The safest and most effective way to clean your jewelry is to have your pieces professionally cleaned by us—it's FREE! We use ultrasonic technology to loosen dirt and soap, and then we steam your jewelry, making it shine like it's brand new.
But, we know that you may not always be able to stop into our stores to do so. Don't worry—You have a few options: First, you can purchase our exclusive Becker’s jewelry cleaner to keep on hand at home for just $6.00 a jar; it comes with a removable tray for soaking and a small brush for gentle scrubbing.
If you’ve run out of jewelry cleaner, we have a couple of DIY cleaning techniques you can use at home. *Please note that the following techniques should NOT be used on pearl jewelry as pearls are very delicate, and the glue used in pearl mountings will be damaged by liquids. Additionally, you should only use plain water to clean pieces with porous gemstones including tanzanite, opals, turquoise, and emeralds.
When in doubt, bring in your pieces for us to clean!
1. Warm Water Soak
For pieces that need a quick cleaning, fill a bowl with warm to mildly hot water and soak your pieces for 10-15 minutes. The water by itself will loosen soap and dirt residue without any added chemicals.
Take an old toothbrush and very lightly brush your jewelry to further help remove any dirt. Rinse your pieces afterward with clean water, but make sure to plug the sink drain! Then, pat dry with a soft cloth.
Trust us – this really works and it’s so easy. Take a look at this ring that was caked with soap.
After a few minutes of soaking in warm water you can see the soap melting right off. We gave
it a light scrub and it looks brand new!
2. Make Your Own “Jewelry Cleaner”
If your pieces seem noticeably dirtier than usual, you may need to use something a bit more powerful than just hot water. Simple is better: We suggest just using a couple drops of gentle soap mixed with hot water. Soak your pieces for 10 minutes, give them a light scrub if needed, and then rinse clean (again, make sure you plug the sink drain!).
Remember, you don’t want to use anything acidic, oily, or abrasive—don’t believe all those jewelry cleaner recipes you read online. Contrary to popular belief, you should NOT use baking soda or vinegar on your jewelry. Baking soda can scratch your gemstones and metals, and the acid in vinegar can dissolve gemstones.
General Jewelry Cleaning “Don’ts” to Know & Remember:
- TOOTHPASTE: While people commonly use toothpaste as jewelry cleaner, many types of toothpaste today contain a grit (like baking soda) that is used to scrub away tooth enamel stains. This can scratch gemstones and metals. Smooth toothpaste is okay to use when you’re in a time crunch, but should not be used regularly.
- VINEGAR: Many online DIY jewelry cleaner recipes use vinegar because it dissolves soap residue. Vinegar should NEVER be used on jewelry! Even when diluted in water, the acid can harm your jewelry.
- HARD SCRUBBING: You may think the best way to get rid of soap and dirt quickly and easily is to scrub, scrub, scrub. Even if your jewelry looks particularly dirty, scrubbing firmly with a toothbrush can damage stones, scratch metals, and potentially loosen prongs—yikes! Whenever you do scrub, do it lightly.
If you have any questions about jewelry cleaning, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or visit us:
West Hartford - 65 LaSalle Rd (860) 521-3202
Old Saybrook – 105 Elm St (860) 391-8281
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