This Homemade Non-Toxic Jewelry Cleaner really amazed me at how well it worked. All you need are a few household cleaning products and some dirty jewelry. Voila! In a matter of minutes, tarnished jewelry comes out clean and looking as good as new!
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My husband (ahem) got a bargain when he married me. Yes, yes, he already knows he married someone who keeps him well fed and he does show his appreciation. The bargain he got, with me, is that I’m not really obsessed wth needing a lot of bling jewelry. I love my wedding ring, and that’s really all I wear on my hands. Around my neck, I have a cross necklace that I haven’t removed in years. (Every so often, I’ll slip on my pearl necklace that my mother gave me a long time ago.) I wear earrings, but that’s really about it– and earrings are about the only jewelry that I’ll buy.
That’s why Craig raised his eyebrows, more in surprise, when I bought this sterling silver bracelet with semi-precious stones, at a local crafts fair.  I loved all the different colored stones, and how they would match a lot of my work outfits. Score!
A few months later, it became really tarnished and I didn’t want to wear it like that. How in the world was I going to get it clean?
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I was organizing my cookbooks, and a sheet of paper fell out of one. It was a recipe I had printed for homemade jewelry cleaner, and had forgotten about. Perfect timing! All I needed was a bowl, foil, salt, baking soda and dish detergent. Why not? I decided to give it a try.
I inherited a few nice pieces of jewelry from my mother, and they are cherished treasures, like this coin necklace.
I have no idea where my mother got it, but it hangs on a very long silver chain. It looks great with turtle neck sweaters, but it began to turn very black with tarnish. Hmmmm, would this cleaner work on this, too?
Not bad! Not perfect, but it looks a whole lot better than it did before. I kind of like that there is still some tarnish– kind of adds to the antique effect, yes?
I thought this was a cool idea, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Do you have some jewelry that’s looking a bit dull and tarnished? Give it a try!
DISCLAIMER: I can’t promise you that this is fool-proof. I would hesitate to use this on gold or silver plate… one reviewer said it ruined the patina on her jewelry. I’ll stick with using this on gold or silver only. There were lots of reviewers who said they loved it, so it’s worth trying. Best of all, it’s non-toxic and you can make it at home. There ya go!
Homemade Jewelry Cleaner
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp dish detergent
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 piece aluminum foil
Instructions
- Heat water in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil that roughly covers the bottom of a small bowl (like a cereal bowl).
- Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dishwashing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use and make a new batch next time.
Notes
Comments from prior users: According to wire-sculpture.com, “this works well for gold-filled, brass, german (nickel) silver, and sterling silver. I have even cleaned jewelry with freshwater pearls, shell cameos and mother of pearl with no problem.” Â
pretty cool Debby. I'm going to try it.
Very clever and I love your new bracelet Debby. I'm bookmarking this.
Sam
I've seen this on Pinterest. Tried it. Works wonderfully, even with delicate jewelry 🙂 Thx for sharing it!
I don't need much jewelry either (but I would love some blinged out cookware…as in a whole set of All-Clad…a girl can dream, right?) but the little I have desperately needs to be cleaned! perfect post!
I don't wear much jewelry either but, I have a few cherished pieces too-very cool, that you posted this recipe for homemade jewelry cleaner.
Velva
Thank you for such a great post Debby! I, too, love the crafty, unique items that you have recently purchased. And I do not like to buy those chemical filled store-bought cleaners since they are so harsh. I've got to try this to use on my 'limited (but cherished) amount of bling'.
Happy Spring out in California! I bet those strawberries are coming in HUGE!
Hugs,
Roz
That's a great jewelry cleaner, very similar to a soak used in a jewelry shop where I worked.
A tip, though. Don't use it on pearls or cameos.