Even when you frequently visit the jeweler for the maintenance of your most precious gems, sometimes we find ourselves completely forgetful about making time for the next appointment. You’d be happy to find out that homemade cleaning solutions are most of the times just as effective as the hand of a professional but cost significantly less.

Cleaning silver

• Polishing
  It is largely known that polishing eradicates tarnish. This is a traditional method to apply in the case of degraded silver. Regarding the instrument, a jewelry polishing cloth would be fairly helpful since the item is soft and non-abrasive. Once you proceed to action, have in mind that circular motion with the cloth might magnify scratches, thus, the correct movement is back-and-forth.
• Baking soda
  This ingredient seems to be the most advantageous item in a household since it helps us with a large number of duties. Baking soda is especially useful in the case of heavily tarnished silver when polishing cloth doesn’t keep the pace. Place in a bowl 3 spoons of baking soda and 1 spoon of water and mix them together. Take the soft paste with a lint-free cloth and gently scrub the surface of the jewelry. Repeat the motion for a few minutes, then rinse it and let the gem dry.
• Toothpaste (not gel)
  Just as toothpaste does a great job at maintaining our teeth stainless, it also has a noticeable effect on tarnished silver. Dab a drop of toothpaste on a soft cloth and start the same motion as described for baking soda.

Cleaning pearls

Irrespective of their nature -real, false, or cultured- you must follow a delicate cleaning action on pearls. Since they have a pervious nature, pearls have to be constantly maintained to keep a glowy luster.

Regarding cleaning products, some specialists recommend using baby shampoo to luster the surface. In this manner, dab a drop of shampoo on a small brush and start gently scrubbing the pearl. Following, rinse the jewelry and the project is done.

Cleaning gold

Gold is a pretentious metal that needs proper care to maintain its richness intact. When you’re thinking of lustering some gold jewelry, have in mind the following steps:

1. Prepare a bowl and combine two spoons of dish detergent, a teaspoon of ammonia, and a cup of warm water. Mix the elements together until they are fully united.

2. Place the jewelry in the solution and scrub delicately with a toothbrush.

3. Once the item is clean, change the water and let it rinse for a few minutes, after which use a towel to dry it.

What NOT to use to clean gold

While gold is not as prone to tarnishing as silver is, it is still a conspicuous metal that could be easily degraded by the wrong solution.

One canonical rule that you must follow is to avoid using chlorine in the cleaning process. The chemical substance actions as both a bleacher and damaging element to gold.

When should you reach a professional?

For overly degraded jewelry that doesn’t show any response to homemade remedies, a professional is quite commendable. Also, calling an expert should be a primary option for the ones of us who are struggling to perform critically gentle jobs.