How to Clean Gold Jewelry at Home

Gold is a dense, soft metal that is often used, in conjunction with copper or silver to form an alloy, to create many types of jewelry, such as rings, bracelets, watches and necklaces. While this metal's attractive shine and luster has made it highly prized since the Stone Age, it also tarnishes and dirties easily. Luckily, tarnish, dirt and grime can be removed from gold jewelry with at-home cleaning solutions.

Instructions

Ammonia Solution

1

Combine 1/4 cup cold water with 1/4 cup ammonia in a small bowl.

2

Allow your gold jewelry to soak in this solution for approximately 30 minutes.

3

Rinse gold jewelry under cold water.

4

Allow the jewelry to dry on a soft, lint-free cloth.

Seltzer Water Solution

5

Add three drops of mild liquid soap to 1 cup warm sodium-free seltzer water. Seltzer water bubbles will loosen dirt from the jewelry better than plain water.

6

Allow the gold jewelry to soak in the seltzer water solution for 10 minutes.

7

Rub the jewelry very lightly with a cotton swab to remove any grime or smudges from the metal.

8

Rinse the jewelry under cold water.

9

Dry the jewelry with a lint-free cloth.