Cleaning Gold

There are a few different methods you yourself can use for cleaning gold. The most obvious is to take it to someone else to clean it, or buy some goo in a jar that claims to work well and follow the directions on the label. What if you want to try doing it at home first? Well, you are in luck because that is the way I prefer to do it too, as I am quite interested in home remedies. Take care with your gold no matter how you clean it, since it is a fairly soft metal and you do not want to scrape or gouge the surface.

The first home method I recommend is to use a bit of dish detergent or some other mild soap dissolved in warm water. After soaking the item in the solution, use a soft cloth or an extremely soft toothbrush and rub or gently scrub the dirt off your gold.

Another favorite of some is the option of mixing a tablespoon of ammonia with a drop of Ivory dishwashing liquid and a cup of warm water. Using the completely dissolved solution, apply it with a jewelry brush to lightly scrub your gold clean, concentrating on any crevices where grime can hide. You can also presoak the gold in your solution for at least 15 minutes to loosen grime and oils, as long as you are not cleaning a piece of jewelry with anything glued on or any stones or pearls (ammonia is NOT good for colored stones or any kind of pearl and glue can dissolve in the soak).

In any case, when you've done your soaking and/or scrubbing, you will need to rinse off the soap so that it does not make your gold attract and hold more dirt to it. Rinse in warm water, being sure to wash off all the soapy solution in the crevices. If your item is being cleaned in a sink, you may wish to use a strainer so you do not lose it down a sink drain. Lastly, you will need to dry your gold. Use a microfiber cloth to buff your gold dry while simultaneously polishing the gold. Microfiber cloth is not only nonabrasive, but it also does a great job of shining without leaving lint, so your gold will be as shiny as can be.