Rings come into contact with almost everything we touch every day. To keep them shining for a long time, regular care is recommended. How to clean rings? Well, how you clean your ring properly depends above all on the material.
Anyone who wears rings will be familiar with this problem. Over time, discolorations or stains appear that make the piece of jewelry less than charming. Fortunately, they can usually be removed quickly when cleaning the ring. Before you get started, however, you should check what material your ring is made of. Depending on whether it is cheaper jewelry (usually from a fashion store) or a ring made of stainless steel, silver or gold, there are different things to consider.
Stainless steel is extremely easy to clean—especially if it is a smooth ring. It is normally enough to wipe it with a soft microfiber cloth. Or, you can care for the ring with water and some mild soap.
If your ring is from a fashion store, things look a little different. This kind of jewelry is usually coated with lacquer or an alloy with a metallic look, which means it scratches easily, tarnishes or stains the skin (ever noticed a greenish tinge on your hands after handling jewelry from a fashion store? Bingo!). If that’s the case with your ring, there’s unfortunately not much you can do. It’s best to treat costume jewelry very carefully from the start so that it lasts as long as possible.
Gold and silver are precious metals and have the advantage of being very easy to care for. Gold rings usually keep their shine for a very long time. Exactly how long depends primarily on the gold content of the material. Silver also does not require much effort to keep it looking fresh—however, it can happen that the jewelry tarnishes from time to time. Black deposits are silver sulfide, which is formed by oxygen and hydrogen sulfide in the air. Wondering what kind of ring cleaner you need? We’ve got you!
There are lots of options to get your silver rings clean again. Here’s how to clean rings at home:
- Soapy water
If the discoloration on your ring is only slight, the easiest way to clean the ring is with an alkaline solution of lukewarm water and a few drops of dish soap, and use a soft toothbrush. Simply circle around the ring with gentle movements, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
- Chemical silver cleaners
You can buy special cleaning agents for silver jewelry in stores—including silver cleaning cloths, pastes or baths. Cloths are especially suitable for a quick clean. If the ring is very dirty, you can moisten one side of the cloth slightly and then polish it with the dry side. Ring “baths” have the advantage that they also penetrate into fine cracks and notches, and thus clean the ring more thoroughly.
- Aluminum bath
The tried-and-tested bath with aluminum works as a ring cleaner without needing any special cleaning products. To do this, place your ring in a plastic bowl with a layer of aluminum foil, and add four cups of hot water and about two tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Leave the whole thing to stand for 3-5 minutes and the discoloration will dissolve.
Surprise! After cleaning, your ring is sparkling clean and the aluminum foil is black instead! Neat, right? Rinse the ring with clean water and dry it with a soft cloth.
However, only use the aluminum bath on pure silver jewelry since rings with precious stones could be damaged in the process!
- Cleaning a ring with ultrasound
The professional variant for clean jewelry is an ultrasonic device—with it you can clean your ring at home just as professionally as a jeweler would. Ultrasonic cleaning is particularly gentle and returns your ring to its sparkling-clean self again in no time.
- Baking soda and lemon juice
If you want, you can try a bath of baking soda and lemon juice for heavily soiled rings. To do this, place the ring in a bowl of hot water and add the juice of one lemon and a tablespoon of baking soda. With a soft toothbrush, a microfiber cloth or a cotton swab, you can also gently rub the ring—but be very careful to avoid scratching your ring.
It is better not to use a ring cleaner made from aggressive household products so as not to damage the jewelry. There you have it! Now you know how to clean rings at home.
In order for your ring to stay shiny and bright, it is important to store it properly in addition to cleaning it occasionally. Protected from light, on a soft cushion and separated from other jewelry—that’s the best way to store your ring so it will not get scratched.
As a general rule, it is advisable to take your ring off when washing your hands, showering, washing dishes, and when playing sports or gardening in order to protect the material. Cosmetic products can also compromise jewelry—so it’s better to put on makeup and face creams without a ring on.