The trouble with investing in something is that now you have to take care of it. For some people, that isn’t a con at all. Some really enjoy the routine of keeping things in working order and may want to add ring cleaning to that checklist. Others may not love the idea of one more responsibility, but outsourcing that job will be another line item in the yearly budget.
Both pro and DIY options have their relative merits, so let’s see which one is best for you!
Is Cleaning Your Jewelry Easy?
For the most part, yes. This is especially true if you keep up with your cleaning schedule. If you have something classic, like a gold wedding ring, you’ll find a wealth of information out there to help you get started. Even if you have something a little more unique like titanium rings, for example, you should find that cleaning your jewelry isn’t much of a hassle.
The one trouble that comes with cleaning jewelry is getting into the crevices of more ornate wedding rings. If you have wedding bands with a lot of design work, a unique setting, or maybe an intricate center stone, you may find cleaning is a bit more work.
Source: shutterstock.com/Veja
How Often Should You Clean Your Jewelry?
This sort of depends on how often you wear your jewelry. If it’s something that’s worn often, it will, obviously, need more cleaning. Once a month is a good rule, though. There’s also something to be said for cleaning all your jewelry once a month, even the pieces you rarely wear, for simplicity’s sake.
Of course, once a month may not be enough with things like wedding rings or your favorite pair of earrings. You may find touch-ups are required periodically, which is definitely a point in favor of the DIY route.
What Kind of Products Do You Need to Clean Your Jewelry?
Probably less than you think, actually. The basics are a lint-free cloth and a cleaning liquid. There are plenty of options for cleaning liquid and a number of DIY concoctions that work quite well too.
If you’re willing to spend a little more money, you can get things — like polishing cloths, liquids or wipes — for somewhere around $10 a package usually. Alternatives, home options like dish soap, baking soda or even toothpaste can go a long way.
If you want to go really simple, you can buy a pre-organized jewelry cleaning kit from most big box stores or major online retailers.
Source: shutterstock.com/Elnur
Why Go Pro
Convenience
Time is money. If you can drop your jewelry off with a professional while you keep working, this might be a better financial decision for you. While you’ll have to do the math on this one, there’s definitely something to be said for it if you’re in the right position.
Expert Quality
If you’ve invested in a nice wedding ring or other piece of jewelry, you may want the pros to handle their care. Who can blame you? You get what you pay for, so if you’re willing to pay the price, you’ll get a reputable service in return.
Room for Error
While it’s very unlikely that you can do your jewelry any harm going the DIY route, it isn’t impossible. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Well, anything is possible.
If you don’t want to allow even the slightest room for error, you’re better off outsourcing this to a professional than stressing yourself out. Plus, if you’re able to take it to the same shop consistently, that’s one less variable to worry about.
Source: shutterstock.com/Veja
Why Go DIY
Cost
This is especially pertinent if you wear your jewelry often. If it needs to be cleaned monthly (or even more often), those costs can add up. You could go with a cheaper professional but, like we just mentioned, this is an area where you get what you pay for.
Skills Acquired
Isn’t it just nice to be self-reliant? It’s always fun to acquire a new skill anyway. Once you’ve done it a couple of times, you’ll see just how easy DIY jewelry maintenance can be. Plus, you’ll get a sense of accomplishment when you see your jewelry shine knowing that you did that!
Prevention Is Key
Yes, it’s important to have a plan to clean your jewelry, but you also want to get ahead of any blemishes or minor damage that your ring can incur.
Make sure to take your ring off before swimming or washing the dishes, and always keep it in a good jewelry case when you aren’t wearing it. Silver, contrary to what you might think, benefits from constant wear since the friction actually slows down the tarnishing of the metal.
If nothing else, a good insurance plan may be worth its weight in (pun intended) gold.
