How To Clean Your Jewelry During the Coronavirus outbreak:
I figured this was as good a time as any to talk about cleaning your jewelry since we've been washing our hands and using sanitizer and lotion obsessively these days.
COVID-19 and other viruses can survive on metal and other surfaces, especially in cracks and crevices, so it's really important to make sure you're keeping your jewelry clean.
To kill viruses, you need an alcohol-based cleaner with at least 70% alcohol content.
Unfortunately, many fine metals and gemstones don't react well with alcohol. Pearls, opals, turquoise, emeralds and other soft stones could get dried out and crack if you use too much alcohol on them.
Luckily-- good old soap and water will do the trick. Gently run your jewelry under warm water and massage in some soap while singing the "Happy Birthday" song-- use a soft toothbrush to make sure you're getting into the crevices. Be sure to work on all sides of the jewelry, back and front, inside and out.
Make sure no one sees you massaging and singing to your jewelry. We both know that the virus made you do it, but no one else will.
If your gemstones have become dingy or cloudy, most likely it's the soap and lotion building up behind the gemstone. Soak your jewelry in very warm water and a de-greasing soap like Ivory or dawn-- I even like using Oxyclean-- swish it around a bit and let it soften up the gunk behind your gemstones.
Rinse and use a soft toothbrush to remove the grime, or even a wooden toothpick to get behind the gemstones from the back of the setting. Then use a high power stream of water to rinse it clean.
The best thing to do is to remove your rings while handwashing and give them a little wash of their own separately.
Let everything dry before putting your jewelry back on or you could develop Ring Rash.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions. I'm happy to help!
