clean silver with hand sanitizer, aluminum foil and salt or baking soda, or plain white toothpaste.
• Clean hard gemstones (like diamonds) at home, bring delicate ones (like pearls and opals) to a pro.

All Jewelry (soap and water)

Mix a few drops of a gentle soap into a bowl of lukewarm water. For everyday jewelry, it’s generally fine to use any old dish soap and hot water here—some people even use boiling water to soak their items in. However, if your jewelry is delicate and/or valuable, opt for lukewarm water and a gentle, additive-free dish soap. For a typical ring, necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings, 1-2 drops of soap in a shallow dish of water is plenty. For jewelry with soft gemstones like pearls or opals, switch out the dish soap for a pH-neutral baby soap.

Soak non-porous/non-fragile jewelry in the mixture for 15 minutes. Soaking helps loosen debris and oils, but skip this step and do not soak your jewelry if any of the following are true: It is an extremely valuable item. It has fragile or damaged components, such as gem settings. It contains pearl, opal, or emerald, which are very delicate, or coral, bone, or wood, which soak up water readily.

Gently scrub the jewelry with a soft-bristled baby toothbrush. Go gentle here, especially if your item is fragile and/or valuable! Use a baby toothbrush with super-soft bristles, dip it in the soapy water regularly, and lightly buff all surfaces of the item with circular and back-and-forth motions. Dunk the item back in the soapy water if it starts to dry off. If the item has any nooks and crannies that you can’t reach with the toothbrush, switch to cotton swabs (Q-Tips) for these areas.

Rinse the jewelry under lukewarm running water. Regular tap water will do the job here. Just avoid putting the tap on full blast and don’t use water that’s extremely hot or cold.

Pat the jewelry with a soft cloth or let it air dry. A clean, soft microfiber cloth is ideal here. Don’t use a rough fabric towel or a paper towel, as these might scratch softer metals or gemstones. If you’re not in a rush, it’s equally fine to just let the item air dry on a soft cloth. If desired, you can lightly buff the item with the soft cloth after it’s dry—this will help bring out its shine.

Gold Jewelry

Baking soda and vinegar: Mix about 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water in a bowl until it makes a thick paste. Use cotton swabs or cotton balls to coat the item with the paste, set it in another bowl, and slowly pour on enough white vinegar to cover the item. Wait 5 minutes, then rinse the item thoroughly and pat it dry with a soft cloth. Cleaning gold with baking soda and vinegar helps loosen dirt and debris, but this method shouldn’t be used on gold jewelry that’s delicate, fragile, or high-value, or that contains delicate or porous gemstones.

Baking soda and aluminum foil: Line a shallow glass bowl with a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side up. Lay your gold jewelry directly onto the foil, then sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the jewelry. Pour enough boiling water into the bowl to completely cover the jewelry, then wait up to 5 minutes for the water to cool to the touch. Remove the jewelry, rinse it thoroughly with warm—not cold—water, then pat it dry with a soft cloth. How does this work? A chemical reaction occurs among the aluminum foil, the baking soda, and the tarnish on your jewelry. The boiling water also helps loosen stubborn dirt and debris. You can also try this method with silver jewelry, or the slightly different aluminum foil method provided in the silver jewelry section of this article. Don’t use this technique on very valuable or fragile gold, or gold jewelry with fragile or porous gemstones. Stick to the soapy water method, or take your item to a professional.

Ammonia: To clean gold jewelry with ammonia, add 6 parts water to 1 part ammonia in a bowl. Soak your item of jewelry for no more than 60 seconds, then remove it from the mixture. Rinse it thoroughly with clean water, then pat it dry with a soft cloth. Wear gloves and protective eyewear when using ammonia, and work in a well-ventilated area. Ammonia may start to corrode your gold item if you soak it for more than 1 minute. Avoid using ammonia frequently on jewelry—use it a couple times a year, for example, instead of monthly. Don’t use ammonia on—you guessed it!—delicate, fragile, or highly-valuable jewelry, or on jewelry with fragile or porous gemstones.

Silver Jewelry

Hand sanitizer: To begin this technique, rinse the item under warm water and then lightly scrub it with a soft cloth and cotton swabs to remove surface residue and tarnish. Pat the item dry with a clean cloth, then spot-clean the remaining tarnish with cotton swabs/balls/pads dipped in plain, unscented hand sanitizer. Rinse the item under warm water to remove any sanitizer residue, then pat it dry once more. This is a low-risk way to clean silver items since it doesn’t use any abrasives or chemical reactions. That said, if you’re dealing with something extremely delicate or valuable, it’s safest to leave the task to a professional.

Aluminum foil and baking soda: This is the same method as described in the gold jewelry section of this article: line a glass bowl with aluminum foil (shiny side up); lay the silver item on the foil; cover the item with baking soda; cover the item with boiling water; wait 5 minutes; rinse the item thoroughly with warm water; pat it dry with a soft cloth.

Aluminum foil and table salt: This one’s a variation on the previous aluminum foil method—in fact, you can substitute baking soda for table salt and get the same results. To clean silver jewelry this way, stir a spoonful of salt into a bowl of hot water. Then, rip off several strips of aluminum foil and put them in the water. Next, submerge your silver item in the water for 5 minutes. To finish, thoroughly rinse the item and pat it dry with a clean cloth. As with gold, avoid using any type of aluminum foil and baking soda/table salt method with high-value, fragile, or delicate jewelry, especially if it contains fragile or porous gemstones.

Toothpaste: Dip your jewelry in warm water to wet it, then use your fingertip to lightly massage the item with a thin coating of plain white toothpaste. Wait 2-3 minutes, then use water-dampened cotton swabs and/or a soft-bristled baby toothbrush to gently scrub the item. Rinse off the excess toothpaste with warm running water, then pat your jewelry dry with a soft cloth. Cleaning silver with toothpaste comes with risks—even plain white toothpaste is gritty enough to potentially scratch silver. Save this method for sturdy, relatively low-value silver jewelry.

Gemstones

Diamonds: Diamonds (as well as rubies and sapphires) are hard enough to stand up to many cleaning methods, but the safest option is the soapy water method described in this article: soak the item in water and a few drops of dish soap for 15 minutes; lightly scrub the item with a soft toothbrush; rinse the item and dry it with a soft cloth. Repeat this cleaning once a month to prevent buildup from forming. Here are some alternatives for cleaning diamonds (or rubies or sapphires) you might consider as well: Spray a household window cleaner (like Windex) onto a soft cloth and wipe the diamond. Soak the item in club soda overnight, then rinse it with clean water and wipe it down with a soft cloth. Put the item in a glass of water and add a denture cleaning tablet. After the tablet dissolves, remove the jewelry, rinse it, and pat it dry.

Pearls and opals: Using a pH-neutral baby soap is gentler on pearls and opals than dish detergent and other soaps. Make sure the pearls or opals are secure in their setting, then gently rub them clean with a soft cloth (or cotton swabs) dipped in a solution of water and a few drops of baby soap. Rinse them with slow-running water and let them air dry. Do not soak pearls or opals in water or any cleaning solution—they’re too porous and fragile.

Soft, porous, or fragile gemstones: If you have any doubts about the hardness or porosity of a gemstone, or about the quality of its setting, take the piece to a jeweler and have it cleaned using professional techniques. It’s well worth the investment, especially if your jewelry has a high monetary value (or a high sentimental value).