After rhodium, palladium, and platinum, gold is the fourth most coveted and valuable precious metal worldwide. Its characteristics, scarcity, and high production cost have caused its price to rise and keep it in the market. It is widely used in electronics and aerospace due to its excellent conductivity and durability. However, it stands out as the king in jewelry. But -everything has a “but”- with time and external agents, it tends to darken and lose its original shine.
If this is your case and your objects have become blackened or dirty, we recommend a deep cleaning to restore their tone and make them look as impeccable as the first day. In the past, we revealed which food serves to clean blackened silver easily, in this article, we teach you how to clean gold jewelry with home remedies effective, quickly, and without spending money on it.
How to clean gold when it darkens?
Many people opt for gold when choosing jewelry, mainly because it is so valuable, resistant, and minimally allergenic (at least 24 and 18K). However, they become dull and dull due to excessive or incorrect use of the garments.
Probably the doubt is: Will opaque gold have a solution? The answer is: Yes. And it’s simpler than you think. All you have to do is find the right products, which you will surely have in your kitchen cupboard, and if not, you can get them at a low price in any supermarket.
There are different types of gold and the way to clean them varies a little since their alloys are different and the results are not the same. So, if you want them to look perfect, look at the most common ones: yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. Each type has its alloy and therefore, each one must be polished differently. Yellow gold is the purest form of gold and is usually mixed with copper or silver. White gold is usually mixed with nickel, palladium, or zinc. And rose gold is mixed with copper
- Yellow Gold: It is composed of gold, silver and copper. It is usually 18 to 14 carats. 18 carat is more commonly used, as it is more resistant than 24, which is pure. It hardly needs basic care, as it does not darken like other metals, for example, silver. It is the most common and the favorite of most people. Cleaning and maintenance can be done with a woolen cloth or a handkerchief dampened with water and a little ammonia.
- Rose Gold: It is a product of the mixture of gold, silver, and copper, and it is thanks to the latter that it achieves this elegant and distinguished pink color. It is stainless to contact with water and air and is highly durable. Today it is much more widely available in jewelry stores and is cleaned similarly to yellow gold.
- White Gold Obtained from the alloy of gold, palladium, silver and rhodium. It is currently one of the most preferred jewelry makings; it is also the most expensive and difficult to clean because, with continuous use, it adopts a matte tone with little shine and is very difficult to recover. One of the alternatives is to take it to the jeweler to have the rhodium coating reattached, which gives it its characteristic shiny appearance.
Cleaning gold jewelry with soap and water
Neutral soap is ideal for removing dirt from white, rose, or yellow gold jewelry; however, if it is very worn, it will not restore the shine. Follow these steps to clean them:
- Add warm water and one cup of neutral soap to a bowl.
- Dissolve the product well and insert the jewelry for a maximum of 15 minutes.
- Rub in a circular motion using a toothbrush.
- Rinse and remove soap residue with hot water.
- Dry with soft tissue and leave it in a flat place to air dry.
- To finish, rub with a dry cloth to polish and shine them.
How to clean gold with vinegar and baking soda
Vinegar is an effective antibacterial, antifungal and ecological cleaner and a great ally when it comes to lightening blackened gold. Baking soda must be added to this mixture to be fully beneficial.
- Add three teaspoons of baking soda for every two teaspoons of water and stir until you create a thick mass similar to toothpaste.
- Coat the jewel completely with the mass using absorbent cotton.
- Then, transfer the jewel to a plastic container and cover it completely with white vinegar. Leave on for 10 minutes.
- After this time, wash the jewelry with warm water and dry with a tissue suitable for this material.
How to clean gold with toothpaste
Toothpaste is another great stain remover, as it contains components capable of removing the darkened layer of yellow, rose or white gold jewelry. You do not need to apply a large amount to make them shiny. This is the process:
- Spread some toothpaste using a soft bristle brush and make circular movements on the gold surface for a couple of minutes.
- Leave on for 10 minutes.
- Gradually rinse with warm water until all the toothpaste is removed.
- With a soft tissue, dry and do not store until you are sure it is completely dry.
How to clean gold with baking soda and aluminum foil
Another of the most reliable alternatives is baking soda, a powder widely used in household tasks. It is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and suitable for yellow, rose, or white gold.
- Cover the inside of a glass bowl with a piece of aluminum foil and place the dimples inside the bowl.
- Insert the jewelry and sprinkle baking soda over it until it is covered.
- Add a little boiling hot water and let it take effect for 5 minutes.
- With a soft bristle, brush the parts to remove the dirt.
- Rinse with plenty of cold water and dry with a tissue.
How to clean gold with lemon and salt
Lemon and salt have excellent properties when it comes to cleaning surfaces prone to greasy dirt, and in the case of cleaning dirty gold, it works very well:
- Form a paste with three tablespoons of lemon juice and the necessary amount of salt until you see that it becomes pasty.
- Impregnate a cloth with the paste and rub the jewelry with this mixture for 10 minutes or until any trace of dirt is removed.
- Rinse with cold water to remove residues and dry thoroughly at the end.
Now you know the most popular and recommended methods to remove dirt, remove blackening and make your gold jewelry shiny. Don’t forget that there is also the gold of other colors such as green (composed of gold and silver), blue (alloyed with iron), and even red (mixed with copper), and these tricks work for each of them.
In some cases, you also intend an entire attire around your jewelry; other times, it’s a last-minute style choice as you’re running out the door. But despite whether your precious jewelry is a centerpiece or a subtler accent, the last point you want is for your accessories to be dull and dirty from exposure to dust, wetness, and residue-depositing soaps and body lotions. The best precious jewelry cleansers will recover your most priceless pieces to all their sparkly, glittery delight in a few minutes.