The other day I had a funny urge.  I had just come home from the supermarket and was busy dragging in a hundred bags at one time.  You know that bad decision you make to stick the 130th grocery bag on your finger to minimize your trips in from the car.  

It never works out well. and you end up having a final trip where you only bring in 2 bags anyhow.  Just a funny thought.

Anyways I walked in the door and my husband and 4 year old daughter Elle were sitting on the couch.  Elle was dressed up in one of her amazing outfits, as she often is.  

(My Husband & Younger Daughter Elle)

What I didn't realize at first, was that she had gone rummaging through my old jewelry and was wearing a necklace of mine.  My husband is not the best enforcer while I'm away.  

After removing the necklace and apparently ruining her "Rockstar Princess" costume, I realized the necklace was a mess.  It was really tarnished and need a clean.  I was able to clean it with my jewelry cleaner Simple Shine and it was as good as new.

But you didn't come to read about me.  You came to read about my jewelry cleaning tips I have compiled over the years.  

So here are 6 jewelry cleaning secrets that jewelry stores rather you didn't know. I use all these secrets myself and of course and biased to secret number 6 if you are less motivated to DIY. (Don't cheat and look ahead.)

 

The Jewelry Cleaning Secrets

Good Old Dish Detergent : Cleaning gold jewelry can actually be done with some simple dish soap. Take a few drops of standard dish detergent and empty them into a bowl of warm water.

Hot water can be dangerous to precious stones. Soak the jewelry for about 15 minutes. Pull them out and scrub them with a toothbrush.

Kick It Up a Notch With Club Soda : For some dirtier gold jewelry you may need something more powerful. If the dish detergent doesn't work, you can go to plan B.

Club soda can often provide an extra kick. Make sure to use a pasta strainer and close the drain though when cleaning your jewelry over the sink.

 

What? You Said Tin Foil? : Yes you can actually clean your silver jewelry with tin foil.  Place it in a small bowl and fill it with about an inch of hot water. Stir a tablespoon of salt into the water. Take a piece of aluminum foil (4 inches by 4 inches).

You will make 4 tiny strips about 4 x 1 inches long. Pt the strips in the bottom of the bowl. Place your silver jewelry in the solution for approximately 5 minutes. Once you remove the silver jewelry from the solution, rinse it under cold water. Gently rub with a cloth to dry. Repeat the process 2 or 3 times as necessary.

My Shiny Ring Stack after cleaning them with Simple Shine

No Ammonia Please : Ammonia is actually an incredibly powerful and effective chemical for your jewelry.  The problem is that its a harsh chemical which is not good for you or your jewelry.  Jewelry with soft or porous stones like pearls are delicate. They should be cleaned lightly with a soft lint free cloth. 

Synthetic pearls should be cleaned with a mild formula. Don't include any ammonia or harsh detergents. 

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Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz : For your diamonds you can actually use Alka-Seltzer to make them shine.  Take a glass and fill it up about half way. Place your ring at the bottom of the cup and then drop in the Alka-Seltzer. After a couple of minutes you should be left with a sparkling diamond. 

LAST AND IN MY OPINION THE BEST : For years I have used many of these DIY tricks to keep my jewelry clean.  I did this so I didn't have to go to the jewelry store and pay too much to have them cleaned.  

"I don't believe the finer things in life have to cost a lot of money. "  -Me

For those of you who don't know, I have a line of jewelry cleaning solutions and cloths. My name is Elissa Spektor, and in addition to owning a jewelry cleaning line, I also own a  Fashion Jewelry Site.

You have met my husband and one daughter Elle.  They are the ones in the picture above.  My other daughter is Lennon and she is below dressed as Thing 1.

( Lennon as Thing 1 )

I started my career as a buyer for a large department store.  After working there for years, I got fed up with the red tape and politics of it.  

I left to start a family and after my kids were old enough to be in school, I started my online jewelry store.  In less than a year it grew to thousands of customers and I'm proud of what I have built.  

 

I started getting requests from customers asking for my advice when cleaning their jewelry.  I had a lot of tips I had collected over the years but a lot of people don't have the time to DIY.  

I decided to do some research so I could recommend a brand of jewelry cleaner.  To my surprise, the market was filled with less-than-desirable options.  

"Like my mom always said.  If you can't trust someone else to do it, do it yourself."

The products were old, stuffy, and most contained harsh chemicals.  I set out to create my own line.  Within 6 months I had created a line of jewelry cleaners that embodied my standards and principals.  

SIMPLE SHINE, is natural, non-toxic, and powerful.  I'm incredibly proud of it and can't speak highly enough about the line.

 

• No Harsh Chemicals
• 100% Non Toxic
• No Ammonia
• Made in the USA
• Socially Responsible

We have solutions that work on gold, palladium, platinum, silver, stainless steel, titanium, diamonds, cz's, porous stones, pearls, beads, enamel and treated gemstones.  

If you have some jewelry that could use a shine and you rather not go the DIY route, give Simple Shine products a try. I promise you , you won't be disappointed.  Take a look and thank me later.

Elissa Spektor

P.S. Don't take my word for it, look at all the testimonials and pics below from our happy customers.