Dirt and grease deposits leave your favorite chain or thenew gold ringlook worn? With the following home remedies you can clean your gold jewelry and make it shine again.
Cleaning gold jewelry: This is what you should keep in mind
Pure gold cannot tarnish. Why then does gold jewelry acquire an unsightly patina over time and suddenly appear dirty? This is because pure gold is never used in jewelry making, but other metals (most commonly silver) are also added to it. The amount of other metals may vary. Jewelry made with 333 alloy contains only 33% fine gold. The proportion of other metals such as silver or copper is significantly higher at 67%. Commercially, such alloys are referred to as 8-carat gold.
Depending on which metals are added to the gold, discoloration or a patina may form. The special cleaners and care baths for silver offered in drugstores can help to a limited extent and contain aggressive chemicals that can potentially damage the material.Valuable pieces of jewelryand unique pieces with gemstones should therefore be cleaned by a jeweler.
And you can also clean your favorite necklace or the simple gold ring that you received as a birthday present with a household remedy.
Clean gold jewelry with dishwashing liquid
Pour lukewarm tap water into a glass bowl and add a splash of dish soap to the water. It is very important that the water is only warm and not hot. Because hot water can damage certain gemstones such as the mineral opal. If the piece of jewelry is gluedHas gemstones, you can moisten a cleaning cloth and use it to clean the stones.
After the detergent has completely dissolved, you can immerse the gold jewelry in the water and let it soak for half an hour. You can rub chains with a cotton swab. Then you can polish the gold jewelry with a dry and clean cleaning cloth.
Cleaning gold jewelry: toothpaste makes it shine
Soap residue, grease and sweat leave their mark on the jewelry. If the favorite chain orthe wedding ringhave lost their shine, then you can clean them with toothpaste. This is an effective oneHome remedies for cleaningof alloys with a high silver content. Simply put some toothpaste on a slightly damp eyebrow comb and rub the piece of jewelry very gently. Then wipe it with a damp cleaning cloth and polish it with a wool cloth.
Cleaning new gold jewelry: Remove stubborn dirt with a citric acid bath
A citric acid bath can help with stubborn dirt. However, citric acid can damage certain gemstones if used too often. The home remedy should therefore only be used if nothing else helps. For the citric acid bath, fill lukewarm water into a clean glass bowl and add some citric acid. Immerse the gold jewelry in the bath and let the citric acid work for about 5 minutes. Then rinse the gold jewelry thoroughly with tap water and rub it dry with a wool cloth. By the way, you can replace the citric acid with vinegar.
Cleaning old gold jewelry: Alcohol and gasoline are only suitable to a limited extent
Cleaning gold jewelry that you inherited or bought from a flea market is not an easy task. Old gold often has a high zinc content and acids can dissolve the metal. The result – unsightly stains appear and parts of the jewelry turn copper. It is best to have high-quality old gold jewelry professionally cleaned. Some numismatists swear by alcohol and gasoline, but both are only partially suitable. So before using them, you can consult the jeweler. To be on the safe side, you should first test its effect on an invisible area and only then use it to clean the gold jewelry. Simply moisten cotton pads with vodka or gasoline and then rub the jewelry with it.
Cleaning gold jewelry: You should not use these home remedies!
There are several home remedies that can work wonders on other jewelry. However, these are not suitable for gold. Ammonia, for example, is too aggressive and can damage not only the gold, but also platinum details and gemstones. The same applies to silver polish: it cannot remove dirt from gold.
How often should you clean your gold jewelry?
How often you should clean your gold jewelry depends on how often you wear it and what alloy it is made of. The alloys with a low gold content get dirty more quickly and need to be cleaned every two weeks. You can also clean high-quality jewelry with a high gold content once a month or as needed.
