How To Clean Earrings (Expert Cleaning Tips for Lasting Sparkle)

Earrings are nearly everyone’s favorite fashion accessories that complement the wearer and enhance their appearance. Despite their importance, they can often be one of the most ignored pieces of jewelry when cleaning. Sadly, their placement on the body easily attracts lots of grime and dirt from the air, makeup, body oils and sweat, shampoos, and much more, which makes them quite dirty quickly.

Cleaning your earrings is far more important than wearing them as cleaning prevents the chance of getting an infection through accumulated microbes and protects your jewelry from losing their luster. Fortunately, there are several methods to clean your earrings without stressing too much or taking too much time from your day.

We have gathered some of the best tips on how to get rid of the gunk and grime in your jewelry and restore its shine. Keep reading for our best DIY methods for cleaning your earrings to keep them, and yourself, looking their best.

Why & How Often to Clean Your Earrings

It is suggested by many professionals to clean your earrings as frequently as you can. If possible, clean the hooks or fasteners with an alcohol swab before you wear them to prevent dirt buildup and also to disinfect them before use.

Wearing earrings for an extended period without proper cleaning can cause infected ear piercings. A piercing is an open wound on the body, and exposure to infected earrings will certainly lead to an infection. When the ear piercing is infected, it can cause swollen ear lobes, ear redness, ear pus, or pain in the ears. It is important to ensure that your earrings are always cleaned to prevent this from occurring.

Here are a few reasons why cleaning your earrings is important:

✨ Earrings are constantly covered with natural oils, hair creams, makeup items, sweat, air particles, improperly rinsed-off shampoos and soaps, and many more. Cleaning your jewelry pieces regularly will help prevent this dirt from accumulating.
✨ When earrings are covered with dirt and grime, their appearance becomes dull. In fact, some changes color due to chemical reactions. Ensure that you constantly keep your earrings clean so they can remain as beautiful as when you got them.
✨ Another importance is to ensure that your earrings last for a long time. If you don’t want to part with your favorite earrings so soon or spend money to buy another pair, you have to clean your earrings often. This will prevent them from getting rusty or weak due to accumulated dirt, grime, or grease. This is the most important reason to keep your earrings clean.

DIY Jewelry Cleaner

It’s easy to make an inexpensive and effective jewelry cleaner at home with mild dish soap in combination with warm water.

✨ Mix two tablespoons of mild dishwashing liquid with one quart of warm (not hot) water.
✨ Soak your jewelry for 10 to 20 minutes to soften residue and dirt.
✨ Gently brush with a soft-bristled brush.
✨ Afterward, rinse with clean water and pat dry with a clean cloth.

We also suggest inspecting your jewelry before and after cleaning to ensure all stones are secure. Lastly, remember, if you’re cleaning your earrings over a sink, make sure to plug the drain!

Sterilizing with Rubbing Alcohol:

Sterilizing earrings with alcohol is a simple and effective way to ensure your jewelry stays safe, clean, and free of bacteria. Here are the steps for sterilizing earrings with alcohol at home:

✨ Gather your supplies. You will need a small bowl or container, rubbing alcohol (at least 70% isopropyl), and a pair of tweezers.
✨ Place earrings in the bowl and pour enough rubbing alcohol to cover them completely.
✨ Let the earrings sit in the alcohol for a minimum of five minutes.
✨ Using the tweezers, remove the earrings from the bowl and lay them out on a clean towel to dry.
✨ Once completely dry, your earrings are ready to wear!

Care & Cleaning of Gemstone Earrings

Gemstones carry a wide range of physical properties so it’s important to customize their care. For example, if your earrings are pearls, which are sensitive to chemicals, they cannot be exposed to abrasive cleaners. If your gem has a low hardness, like fluorite, it could be scratched by some cleaning devices. Or, if you have emeralds, they are often highly included and therefore should not go in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Luckily, she says that despite this, you can perform a basic, safe cleaning for most gemstones in a similar manner. For every day cleanings, use a soft polishing cloth and gently rub away dirt or oils. If your jewelry needs a more thorough cleaning, you can use warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid to gently scrub more substantial dirt and grime.

When you’re through, You should dry your earrings thoroughly with a soft cloth to remove all the moisture from the metal surface. but ensure that you dry it thoroughly afterward so that the moisture is removed from the metal surface.

Cleaning Precious Metal Earrings

Gold

You can clean your gold earrings easily without much stress. Here are the steps on how to go about it:

✨ Create a mixture of dish soap and warm water or a solution of baking soda and warm water with a sprinkle of salt.
✨ Soak your gold earrings in the solution for about 30 minutes
✨ Gently scrub with a soft-bristled brush.
✨ Rinse thoroughly to get rid of the cleaning solution.
✨ Pat dry with a lint-free cloth.

Silver

Silver is one of the most popular materials for creating beautiful jewelry pieces. To clean your silver accessories, you need to:
✨ Line a glass baking dish with tin foil, positioning the shiny side up.
✨ Place your silver jewelry in the pan and fill it with boiled water till it is completely covered.
✨ Add baking soda to the pan till you notice the earrings are bubbling.
✨ Leave for an hour
✨ Use a soft-bristled brush to scrub and remove dirt gently
✨ Rinse with clean water
✨ Gently dry with a clean cloth.

Tips for Keeping Your Earrings Clean

• Don’t wear your earrings in the pool, as chlorinated water can tarnish and damage your earrings, especially if they’re made of silver, stainless steel, or pearls.
• Take your earrings out when exercising to prevent lots of sweat build-up, which can make your earrings grimy.
• If you have newly pierced ears, it’s important to disinfect earrings in addition to cleaning them. Disinfect and sanitize the earrings by misting or soaking them in rubbing alcohol for about five minutes, then allow them to air-dry on a clean paper towel.
• Finally, store your earrings in a place where they won’t get lost, be subject to direct sunlight, or scratch other jewelry. Try to keep them in a soft bag or jewelry box.
  

FAQs

What is the best way to clean your earrings?
A thorough clean requires an extra soft toothbrush and mild soap to wash away any skin residue first, then a rinse with water, and then finally a dip or a gentle rub with 70% isopropyl alcohol to cut through any residual oil.

How do you disinfect dirty earrings?
The first step is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. Next, submerge the earrings in a solution of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes. After removing them from the solution, allow them to air dry on a clean paper towel.

Is rubbing alcohol or peroxide better for cleaning earrings?
Cleaning your earrings with hydrogen peroxide is an effective way to disinfect them and eliminate bacteria, especially for people with sensitive ears. This cleaning solution is safe for all kinds of gold or silver earrings.

How do you get black stuff off earrings?
One popular method we trust is using a mixture of baking soda and water. Create a paste by combining baking soda and water, then gently rub the paste onto the tarnished areas using a soft cloth or toothbrush. The mild abrasive nature of baking soda helps lift the black marks without causing any damage.

As you can probably now realize, cleaning your earrings is pretty essential to preserving their value as well as their sparkle. You can ensure that you and your earrings remain as beautiful as ever by following the above cleaning tips and steps.

For more tips, tricks, and DIYs for everyday life, check out our blog! You can also browse and book an appointment with your favorite Boston cleaning service today so that your home will be happier and healthier all year long.