Because Montana is so near and dear to my heart yet so very, very far away from me geographically, I like to wear little pieces of it as often as I can. I have tons of t-shirts, tank tops, hats and even jewelry that all proudly boast the “Treasure State.” In fact, I have five necklaces that I wear more often than any other piece of jewelry on my organizer. And they are, unsurprisingly, all Montana necklaces.
I noticed that one of them in particular was looking a bit worse for the wear lately, so I decided to try my hand at making my own DIY jewelry cleaner. And I’ve got to tell you…it worked like magic and my necklace now looks brand new! I’m sure you’ve got a piece or two in your jewelry box that could look a bit spiffier, and chances are you’ve got all of the needed ingredients for the cleaner in your pantry, so give this a try.
I had seen “recipes” like this all over the internet, but being the skeptic that I am, I never thought to give it a try until now. Here is what you’ll need to make your own DIY jewelry cleaner:
1 cup water
1 TBS each of dish soap, salt and baking soda
In a microwave safe dish, heat the water in the microwave until is is just boiling, about two minutes. Add the dish soap, salt and baking soda and watch t bubble up.
Drop your jewelry in the mixture for 10 minutes.
Here is what my necklace looked like before cleaning, notice the discolored chain:
And my rings:
As soon as it comes out (watch it – the water will still be hot!), rinse it off in cold water and allow to dry.
My necklace looks great, but what surprised me was how sparkly my rings came out! I don’t wear them often (I almost always wear a silicone ring so I can leave it on at the gym), so they had been sitting unused for awhile now. They look brand new and I could not be happier.
I’ve tried this cleaner on rose gold, platinum, and sterling silver as well as some cheaper costume jewelry. I will tell you that it seems to work best on the nicer items. Sometimes with the costume stuff, it’s just a super thin plating and it doesn’t seem to hold up to any water at all. Also, you can use a soft tip toothbrush to scrub in the nooks and crannies on pieces for an extra clean.
Let me know if you try this and how it works for you. I am going to go scour my jewelry organizer to see what else I can clean!
Speak Your Mind