My steam cleaner came with a bunch of these amazing tablets that you dissolve in water with your jewelry to clean it, but I ran out of them. So, I needed a new quick cleaning solution! I could've just picked up some jewelry cleaner at the store, but instead I decided to try the homemade method. I'm so glad I did because it worked really well!
Here's what you need ("recipe" found here):
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dish soap
1 cup water
Here's what you do:
First, gather your ingredients:
(baking soda, dish soap, salt)
Next, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of water and microwave it for about 2 minutes (until it starts to bubble).
Then, add the salt, baking soda, and dish detergent to the water. It'll get all fizzy and stuff.
(This is just what my jewelry cleaning tablets looked like when I dropped them in the water!)
Then, just drop in your jewelry and wait for 10 minutes or so.
Hello, Aggie Ring!
Hello, Engagement Ring and Wedding Band!
Next, rinse your jewlery in cold water (being careful to plug drains!) and dry it completely.
Enjoy your pretty, shiny jewlery!
So clean!
This is so easy to do really quickly, and it's so much less expensive than buying ring cleaner! Plus, the chemicals on some jewelry cleaners can be bad for your jewelry over time. I think I just might start cleaning my rings more often now. I mean, this is so easy that I could just do it while making dinner!
What's your favorite jewelry cleaning method? Do you wait WAY too long to clean yours like I do? Do you get distracted in church on Sunday watching your just-cleaned ring sparkle under the fancy bright church lights? Because I do. We've been married almost two years, but I still love to just look at them sparkle. :)
This is awesome! I have been looking for a cheap way to clean my ring, and I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteDoes this work for all types of metals? I'd definitely use it to clean my Aggie ring, but what about just plain sterling silver?
ReplyDeleteI've only tried it on gold and white gold so far, but I'm sure it would work on silver too! It's all natural stuff so it definitely shouldn't hurt it. On the website where I found the recipe, a girl commented and said she used it on her silver dinner utensils, so I'm guessing it would work just fine on sterling!
DeleteI tried it on my silver and it discolored it. It almost looks like it faded the silver and it has kind of a film on it. I am hoping it will go away over time, but I wouldnt recommend cleaning any silver products at all with this cleaner!
DeleteI'm not sure if the above comment is spam or not (the name looks really weird, but it sounds like a normal person), but I've cleaned a lot of silver jewelry with it since I originally wrote the post, and I've never had anything but success. I've cleaned a James Avery ring, a Brighton bracelet, and various necklaces, and although it won't totally fix tarnished silver, it does get all the dirt/dust out of nooks and crannies and make untarnished silver nice and shiny! I've never had any sort of fading or film.
DeleteTo the person who had the film/fading issue, did you rinse your jewelry with cold water after leaving it in the solution for ten minutes? If you don't rinse it, I can see how the baking soda might leave some sort of film on your jewelry.
I read in another post with this exact recipe that in order to clean silver without discoloration you line a bowl with aluminum foil and pour the mixture into the bowl. Supposedly the aluminum short circuits whatever causes the discoloration in silver.
DeleteJust tried this on my mother’s diamond earrings....They are Blinging!!!! Works very well, and so easy
DeleteHoly Cow! I did this last night with my rings and they are freaking BLINDING! I cannot get over how bright and clean they are! Even my husband noticed--he grabbed my hand and asked 'what did you DO to your ring?? It looks amazing!' THANK YOU!!!! (If I could post a photo of my sparkly ring, I would!)
ReplyDeleteOMG! This stuff is amazing. My rings look new. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried it on platinum?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried it on platinum?
ReplyDeleteI just did, I have a platinum and diamond necklace and platinum and diamond rings, worked great.
Delete:-) I'm trying it now!!! Lets see!!
ReplyDeleteHoly Moley! Love this recipe!
ReplyDeleteYou said Dish Detergent...did you mean Dish Soap? Like Dawn?
ReplyDeleteYes, dish soap (like you'd use to wash dishes by hand).
DeleteThis is fantastic! I cannot stop looking at my rings! My engagement ring looks just like it did the day my husband gave it to me and I have never seen my wedding band so sparkly. Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteDo you have to make a new batch every time or is it reusable? thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'd make a new batch each time!
ReplyDeleteI use a soft used tooth brush to get in between the prongs of the stones and it works on tennis bracelets as well. any piece that has crystals, I don't know about using it on natural stones. The baking soda,salt and mild dish soap will not hurt crystals and metals.
ReplyDeleteDidn't work on my metal bracelet at all. The metals have discolored from silver color to copper partially, but this method does not take away the copper or alter the colors in any way. Thanks for sharing though. I still need to look for another method.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone used this on rubies? I have a diamond and ruby ring and I'm not sure whether to try.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try this cleaning mixture
ReplyDeleteThank u. I just love it. works goed on everthing I just put in.
ReplyDeleteOMG! Exploded all over my counter!! lol.. But worked wondrfully!
ReplyDeleteI just tried it on a platinum and diamond necklace and platinum and diamond ring, works perfect.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is amazing! I've dipped diamonds, gold, silver and various gemstones with no adverse effect. Everything comes out shiny, sparkly and clean. One aquamarine I had, that I thought was cloudy, came out like a drop of blue water. It took the tarnish right off my silver bracelet. Bonus, everything was in my pantry. Wow!!! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI saw this about 6 months ago & pinned it to my board. Finally took a close look at my wedding ring & it was dull. This made it so sparkly. I used it on a coral ring & it didn't harm it at all. Blue sapphire ring & pink sapphire rings are gorgeous. This went into my recipe binder immediately. Thanks for sharing, I wish I'd been more pro-active about cleaning. Yes, it works on silver too. FYI
ReplyDeleteHow often can you do this?
ReplyDeleteI've done it as often as once a week with no issues. The mixture itself shouldn't have any adverse effects on your jewelry, no matter how much you use it, as long as you rinse well each time.
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