How To Clean Copper Jewelry with Everyday Items
Copper jewelry has adorned humans for most of recorded history. Its beauty and shine make pieces created with it treasured heirlooms. When you purchase a piece of copper jewelry, it’s natural to want to wear it, to show it off, to enjoy its beauty. But what happens over time? Exposure to air can tarnish the copper, leaving your treasure with a dull look rather than a mesmerizing shine. Thankfully, today we have some easy, simple ways to put the shine back into your copper jewelry with only a little effort and some items you probably have in your pantry.
Before you use even a natural product, make sure to follow some simple precautions.
- Don’t use any high acidic product on a piece that has pearls or other soft stones in it.
- Make sure to limit the soaking time as well.
- Cleaning shouldn’t leave your jewelry damaged.
Liquids with high acidic qualities can soak away the tarnish from your copper jewelry. Items such as lemon juice, tomato juice and even tomato ketchup can make good cleaning liquids. Combined with an old, soft toothbrush to get into crevices, you can have your jewelry shining again in a short time.
Place your copper jewelry in a bowl containing the acidic liquid you’ve chosen (as a general rule, lemon juice works best). Let the piece soak for ten to twenty minutes. Leaving it in the solution too long can cause damage, so make sure you time how long it’s been soaking. Remember to turn the piece every few minutes for even cleaning. If the jewelry is very dirty, you may have to change out the cleaning liquid and replace it with fresh to make certain you remove all the dirt. Use the soft toothbrush to get dirt hiding in crevices within the design, making sure you don’t rub so hard you damage the piece.
When your jewelry is clean, remove it from the liquid and run clear water over it to rinse any remaining residue off. You can then use a little soapy water for the final cleaning, rinse, and voila, your beautiful copper jewelry is restored to its original brilliance.
