Cleaning jewelry - the best tips and home remedies

Probably the easiest and best way to get your jewelry clean is to clean it with washing-up liquid. Not only can you use it for all types of jewelry (except costume jewelry), but with washing-up liquid there is also a good chance that you have some at home. Alternatively, you can also use a mild soap. Simply mix it with warm water and leave the jewelry to soak in a water bath. Our tip: cleaning is particularly thorough with a soft brush!

We recommend cleaning every two weeks, especially for pieces of jewelry that are worn frequently. But don't worry: you don't have to use heavy artillery such as aluminum foil and baking soda. It is often enough to polish your ring, chain and other jewelry with a cloth to remove sweat, bacteria and chemicals such as hand cream. As a rule of thumb: as soon as you notice that the surface of your jewelry no longer shines so beautifully or looks dull, a jewelry spa makes sense.

We all know and hate the moment when gold-plated jewelry starts to discolor in some places. Unlike real jewelry, however, this cannot be removed with a simple cleaning. Discoloration is a sign that the gold plating has become detached from your piece of jewelry. The only solution is to visit a goldsmith or selected jeweler to renew the gold plating.

You should always take off fake jewelry in particular before showering or washing your hands. Hot water, scrubs and fragrances cause the gold plating to come off more quickly. Jewelry made of gold or silver is less sensitive. Nevertheless, you should also take them off, as washing gels and the like can settle on the surface of your jewelry and reduce its shine. In addition, the chlorine contained in water and the chemicals in care products can attack the material.

The reason for the unsightly, black discoloration of your silver jewelry is a chemical reaction with hydrogen sulphide in the air. The oxidation results in silver sulphide and the dark discoloration. To at least slow down the process, we recommend storing silver jewelry as airtight as possible, for example in a cloth bag. At Pukka Berlin, we subject our silver pieces to a nano-coating, which slows down the natural oxidation process.

If you clean your jewelry regularly, any dirt should be easy to remove using the cleaning methods shown. However, if the dirt is particularly stubborn, please do not use any aggressive cleaning agents! Instead, a visit to a jeweler may be advisable. For example, ultrasonic devices can be used to thoroughly remove the smallest jewelry particles using sound waves without damaging the jewelry.