If your loved one didn’t surprise you with something sparkly for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, it might be a good time to clean up some of your old jewellery. Today’s post will show you how to bring back the sparkle with an easy homemade jewellery cleaner.

This post was originally published in February 2020 as “Easy homemade jewellery cleaner” and updated in January 2023.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but you might be surprised to hear that jewellery ranks fairly low on the list of Valentine’s gifts according to a 2017 study by Statista. The most popular gift is candy, followed by greeting cards and flowers. In fact, jewellery doesn’t even make the top five. It ranked seventh, just below the most unimaginative of all gifts—the gift card.

If your old jewellery could use a refresh, look no further than some common kitchen ingredients to make it sparkle again. Here’s how.

DIY jewellery cleaner

Here is my easy recipe for jewellery cleaner. I recently used this to clean these rings and a sterling silver chain that had turned completely black. They turned out good as new. 

• Lay your jewellery flat on a pie plate or bowl covered with tinfoil—shiny side up. As an attempt to reduce waste, I tried using a reusable foil plate and it didn’t work! You really do need shiny tinfoil.
• Mix together 1 cup of boiling water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Pour into the bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Watch it bubble. 
• Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Wipe with a soft cloth. 

This works as well as any commercial jewellery cleaner I have used. I’ve used it on jewellery with gemstones but I’d advise caution for softer materials like pearls or opals. Vinegar is acidic so I’d rather not risk it.

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More simple DIY ideas

I’m not a big fan of DIY household cleaners or beauty products, but I make exceptions for things I can make in less than 10 minutes with ingredients I already have. Here are some more easy DIY ideas to try:

• 4-ingredient DIY toilet cleaner…that works
• DIY body power—4 ingredients from your kitchen
• 3-ingredient DIY face powder
• Natural foot scrub

Now that your jewellery is sparkling again, maybe your sweetheart can take you out for a nice dinner!

How do you clean your jewellery? Tell me your ideas below.