How to Clean, Sanitise, and Store Your Jewellery

You may be washing your hands frequently, keeping yourself sanitised, but you could be forgetting something…the jewellery you’re wearing, are they clean? Insider reported that a 2018 study from Georgia State University found out rings provided “a protected area in which bacteria can flourish”.

It’s pretty obvious that these nasties mostly come from being outdoors, but just because you’re staying at home these days, doesn’t mean you should be lenient about it. See, it’s not just the outside air or your sweat from being under the sun that make your jewellery dirty. It also depends on the materials you’re exposed to like lotions, perfumes or cosmetics.

Now, the question: How do you make sure to clean your precious accessories?

Cleaning and sanitising your jewellery

There are several sure-fire ways you can do to clean and sanitise your jewellery–all using things you can already find at home. However, keep in mind that it all depends on the kind of jewellery you want to clean. For silver, some people swear by using boiling water, aluminum foil and baking soda. You can add boiling water to a bowl lined with foil and mix in some baking soda, then after three minutes, remove the jewellery from the bowl and rinse it with cool water. Finally, buff it with a soft cloth. This is a procedure that’s effective with silver but don’t do this if you’re working with gemstones like opals, pearls and amber because of their porous and soft making material.

Following the same procedure, you can also use a dishwashing soap instead of baking soda if it’s not available. Let it stand for 15 minutes then use a soft brush to loosen the debris. After, rinse it and dry with a soft cotton cloth.

Another household material you can use for cleaning is vinegar, which works wonders for gold. The properties in a distilled vinegar make it a perfect natural cleaning agent for gold. You simply need to drop your gold jewellery in a small bowl of vinegar and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Then you can rinse it with hot water and pat dry with a soft cloth.

Storing your jewellery

When you have a lot on your mind, it’s easy to just forget to put your jewellery on its proper place. We know we’ve all had those moments of misplacing precious jewellery and the regret that followed. If only I put it on its storage, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time looking for it.

Then again, this habit not only wastes your time, but it also affects the condition of your jewellery. Being in the open leaves your jewellery susceptible to moisture, air, or specific chemicals, which all inevitably cause it to tarnish. Not only that, they also become easier to be contaminated by germs. We suggest finding storage that’s cool and dry, and definitely out of sunlight. To make it even easier to keep everything organised, choose a style of jewellery box that has many small compartments to separate items. This will allow you to keep pieces away from each other so that they don’t touch or become tangled.

It can also be helpful to separate your frequently-used items by putting them in an accessible tray. This will help you to find what you need right away and remind you of your jewellery choices. You can also opt for hanging organisers with clear pouches, which are also great for visibly separating your items.

Make sure to remove your jewellery when washing your hands

These days, it’s probably become a habit for you to wash your hands. It should be made clear, though, that you must remove your jewellery when washing. See, if they are contaminated and you pop them back on after washing your hands, then the effort becomes pointless. Also, the frequent exposure to water and soap can wear down your precious jewellery. So, a little friendly reminder from us: Remove before you wash!

How do you keep your jewellery clean and sanitised? What kind of storage do you use to keep your items?

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