Does your gold jewelry look tarnished? If it does, you don’t need to worry. There are several methods you can apply and make your gold look new. In addition, you don’t need to use costly jewelry cleaners to make your gold appear shining and sparkling.
Inspired by the need to help gold jewelry owners clean their tarnished gold, this article explains some ways you can apply.
Method 1. Cleaning Jewelry with Dish Soap
If you opt to clean your gold, you need to follow the following steps:
Place a few drops of liquid dish detergent in a lukewarm bowl of water
Then mix it gently. Although ordinary water may be fine or even offers better outcomes, you can use club soda or sodium-free seltzer. The carbonation present in these liquids can help slacken accumulated debris and dirt.
Avoid using boiling or hot water, particularly if the gold has fragile, precious stones such as opals. These fragile stones may crack if subjected to drastic and rapid temperature changes. You should also avoid using cold water since the grime contracts and becomes tougher.
This method can also be applied to enhancing gold-filled jewelry.
Soak the gold in the solution
After soaking the gold, you should allow it to settle in the solution for approximately 15 to 30 minutes. As the gold soaks, the warm water works its way to the crevices and cracks while loosening unreachable dirt build-ups.
Use a soft-bristled toothbrush gently
Scrub each piece of gold individually as you focus on crannies and nooks where dirt may be hidden. Although stiff bristles may scratch the jewelry, they may remove the entire gold layer if the jewelry is gold-plated rather than solid gold.
There are also special brushes designed for this reason and work perfectly. However, soft brushes such as eyebrow brushes may also be effective.
Rinse each gold piece in warm flowing water
Effective rinsing helps in eliminating lasting dirt loosened by the brush action. Again, you should also avoid using hot water, particularly if the jewel contains fragile stones. Do not allow the running water to pour vigorously.
When rinsing the gold in a sink, cover the sink drain to avoid losing your gold if it slips accidentally out of your hands. Alternatively, it would help if you rinsed the gold in a pasta strainer.
Blot dry with lenient clothing
After blot-drying the gold, you should allow the gold to settle on a towel to air dry fully before wearing it again. Wearing wet jewelry may attract moisture against the skin. This may cause minor skin irritation.
Method 2. Cleaning Jewelry With Ammonia
The following are the necessary steps if you opt to clean your gold using ammonia:
Step 1. Gather your Items
These items include ammonia, a soft bristle toothbrush, mild liquid dish soap, lukewarm and cool water, and lint-free clothing.
Step 2. Create a solution
Create a solution based on a 1:6 ratio of ammonia to lukewarm water. Be careful when creating this solution, since adding a little bit of ammonia may be destructive.
Although some individuals say the solution can be on a one-to-one ratio, this solution is too strong and can damage or discolor the gold.
Step 3. Submerge the gold jewelry
The gold should be submerged in the solution for ten minutes. When using ammonia in your solution, you should always wear gloves.
Step 4. Brush the gold gently
Although the brushing should be gentle, ensure the process is thorough. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush. After soaking the gold for ten minutes, remove your gold and gently brush all the grime away using the softest bristle toothbrush available.
You also need to pay close attention to behind of the jewelry where grime and dirt build up and prevent the gold from shining. Avoid brushing it too aggressively to prevent loosening the jewelry or scratching the metal.
Step 5. Re-soak and re-brush the gold
Place the gold back in the solution for around ten minutes. This process removes any stubborn dirt or grime left from the first scrub. Then, brush it gently for a second time.
Step 6. Remove tarnish if necessary
If the gold is too dirty, repeat the first and second steps with a different solution to clean the tarnished metal. Rather than ammonia, it would help if you also considered adding a few drops of mild dish detergent since it helps in removing built-up tarnish on the gold.
Step 7. Polish with fur-free cloth
After placing the gold for about ten minutes in the new solution, polish the jewelry with fur-free clothing. Rather than using a toothbrush, use a fur-free cloth to clean the jewelry, since using it is very effective.
Step 8. Rinse with cool water
Dry the gold with a clean fur-free cloth. Ensure that the gold dries completely before storing or wearing it.
Method 3. Cleaning Using Baking Soda
This product is an effective cleaning agent since mild alkali dissolves and removes grease and dirt quickly. When applied undissolved, baking soda can also work as a mild scouring and abrasive powder for removing stubborn stains.
Baking soda is a non-toxic product, and it can also be used to clean glass, steel, or plastic. However, it is not recommendable to clean gold glued-in gemstones since it may damage the stones. The following are the steps for cleaning tarnished gold using baking soda.
Step 1. Boil water
You require approximately two dishes of hot water for this procedure.
Step 2. Acquire a baking dish
Cover a baking dish using aluminum sheet foil. Then, spread the foil even on the dish as the sparkly side faces up. A baking dish made of glass is ideal since it can deal with the heat.
Step 3. Put gold jewelry in the dish
Place the gold jewelry on the foil-covered glass baking dish and cover it uniformly with baking soda. jewel is a chain, spread it out to unravel it.
Step 4. Add hot water
Add boiling water and ensure the baking soda plunges the jewelry completely. Allow it to soak for approximately five minutes; however, it should not be more than ten minutes since the hot water may melt the adhesives and slacken gemstones glued to the jewelry.
You do not have to mix the solution since the aluminum foil causes the baking soda and the hot water to react.
Step 5. Remove the gold
Use an appropriate tool to remove the gold from the hot water. Next, wash the gold under cold water for about 45 seconds as you use your fingers to rinse it. You can also place a colander or a sieve in the sink to prevent the gold jewelry from falling down the drain.
Step 6. Dry it
Use soft clothing to scrub any baking soda residues and to dry the gold. As you baffle the jewelry, ensure the clothing remains between the gold’s surface and your fingers. After applying the cloth, allow the gold jewelry to dry for approximately five to ten minutes before returning it to storage or wearing it.
Method 4. Cleaning Using Boiling Water
If you opt to clean your gold using boiling water, the process entails the following:
Step 1. Understand when boiling is suitable
Gold can be boiled without any issues. However, boiling subtle gemstones such as pearls, opals, and moonstones may lead to cracks or damage. This is common if the jewelry is cold before boiling.
Boiling is also not ideal for jewelry with glued-in gemstones, since it may loosen the glue. However, when cleaning your solidly made gold, boiling is an ideal choice.
Step 2. Boil the water
Much water is not necessary for boiling. You only need just enough to submerge your gold. As you wait for the water to boil, place the gold in a sturdy vessel that the boiling water cannot damage. Metal cooking bowls are ideal for this process.
Then arrange the gold in a manner in which no piece covers another. Water should also reach each piece.
Step 3. Pour the water over the gold carefully
It would help if you avoided splashing or spilling the water, since boiling water can lead to severe burns.
Step 4. Give time for the water to cool
After waiting for the water to cool, you can remove the gold. Scrub each gold piece with a soft brush and dab it with soft clothing to settle and air dry.
If the water appears dirty, it means that the boiling water has loosened the wax, dirt, and grime built up on the gold. The dirtier the water appears, the more dirt you will have removed from your jewelry.
Method 5. Cleaning Gold with Glued-In Gemstones
The following are the steps you should follow when you opt to use glued-in gemstones to clean your gold.
Step 1. Identify which jewelry types should be kept dry
Jewelry pieces with gemstones glued into their design, such as in several earrings, should not be submerged in water. Warm water may loosen the glue. This may lead to your gemstones falling out, especially when a thorough brushing is applied.
These types of jewelry require a special cleaning that doesn’t apply to total water submission.
Step 2. Wipe the gold with wet and soapy clothing
Create a small measure of dish soap solution. Dip a delicate and soft towel in the solution and gently scrub your gold.
Step 3. Rinse the gold with clothing dampened with plain water
Gently dab the wet clothing onto the gold as you focus on soaking up and any soap suds residues.
Step 4. Hang or lay the pieces upside down after cleaning
Allow the gold to dry in this manner, since this method allows the remaining moisture to drip off. This ensures the moisture doesn’t soak in the setting.
Summary
As seen above, there are many ways you can use to clean your tarnished gold. However, the nature of your jewelry may determine the appropriate method to apply. For instance, various methods are not recommendable for cleaning gold-containing jewelry glued-in gemstones.
You can leave your comments for any questions that you may have. Generally, it would help if you observed the following to prevent your gold from tarnishing:
- Keep it dry
- Store it properly
- Use protectant Sprays
