Community Pick
Jewelry Cleaner
"I couldn't believe how dirty my watch and silver jewelry were when I tried this. Yuck! This saves money and is safe for you and the environment. The solution can be very drying to your hands so consider using rubber gloves or even tweezers to handle the jewelry. This recipe is from wire-sculpture.com."
photo by jonesies
- Ready In:
- 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 5
- Yields:
-
1 bowl of cleaning solution
- Serves:
- 1
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon dish detergent
- 1 cup water
- 1 piece aluminum foil
directions
- Heat water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil that roughly covers the bottom of a small bowl (like a cereal bowl).
- Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dishwashing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use and make a new batch next time.
- According to wire-sculpture.com, "this works well for gold-filled, brass, german (nickel) silver, and sterling silver. I have even cleaned jewelry with freshwater pearls, shell cameos and mother of pearl with no problem.".
Questions & Replies
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Can this solution be stored and reused. Worked beautifully on all my jewelry! -
Is this safe for gold? -
Do you need to mis ingredients?
-
I have a Mallorcan pearl necklace and matching bracelet that my father gave me about 20 years ago. The chain is gold, with the pearls set about every 1-1/2" apart. Because I have worn the necklace more than the bracelet, the gold is now slightly darker on it than on the bracelet. I have done some research online and know that the pearls are not genuine, but must still be cared for gently. Can you tell me how to clean the gold while not harming the pearls? Thank you. -
i have a mother of pearl pendant its got dull would this be safe on it i hate to ruin this piece of jewelry. i do believe this would do well on just sterling silver but a lil nervous about using it on stones please help
Reviews
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The combination of baking soda & boiling water is a universally accepted way to clean all sterling silver. However, you MUST lay the sterling on aluminum foil or else the jewelry piece or whatever you are cleaning will turn black! It is the aluminum which causes the silver oxidation to move from the silver to the foil. (And, if your silver turns black because you failed to use the aluminum, just re-do the process with the foil & the staining will reverse itself.) Hope this helps! -
DO NOT USE THIS. Just turned my favorite Tiffany's necklace black. I'm furious. Do not do this cleaner.
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Awful for silver jewelry!!! It turned my silver Nelle and Lizzy ring yellow and took a ton of polishing to get rid of it. It also took the patina off my Pandora ring. Just want folks to be aware that this is not safe for sterling silver.........
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So, it's 2:00 in the morning and I'm cleaning up from painting magnetic primer in my kids' playroom. The stuff might as well be black superglue. Then I realize I forgot to take off my wedding ring. I cannot get this stuff off my hands, the sink and definitely not the intricate parts of my diamond ring. This little recipe saved my ring and, quite possibly, my marriage, lol! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! (And, for anyone thinking of magnetic primer paint... get some good gloves!) -
WOW! I can't stop looking at what looks like brand new jewelry. I had a pair of earrings I never wore because they looked so bad as well as a necklace. The earrings look brand new--though, they had a strange film on them when I took them out of the solution and rinsed them. I just scraped the film off and they're beautiful. The necklace looks great, too. Thank you so much for posting this!
see 124 more reviews
Tweaks
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I suggest only using this for silver and gold. I ruined a silver bracelet with jeweled insets. I would not suggest using it on any turquoise, pearls, diamonds, etc.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am married to my best friend, Robin, and we have a six year old daughter named Haley. I like to read, cook, and travel; I'm trying to become a knitter and I'm an inconsistent gardener.
I love to be creative with existing ingredients in my pantry and fridge and make something interesting, especially the last week before my once-a-month payday :) I do create a lot of recipes, but I rarely make the same thing twice (or even remember what I made) and don't tend to keep track of measurements. This is my biggest impediment to posting here on 'Zaar.
Cooking Pet Peeves: recipes with Campbell's soup, prepared mixes, and other processed foods. I also hate that the food supply in the US is so loaded with additives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc. I try to buy organic as much as possible to support the movement toward healthier food. When I get discouraged about the price, I remind myself that it's cheaper and much less painful than being sick.
