You love your earrings, wear them almost every day, but the wear and tear is starting to show? With these cleaning tips, you’ll be able to make your favourite hoops as sparkly as the day you got them!
Jewellery is a great way to round off your outfit and add that extra je ne sais quoi. But if you wear necklaces, rings, and earrings often, they will eventually start to look dirty, especially your favourite, most-worn pieces. Creams, dust, dirt, and skin flakes make the surface look dull. This is particularly visible with earrings since they sit right on your skin. That is why we have the best tips for you on how to clean your earrings!
Not all gold is the same – the lower the amount of gold in your earrings, the higher the amount of added metals. These will tarnish faster and make your jewellery lose its sparkle. When cleaning your earrings, you should be careful since gold is a very soft material and gets scratched easily. Gentle cleaners as well as soft brushes and cloths should be used to protect the material. Here‘s how to make your gold earrings shine again:
- Bicarbonate of soda
Sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda on a slightly damp microfibre cloth. Rub the earrings carefully with the cloth until they become shiny, and then rinse them with clean water.
- Dishwashing detergent
Put a few drops of dishwashing detergent in a bowl of warm water and place your earrings in there. Sodium-free, warmed-up sparkling water removes deposits even in hard-to-reach places. No sparkling water at hand? This works with tap water too. After leaving to soak for 15 minutes, you can start cleaning your earrings. It is best to use a soft toothbrush for this. Your earrings will shine again in no time!
- Toothpaste
Toothpaste is the best choice when stubborn dirt has collected on your gold earrings. Work the paste into the earrings with a toothbrush, rinse and dry them carefully.
Silver jewellery is timeless, simple, and elegant. But when this material comes into contact with air and therefore also with hydrogen sulphide, silver can quickly turn black. But you don’t have to give up on your silver earrings because we have the best cleaning tips for this material too! Bicarbonate of soda and toothpaste also work on silver just like on gold, but there is another method that’s just as effective. However, only use this if nothing else is working and the black discolouration is still there. Please note that this method is not suitable for earrings that are set with precious or semi-precious stones or pearls.
Once you’ve determined that your silver earrings qualify for cleaning, let’s begin. First line a bowl with aluminium foil, add a teaspoon of salt, and place the earrings in the bowl. Finally, pour hot water into the bowl until the jewellery is covered. Now it is time to marvel and watch the discolouration disappear – the aluminium foil absorbs the deposits. Rinse the earrings and dry them carefully.
Costume jewellery is significantly cheaper than gold and silver and therefore ideal for those who love variety. Costume jewellery can be made out of so many different materials – these range from metals, plastics and glass, to leather and wood. Gently cleaning with bicarbonate of soda, washing-up detergent, or toothpaste also works for costume jewellery. However, it is worth checking whether the discolouration could actually be dirt. With inexpensive jewellery, the alloy wears off over time so no amount of cleaning is going to make it look better. But at least you have a reason to go on a little shopping spree.
Whether gold, silver, or a mixture of materials, these tips help you to clean your earrings:
- If your earrings contain precious stones, it is best to just use water and a soft brush. Robust precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires are able to withstand a few drops of mild detergent.
- Pearls are also very delicate. Avoid submerging them in water otherwise the water could get inside the pearls and damage them from the inside.
- When cleaning your earrings under the tap, make sure you cover up the drain so you don’t lose them down there.
- Did you follow the tips, but your earrings are still discoloured? Repeat the process instead of brushing or scrubbing harder. This will stop your earrings from getting damaged.
- Your earrings are now shiny, but the nooks and crannies are still dirty? In this case, a toothbrush, fine brushes, or cotton buds will help.
We have an array on articles on cleaning. Did you ever want to know how to clean a flat screen TV, how to wash pillows, or how to dust properly? We have the answers!