I have some good costume jewelry that needs cleaning and would like to know how to accomplish this in an economical way. Also, how do I clean my good jewelry that is also economical.
By Sheila Knight from Valdosta, GA
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First of all, it depends on what kind of jewelry you are cleaning. I use shower and tub spray or vinegar for a lot of mine. I also buy small containers of silver and gold cleaners at WalMart. They only cost a couple of dollars and last indefinitely.
Be very careful using any liquids to clean foil or closed backed rhinestone items. The moisture is highly damaging but not visible for quite awhile. . If you have what is considered "high end" rhinestone pieces, I would recommend a few seconds of warm air from your hair dryer after wearing on warm days. They will absorb body moisture.
Hope this helps.
I heard that toothpaste is good for cleaning jewelry. I would use a fine toothbrush and rub some paste on the jewelry gently and see what happens. I know that it works for diamonds. Hope this helps!
Be careful not to loosen stones by scrubbing too hard. Use a small soft child's toothbrush. Also Walmart has jewelry cleaner which comes with a small brush.
Never use toothpaste on jewelry. Only diamonds, the hardest surface known to man, can take the abrasiveness of toothpaste. On costume jewelry, and (real) gold jewelry (not pearls) use a SOFT toothbrush and a very gentle soap, such as shampoo. An ingredient in most shampoos adds shine. Dry with a soft, lint free cloth.
For pearls simply wipe with a clean, soft, slightly damp cloth. Treat cameos as you would pearls. For silver, a special silver cleaning cloth will remove tarnish. Keep silver cleaning cloths away from precious and semi-precious stones. The cloth contains a mild abrasive to remove tarnish.
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