As beautiful as they come, jewelry can become the contrary if the proper care is not provided. However, getting your jewelry professionally fixed or cleaned might require you to spend a fortune.
Therefore, we've curated a list of 8 life hacks and DIY tips to ensure your jewelry is cleaned and cared for all year long without having to break the bank!
1. Need to clean gold? BEER!
Need to clean silver? KETCHUP!
As surprising as it might sound, these simple household products have been proven to help extend the life of your jewelry! If you don't have any beer or ketchup at the home, another effective home remedy is baking powder.
Just mix it with some water and it should be ready for cleaning!
2. Trouble fastening your bracelet by yourself? PAPER CLIP!
I think we all can agree that some bracelets can only be put on with another person's help. Hence, feelings of stress and frustration can come about when putting them on, making us hate the experience and the bracelets as a whole. To prevent such a problem from occurring, we came up with this easy life hack to make sure your future bracelet experiences are the moments you look forward to!
The directions are straightforward - simply unbend the clip so that it's straight on one end, but still hooked on the other. Then 'thread' the clip through the catch and with your other hand, clasp the bracelet together! Easy-peasy!
3. What to avoid? MOISTURE!
Any type of moisture or condensation is like a toxic ex to your jewelry. Similar to a toxic ex, moisture tends to prevent the jewelry from reaching its full potential and beauty. Some examples of moisture to avoid include sweat, water, or even perfume, as they all can deteriorate and rust your jewelry over time.
Simple changes to your daily habits and lifestyle can drastically improve the maintenance of your jewelry! These can consist of but are not limited to, taking your jewelry off before doing house chores, taking them off before showering, or putting them on after putting on your perfume/makeup.
4. Chains are tangled? BABY POWDER!
Have you ever bought a beautiful necklace, but ended up never wearing it because it was tangled whenever you looked for it? I think most of us don't realize the importance of ease and convenience in our final decision when choosing what jewelry to wear each day. Ultimately, if you don't wear your jewelry, you are wasting its value and your hard-earned money! To prevent such a tragedy from occurring, we found out that baby powder is extremely effective when trying to loosen and untangle your jewelry.
First, set your chain down on a clean plate. Then, sprinkle some baby powder onto the plate. Once that is done, you can start to untangle your chain as it should be much more slippery and easier now!
5. Need to know your ring size? PAPER!
Shopping online for jewelry can be fun, but the excitement can quickly dissipate once the site asks for your ring size. This is because most of us aren't memorizing our ring size or never really had the opportunity to even find it out. Lucky for you, we've got your back!
All you need to do is cut off a piece of paper and wrap it snugly around your finger. Make sure to mark the spot where it ends and measure the length with a ruler. You can check your measurement and compare it with the ring size numbers below.
6. How to pack jewelry for travel? PLASTIC WRAP!
It can get quite stressful when dealing with the logistics of traveling. This is especially true when traveling with jewelry due to its fragile nature and its tendency to get tangled easily.
One life hack that helps us when we travel is just laying our jewelry flat between two sheets of plastic wrap. This way, the jewelry is separated into different sections, preventing any type of mixing or tangling to occur. Additionally, this tip helps save more space in your baggage so you can pack the other things you wanted to bring without having to break a sweat!
7. Want to never have to deal with tangled chains? STRAWS!
Having tangled jewelry is a very common problem, but that shouldn't ever make it okay! With this life hack, you'll never have to see another tangled piece of jewelry ever again!
The idea is simple - thread one end of the chain through a straw before fastening the ends together. Now your necklaces and bracelets will never be tangled again!
8. Ring stuck? WINDEX!
Did you get your ring stuck on your finger again? Well, there's no need to worry as it is a common occurrence, especially in the summer. This is because our fingers will naturally expand due to the hotter temperatures.
Regardless, we've got just the solution for you!
All you need to do is use a bit of Windex, and it should lubricate your finger enough so you can just remove the ring with ease. Some may prefer using lotion for this case, but Windex will not gum up your ring, unlike lotion and other similar products.
Honorable Mention: CHALK!
As mentioned before, moisture is your jewelry's worst enemy. On the other hand, chalk is known to absorb moisture. If you put those two together, you should be able to conclude that chalk is very beneficial for jewelry storage.
Hence, adding a bit of chalk to your jewelry wardrobe will help protect your jewelry from rusting and/or tarnishing. In other words, it will extend the life of your jewelry!