from the archives: green cleaning jewellery

Can you believe I haven't polished my jewellery since I posted this green cleaning recipe two years ago?! I thought I'd re-publish it for those who didn't see it or wanted a refresher.

before- very tarnished looking silver

I haven't cleaned my jewellery in ages and I certainly didn't want to buy the chemical cleaners found at the supermarket and jewellery stores- you know something's really bad for the environment and your health when a whiff of its fumes gives you a massive headache. So, after some research and experimenting I now have a few recipes for homemade jewellery cleaners.

Silver:

* scrub/paste:

Take 1 tbs of bi-carb soda and add water to form a thick paste. Rub/brush paste over silver and leave to sit for 30 min to an hour. An old toothbrush is especially effective for this. Rinse with white vinegar and then water.

* dipping solution:

Cut up about 1/4 cup aluminium foil into little pieces and add to glass container with 1 cup warm water and 1 tbs salt. Mix and let jewellery sit n solution to sit for up to one hour. Remove and rub dry with soft, clean cloth.

Gold:

*dipping solution:

Mix together 1 tsp bi-carb soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbs dishwashing detergent (powder) and 1 cup of water. Place gold jewellery in solution for up to 30 min. Remove and rub dry with soft clean cloth.

Aluminium/Porcelain:

*solution:

Dip clean soft cloth into lemon juice and rub over and into surface until clean and shiny.

Copper:

*scrub/paste:

Mix 2 tbs salt and 2 tsp white vinegar and scrub over surface. Wipe off excess salt with a clean, soft cloth dampened with white vinegar.

after

WARNING: Do not use these on pearls, diamonds or other precious stones. Make sure to research chemical reactions before you add any ingredients (for example, bleach) to these recipes, or you could end up with some very toxic and dangerous chemicals.