We talk a lot about cleaning your clothing, maintaining your clothing, and organizing your clothing.  We know getting dressed each day doesn’t stop with just clothing items, we typically accessorize after getting dressed with jewelry.

And, you guessed it, jewelry should be cleaned periodically as well.  Here’s how to clean your jewelry at home:

To Clean Silver Jewelry –

• Rinse the silver piece in warm water and blot with dry with a soft cloth.
• Polish with a silver-cleaning cloth by rubbing the piece gently to remove tarnish.  Use a back and forth or up and down motion.  As the tarnish comes off on the cloth, continue to move the piece to a clean portion of the cloth until no more tarnish rubs off.
• You may also use a silver cleaning fluid by letting the silver sit in the fluid for a few seconds then pat dry with a cloth.
• Use silver cleaning paste for jewelry with engraving or intricate designs.  Work a little into the grooves with a cloth or you may gently use a soft bristle toothbrush.  Rinse then blot dry with a clean, soft cloth.
• ***Do not rub silver with anything other than a polishing cloth or a fine piece of felt.  Tissue paper or paper towels can cause scratches.

To Clean Gold Jewelry –

• Gold Jewelry can be cleaned with a mild dish-washing liquid.
• Soak the jewelry for about 15 minutes in a bowl filled with two cups of warm water and a few drops of mild dish-washing liquid.
• Scrub the jewelry with a soft bristle toothbrush to remove any dirt lodged in nooks and crannies.
• Rinse with warm water to remove the soapy residue and blot dry with a soft cloth.

It’s best to clean your jewelry periodically rather than wait until it looks dirty.  And always thoroughly rinse and dry your jewelry after cleaning and before storage.

– S.O.