Engagement rings are personal and unique, with styles ranging from a halo engagement ring to a pear-shaped solitaire. Whatever the style, it’s precious to you and valuable, both sentimentally and monetarily. So keeping it maintained is essential. Whether the gemstone rests elegantly on a specially chosen semi-mount ring or has a collection of smaller stones within a diamond engagement ring setting, you need to give it a thorough cleaning every so often to preserve the shine and keep the sparkle.
Not sure how to clean your engagement ring? Below, we offer tips and at-home solutions for maintaining your ring to keep its brilliance and shine.
How Often to Clean Your Engagement Ring
Engagement rings can quickly look dingy if they’re not taken care of properly. So, it’s essential to clean your ring often to remove any buildup and oils that can give it cloudiness. But just how often is necessary? Every day or every year?
You don’t want to clean your engagement ring too often. Once a day is probably overkill. However, once a week or every month is appropriate, depending on how often you get your hands dirty with activities like gardening, cooking or camping.
Even if it’s hard to remember to do so once a month, at the very least, bring your engagement ring (and the band once you’re married) to a jeweler twice a year for a professional cleaning. Line it up and schedule it before a special occasion, making your ring look its best.
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The Best At-Home Cleaning Solutions
Cleaning your ring is important. However, you probably won’t have the time or be able to take it to a jewelry store every week or month. Luckily, there are several ways you can do it yourself with at-home cleaning solutions to get your engagement ring and band sparkling good as new.
Below is the most natural, gentle mixture you can create using household ingredients and avoiding harsh chemicals like chlorine, which can damage an engagement ring.
Soap and Water Solution
A solution of plain soap and water is the best way to clean your engagement ring, no matter the type of metal setting. First, in a small bowl, soak the ring in the sudsy mixture for approximately 30 minutes. Then, to remove any residue and buildup, give your engagement ring a very delicate scrub using a softly bristled toothbrush. After you’ve done this, rinse the ring under warm water, repeating if necessary to remove any soap residue, too.
Metal Types: Platinum, silver and all gold tones
Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
In a small bowl, mix a 50/50 solution of Windex® and hydrogen peroxide. Soak your engagement ring for roughly 15 minutes. This solution will banish dirt buildup and return your diamond to its sparkling shine while killing bacteria with the peroxide. Next, scrub the ring using a soft toothbrush and rinse with lukewarm water.
Metal Types: Silver, gold
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6 Things to Avoid
Diamonds are strong gemstones. However, there are still chemicals and activities to avoid to make your ring last a lifetime or longer.
- Harsh Chemicals — Besides chlorine, as we mentioned above, there’s also bleach and acetone, which can break down your ring’s setting and wedding band. If not careful, it could even discolor your diamond.
- Abrasive Cleaners — Avoid using abrasive chemicals on your engagement ring. This goes for baking soda (unless it’s silver) and toothpaste.
- Hard Bristles — Never use a hard-bristled toothbrush or scrubbing pad, as this can mar your diamond and scratch your metal band. Gold, in particular, is a softer metal.
- Hand Lotions — If you want to keep your hands soft and smooth for the wedding, be sure to remove the engagement ring. This goes double if the setting or band is white gold or platinum.
- Manual Labor — Bang a diamond or metal hard enough and it can chip or loosen the setting. Whenever you plan to do something labor-intensive, take off your engagement ring and keep it secure.
- Cooking and Cleaning — The oils and food particles can stick to your ring, discoloring it. Also, food can simply become stuck in the setting.