Cleaning your ring at home is a simple process you can repeat every week if you like. The materials and process used are incredibly mild, so there’s no concern over whether this will affect your jewelry if done too often. In fact, more frequent cleaning will help keep at bay the higher levels of build-up that would require a professional cleaning.
Your wedding and engagement rings are especially prone to building up layers of dirt, oil, and residue because of their daily wear. This also turns them into a breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause all manner of concerns like skin irritation, metal discoloration, and scratching of stones and metal. So as you can see, setting aside some time to regularly clean your ring has a lot of benefits.
To get started, you’ll want to gather a few common materials:
Soap - Dishwashing or hand soap is perfect to use as the cleanser. These types of soaps are usually mild, but you’ll also want to avoid using anything that is too heavily scented as that could indicate it has some harsher chemicals in the mixture. You’ll also want to avoid anything that is moisturizing as that will leave a film on your ring.
Small bowl - You don’t need anything too large, just be sure that it is clean and free of any residue. Never do this in a sink, even if you have plugged the drain - it’s simply too risky.
Warm water - You’ll want to use very warm water. It needs to be warm enough so that it dissolves dirt, oil, and residue stuck to the ring, but not too warm as to be uncomfortable to the touch.
Soft toothbrush - A clean, new, very soft toothbrush is the perfect tool to gently remove any build up on the ring. You do want a new toothbrush for this task, do not use an old one. A used toothbrush is likely to have frayed bristles that could scratch the stone or metal, and will not be sufficient at buffing off the dirt.
Cotton or microfiber cloth - Unless you plan on letting your ring air dry, you’ll need a lint-free cloth. Avoid using paper towels or toilet paper as they could scratch the ring or leave small pieces of paper pulp behind.
To start the process, fill the bowl with water and add a few drops of soap. The watery mixture does not need to be extra soapy to create bubbles. Agitate the water slightly to activate the soap and gently place the ring into the bowl. Allow it to soak for 20 to 40 minutes then gently brush the stone and metal with the toothbrush.
There’s no need to use strong pressure or a harder scrubbing motion. Once the ring has soaked for a length of time, the debris has loosened enough to be removed with gentle strokes of the brush. Rinse the ring under warm water and allow it to air dry on the cloth or gently pat the ring dry with the cloth - do not rub or wipe. As you’ll see with the following examples and our quick video illustrating the process, this method of cleaning is highly effective at restoring that sparkle!
That’s all you have to do for the proper care and upkeep for a clean engagement or wedding ring. It’s also important to know that you should never use anything other than these ingredients to clean your ring on your own. Any advice that calls for using an over-the-counter cleaning solution or household cleaners that contain bleach, chlorine, or acetone are simply wrong and pose a danger of damaging your jewelry.
