How to clean your gold jewelry

Cleaning gold jewelry - that's how it works

Oh no! At the latest when your favorite pieces no longer sparkle when you look in the jewelry drawer, you know: It's time to clean your gold jewelry ! No matter how carefully you handle your gold jewelry - frequent wearing, incorrect storage and long nights out will also leave a mark on your accessories. Sooner or later you will have to clean your gold jewelry - no question. But how do you actually clean gold jewelry ? We give tips and share home remedies that are guaranteed to make your favorite golden pieces shine again.

That's why gold jewelry tarnishes

Sure - silver jewelry is tarnishing. Most people are surprised that this also happens with golden pieces of jewellery. If you've ever wondered why your favorite gold jewelry suddenly appears unattractively discolored - here's the answer.

The reason why golden pieces of jewelery also tarnish is due to the alloy, i.e. the mixture with other precious metals such as silver. Because of its low degree of hardness, gold has to be combined with other materials to make it wearable as a piece of jewellery. Silver in particular reacts with the air – it oxidizes. The sulfites formed by the chemical reaction settle on the piece of jewellery. This creates the unsightly and dark “tarnish look”. Now it's time to clean the gold chain or clean the gold ring.

Cleaning gold jewelry: check home remedies

How to clean gold jewelry with home remedies? Did you know that gold is rather soft compared to other precious metals? This also ensures that gold jewelry is particularly sensitive. That's why you should be careful when cleaning gold jewelry . Hard brushes, coarse sponges or abrasive pastes (e.g. toothpaste) have no place in the gold cleaning process! We'll tell you how to do it properly and what resources you can use to ensure that your gold jewelery shines for a long time.

Incidentally, cleaning with a soft toothbrush and soapy water is often sufficient for light soiling. If you want to clean gold jewelry with precious stones , this method is particularly advisable, because gold jewelry with stones is sensitive. If your gold jewelry is heavily soiled, these home remedies will help with cleaning:

Cleaning gold jewelry? Everyone has vinegar in the house

Regardless of whether you want to clean your gold chain or restore the gold ring to its former glory: Vinegar is ideal for cleaning gold jewellery. Simply place your piece of jewelery in a bowl and cover it with vinegar. Depending on the degree of soiling, you can leave the gold jewelery in the vinegar solution for up to two hours. Voila! Your piece of jewelry will shine again.

Clean gold jewelry with baking soda

Household helpers such as baking powder or baking soda can also help you clean gold jewelry. Simply mix water with a little baking soda or baking soda until you get a creamy paste. You can now apply this to the surface of the jewelry with a soft (!) toothbrush. Now you have to be patient: after 30 minutes you can rinse off the paste with lukewarm water and dry it thoroughly. You can already look forward to your shiny gold jewelry.

Cleaning gold jewelry: aluminum foil works

Even if this method is mainly used for cleaning silver, it is also effective when cleaning gold jewelry: This means cleaning with aluminum foil. And that works very easily. Simply cut out a piece of aluminum foil. The size should be chosen so that your favorite piece of jewelry has enough space on it. Place the aluminum foil cut-out in a bowl and pour hot water over it. Then add a teaspoon of salt. Now place your gold jewelry on the aluminum foil. You can quickly see how the aluminum foil has turned black. Don't panic: this is a good sign! Because the dirt is now on the foil instead of on your jewelry.

Attention: If you want to clean gold jewelry with stones, this method is rather unsuitable. It could happen that precious stones become detached or damaged in the process.

Clean old gold jewelry

While rummaging through grandma's old jewelry box, do you fall in love with a vintage piece made of gold that has unfortunately lost its luster? But how can you clean old tarnished gold jewelry? Is that possible? Sure, of course! Don't worry, because the shared home remedies are also ideal for cleaning old treasures of gold. This gives two reasons to be happy, because vintage gold jewelery not only looks great, but is also a good idea in terms of sustainability. This is how you breathe new life into old gold jewelery in no time at all.

Have gold jewelry cleaned: costs for the professional solution

If the dirt on the jewelry is particularly stubborn, too severe to clean at home, or if there is no time for cleaning in everyday life, you can also have your gold jewelry professionally cleaned. You can do this at most jewelry stores. There professionals are at work who use special means and tools to clean gold jewelry. Thanks to a trained eye, the experts immediately recognize even minimal contamination. Even minor damage is usually repaired by the professional during the cleaning. In many jewelry stores, ultrasonic devices are used to clean gold jewelry, which are also available for use at home. This purchase is worthwhile, for example, for real gold jewelery lovers and for pieces that are difficult to clean and have many grooves and windings. The devices use ultrasonic waves to clean gold jewelry.

It's also worth going to a jewelry store for particularly delicate gold jewelry with pearls or precious stones. Because with professional cleaning you run no risk of damaging the valuable jewelry trimmings. The cost of having gold jewelry cleaned varies from shop to shop. Depending on the amount of jewelry and the degree of soiling, you should generally expect costs of between 20 and 50 euros.

Tips for gold jewelry care

When it comes to caring for gold jewelry, prevention is better than aftercare. There are a number of things you can do to ensure that you spend as little time as possible cleaning your gold jewelry. For example, make sure to store your gold jewelry in an airtight and light-protected place. This works, for example, in the small box that we send with our orders. Low air and light contact prevents your jewelry from tarnishing. You should also regularly polish your golden pieces with a soft cloth. It is best to wrap gold jewelry with pearl trimmings in a cloth - such as our Furoshikis - before storing them away. This prevents scratches.

Gold jewelry and cosmetics? Not a good combo! The ingredients in creams, make-up and the like can attack the gold jewelry surface. It is therefore better to keep gold earrings, necklaces and bracelets away from your care products. Water (containing chlorine) is also not good for your gold jewelry. It is therefore better to take off the jewelry before the shower or before jumping into the pool.