Easy DIY Homemade Jewelry Cleaner Recipe {From the Pantry}
August 16, 2026
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Best homemade DIY jewelry cleaner recipe.
This helpful homemade jewelry cleaner is super simple and cheap (free if you have the basics on hand). You can get your gemstones looking brand new without any harsh chemicals!When I take my diamond rings into my jeweler to be cleaned they look at me like I have three heads and ask WHAT IN THE WORLD I have been doing.
I guess the spray paint, saw dust, paint, glue and all the other DIY messes stick around. ;)
This homemade version eats away at all that stuff and makes them absolutely shine. I love this simple jewelry cleaner because I always have what I need readily available in our pantry.
This homemade version eats away at all that stuff and makes them absolutely shine. I love this simple jewelry cleaner because I always have what I need readily available in our pantry.
All of the “ingredients” are from the kitchen:
Warm the water in the microwave for one to two minutes (I do two to get it nice and hot). I always use near boiling water for this cleaner.
DIY JEWELRY CLEANER RECIPE
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp dish detergent
one cup hot water
1 piece of aluminum foil
cereal bowl
Warm the water in the microwave for one to two minutes (I do two to get it nice and hot). I always use near boiling water for this cleaner.
While it’s heating use a piece of foil to line the bottom of a deep bowl:
When the water is ready, pour it in the bowl on top of the foil, then add the tablespoons of baking soda, salt and dish soap.
When the water is ready, pour it in the bowl on top of the foil, then add the tablespoons of baking soda, salt and dish soap.
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Gently place jewelry into the bowl and let it soak for five to ten minutes. The ingredients eat away at the grime and dirt and get into all the nooks and crannies.
My rings come out sparkling! It’s amazing!
Make sure to rinse your jewelry and pat dry with a soft cloth after soaking in the cleaning solution.
I feel like I commercial for dishwashing liquid with all the SPARKLE talk, but it’s true – this combo really works great.
I've used it on both new and vintage jewelry and it has worked equally well on both. I love that the ingredients are so basic, I always have them all on hand.
If you're cleaning a LOT of jewelry you’ll want to make a numerous batches.
Consider the following before using this DIY cleaner:
- It is not recommended to soak porous stones like opals, pearls, emeralds and turquoise.
- Use caution when cleaning true sterling silver jewelry with this method. Some say it cleans their silver really well, some find that it damages it. Try it on sterling silver at your own risk.
- I sometimes use a soft bristle toothbrush to clean the underside of my diamonds, but I usually don't need to with this recipe. Be gentle if you use a toothbrush!
I’m thrilled with it and highly recommend it – I’ll take an easy, cheap solution any day! :)
**If you need something for on the go, I keep this jewelry cleaner pen in my purse for a quick clean up on the go -- it works great!
Check out more of my cleaning hacks and tips here!
Check out more of my cleaning hacks and tips here!
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I use vodka heated for 30 seconds in the microwave, it works as well as any commercial jewelry cleaner I have ever used.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! Jewelry cleaner can be pricey, and my wedding ring/band is diiiiirty. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteGreat tip! My wedding ring is gross. I can't wait to get home and try this out.
ReplyDeleteA few things I have tried that I found on pinterest...dawn detergent and vinegar for shower cleaner (turned out awesome)and throw up carpet cleaner recipe (worked great).
Whoo hoo! For real...I've been frustrated with the jewelry cleaners I've found on Pinterest because I never have all the ingredients. This I can do!! Thanks so much...my jewelry needs it. I have an amethyst ring that needs to look purple again. Thanks, Sarah! :)
ReplyDeleteWOW!! This worked AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for the tip!!
ReplyDeleteI have used this for years and yes it does work great for REAL sterling silver. It does NOT work on silver plating or costume jewellery, which is probably what the folks were trying to clean. I wouldn't use it on pearls or anything with pieces glued on(like costume jewellery). It actually does peel off a little bit of silver each time it's done so it's not a good thing to use every time but for the really intricate and nasty dirty stuff, it's better than not cleaned at all. A good silver cleaner protects the silver as well as cleaning it.
ReplyDeleteCheck for the 925 mark on your real silver jewellery. If it's not there, skip this method!
This is awesome. I have been looking for a cheap way to clean my wedding rings...this looks like it could be the perfect solution! Thanks
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Joanne
I used to work at a jewelry store and I used to clean rings all day long in the ultra sonic cleaner machine. I always loved how pretty it made my rings look. I will try this. Thanks for the tip! Cleaners are expensive, and this is cheap. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI've read about this but maybe I jut don't clean my jewelry enough, but I still have the tub of cleaner my mother in law bought me when i got engaged 9 years ago!
ReplyDeleteI tried to make Larabars from scratch from a PInterest recipe and it totally failed, at least I tried:)
Jessica
Another trick to try-thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've gotten rid of commercial cleaners and gone back to vinegar, baking soda, peroxide-and a touch of Dawn; combos of these can clean everything in the house, and we are healthier for it.
Martha Stewart touted them all back in the day, and Pinterest has lots of cleaning recipes to try-and most of them work well.
My fave is to use vinegar in the fabric softener cycle-no need for dryer sheets any more! DS coat your clothes and dryer with chemicals that can aggravate asthma, etc.
Love that we don't use them anymore.
I am definately going to try this jewelry cleaner! Susan is right about vinegar - it's a winner. Try dumping some baking soda in a stinky drain, then pour some vinegar over it and watch it bubble! No more odor (once the vinegar smell it gone, that is). This combo is great for cleaning almost anything. Google it for more cleaning tips.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that I really need to do SOMETHING with my jewelry. I'll definitely try this!
ReplyDeleteSarah
I'm slowly getting rid of commercial cleaners, too- vinegar, dawn, and lemon juice combos work great. I just tried furniture polish (vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice) and my coffee table is completely polished!
ReplyDeleteOk, I've never commented on your blog even though I have been devouring it ever since I found it a few weeks ago. This one though, I had to throw in my 2 cents! I just tried this recipe and when I took them out of the bowl, they looked great...then, when I went outside in the sun??!!! Holy mother!! My wedding band set was sparkling so much I couldn't stop staring! I almost walked into something! Thanks for posting it :) love, love, love your house by the way!
ReplyDeleteDo you think this could be used on white gold?
ReplyDeleteGreat tip!!
ReplyDeleteTried it and loved it. I posted the picture to Instagram of how it turned out check it out. Jujubee75
ReplyDeleteI actually have been using this, minus the soap, for over 12 years to clean my jewelry. Contrary to what I've seen posted here, I have had tremendous results out of cleaning silver, andd I pour the baking soda (NO salt) into a heap on the foil (placed shiny side up), then bury the item to be cleaned into the heap. Then I pour the boiling water onto the heap. It foams better this way and that is the magic behind this, no bristles method of cleaning your jewelry :)
ReplyDeleteI tried this about two weeks ago...it was the first time that I'd ever cleaned my engagement/wedding rings (in the 3 yrs that I've had them!). It worked fantastically--I couldn't believe how sparkly and shiny they were!!
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect! I will be doing this very soon...my rings are in dire need of cleaning. Thanks for the review & post!
ReplyDeleteDebbie :)
Great idea! I'm SO doing this! My wedding rings are looking pretty bad.
ReplyDeleteCleaning without harsh chemicals; I like this idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with us! I can't wait for more of these posts! :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, I just tried this with my white gold wedding set and the results are amazing! I did 8 minutes, just in case, and did have to scrub the undersides of the diamond settings a bit to sweep away the gunk. I can't wait to see the sparkles in the daylight! (Ah, isn't Pimterest great when you can't sleep?)
ReplyDeleteHa ha, PiNterest. Guess I should have slept a little longer!
DeleteWanted to try this the other day but was scared to actually do it!! I didn't know if some random pin from a total stranger was going to mess up my jewels! So instead I decided to follow the blog post of a trusted stranger instead! :) My rings look great and I'm sure would have looked even better if I could have located a toothbrush! Thanks for the follow up on this pin!
ReplyDeletewow!! I just tried it on my filthy diamond ring & a waterproof (fake) gold watch....amazing!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteDid a beautiful job on white gold,platinum and sterling silver! The solution was black when i finished and my jewelry sparkled!
ReplyDeleteBoth of my wedding rings (gold with diamonds) looks as sparkly as the day we got them after using this method! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI was a little nervous about trying this on my wedding band and engagement ring (both rose and white gold with diamonds) but I'm so glad I did! They look amazing. I put water in for 2 mins but let it cool for just a little because I've read that even diamonds can crack in hot water. I will definitely doing this again!
ReplyDeletesharing on the weekend edit sarah! laura
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try this! I'm a little nervous about using it on my wedding ring but looks like other commenters have used it without issue.
ReplyDelete