5 Tips For Cleaning Old Jewellery at Home

If you’ve found some old jewellery that’s looking less than its best, then you may want to give it a bit of a clean. However, there’s more to cleaning a gold necklace than dunking it in a dish of water and scrubbing it with soap.

This is especially true when dealing with real jewellery, as per the gold necklace. You could pay an expert to clean it for you, but there are a few things you can do to clean your own jewellery at home.

1. Get some detergent and mix with some warm (not HOT!) water

Detergent is great for getting off that grime, not to mention it gives your necklace a nice shine. Be careful not to use too much, though, as it can remove the finish and that is the last thing you want.

2. A few drops of ammonia won’t hurt

Ammonia is a strong cleaning compound often found in the home. One or two drops in your detergent water will give it some extra strength if that necklace is proving a tad bit stubborn to clean. You only need a few drops, however, not half the bottle.

3. Use tiny implement like a cotton bud or baby toothbrush

You may be tempted to dunk your jewellery in that detergent/ammonia mix. Do not do this. Your cleaning will be more precise if use a small implement such as a cotton bud or baby toothbrush to gently scrub away the dirt.

Scrub in small circles and never press hard. Again, you will risk rubbing away the finish. Just gently swathe the piece of jewellery and let the mixture work its magic.

4. Rinse in lukewarm water

To get rid of any excess detergent water, rinse the necklace, bracelet, etc. in some lukewarm water. Again, not too hot otherwise this could damage the jewellery.

5. Dry gently with a clean dishcloth or towel

Finally, get a clean cloth or towel to gently dry with. You can even just let the jewellery air dry on a paper towel, though of course, this will take longer. And that’s how you can clean your jewellery at home!

Why not take a look at some of the jewellery we have in stock right here at Cuttings?