One advantage of using gold jewelry is that you don’t have to bother about your jewelry tarnishing. That isn’t the case with fake gold jewelry, as the metals are more chemically active than gold. As a result, you’ll find your fake gold jewelry tarnishing as you use it.
4 Easy Ways to Clean Tarnished Fake Gold Jewelry
Fake gold jewelry tarnishes often, and your jewelry can lose the luster that made you fall in love with it. The good thing is that there are several easy ways to clean tarnished fake gold jewelry from the comfort of your home.
1. Aluminum Foil, Baking Powder, and Salt
This cleaning method works with fake gold jewelry made of silver. To apply this method, you need the following items:
- Aluminum foil
- Baking powder
- Bowl of warm water
- Salt
Some of these items are things you might have in your kitchens or can get at the grocery store. With the items in hand, you need to follow the steps below:
Step 1 — Completely cover the empty bowl with the aluminum foil; you can face the foil in any direction, but it works best when the sunny side is up.
Step 2 — Turn some warm water into the bowl with salt and baking powder. Stir the solution for a few seconds to dilute everything fully.
Step 3 — Put the tarnished jewelry in the solution, ensuring that the jewelry is fully immersed and in contact with the foil.
Step 4 — You will observe that the tarnish begins to come off in seconds, and your jewelry should be completely clean in minutes. If there are still tarnish spots on the jewelry, you can use the baking powder as an abrasive. Place the powder on the tarnished spot and rub it with your finger to completely clean it.
Step 5 — Finally, rinse the silver with clean water, dry it, and store it properly.
2. Vinegar and Water
Vinegar and water also work well to clean tarnished fake gold jewelry. To use this method, mix vinegar in a little water and use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean it thoroughly.
As you brush, focus on parts of the jewelry that are hard to reach or look most tarnished. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly and dry it with a microfiber cloth
Vinegar works great as a cleaning agent as it can break down the build-up of chemicals on your jewelry. However, you must ensure that you dilute the vinegar and don’t leave the jewelry in the solution for too long. Leaving your fake gold jewelry in vinegar for too long can destroy the jewelry because of the acidic nature of vinegar.
3. Lemon
Lemon is a reliable cleaner for tarnished fake gold jewelry because of its acidic nature. Cleaning your jewelry with lemon will rid it of any oxide layers that might have formed on the metal over time. Lemon cleaning works especially well with silver jewelry.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Place the jewelry into the bowl of lemon juice and scrub it thoroughly with a piece of cloth or a toothbrush.
Add salt to the lemon juice for tough tarnish stains, and leave the jewelry in the solution overnight. Use a piece of cloth or a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean the jewelry in the morning. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly and dry.
4. Soap and Warm Water
Mix some drops of dishwashing liquid in a bowl of warm water, and clean the fake gold jewelry with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not put too much water into the mixture so the soap isn’t excessively diluted.
Soap and warm water are good for cleaning little bits of tarnish but would not work so effectively when your jewelry is heavily tarnished. As you use this method, ensure that you dry your jewelry properly and don’t leave it in water for too long. Exposing your fake gold jewelry to water can cause it to rust or tarnish.
Protect Fake Gold Jewelry From Tarnishing
Even if the means of cleaning fake gold jewelry are easy and cheap to undergo, it’s still better to protect your jewelry from tarnishing. Cleaning the tarnished layers causes you to lose some parts of the jewelry metal, causing the jewelry to wear out fast.
1. Re-plate the Jewelry
If your fake gold jewelry is plated, it will only tarnish when the plating starts wearing off. Some plating layers wear off as the jewelry makes contact with your skin.
The plating protects the jewelry from making direct contact with substances that might cause it to tarnish. The way to get that bit of protection back on your jewelry is to re-plate it. If your jewelry is gold plated, you need to re-plate it with gold; the plating on fake white gold jewelry could be rhodium.
2. Use Jewelry Protectant Spray
Jewelry protectant spray gives your fake gold jewelry a layer of coating that protects it from moisture. Without moisture having direct contact with your jewelry, it won’t tarnish.
First, use the spray to cover your gems and charms with masking tape so they don’t lose their luster. Place one side of the jewelry on cardboard and spray evenly from about 10-12 inches away. Turn the other side of the jewelry after about ten minutes and spray. Peel off the tapes in about 20 minutes when the spray is completely dry.
3. Use Nail Polish
Nail polish is a cheap alternative to jewelry protectant spray, but the logic is the same. The polish provides your jewelry with a layer of protection from the elements. The best type of nail polish to use is clear nail polish so that it doesn’t alter the appearance of your jewelry.
Apply the nail polish evenly on all sides of your jewelry and leave it to dry. Do not put nail polish on the gems and charms.
4. Keep Away From Moisture
Putting your fake gold jewelry in moist conditions is a one-way ticket to Tarnish Town. Always ensure that the jewelry is completely dry when wearing it or in its storage container.
Swimming pools and jacuzzis have high chlorine content, and chlorine is a chemical that causes fake gold jewelry to tarnish. Always keep your jewelry away from the pool and the tub to keep them tarnish-free.
5. Store Different Metals Separately
Storing fake gold jewelry made from different metals can cause the jewelry to tarnish. The cause of this is a process known as galvanic corrosion. It is the moving of charged particles between different metals when they are put together. Sometimes, galvanic corrosion can destroy your jewelry in a very short time.
Do not buy jewelry made of mixed metals unless you’re sure that the two metals are compatible. Some jewelers mix metals because of their appearance, ignorant that the mixture might cause the user to battle tarnish on that piece.
Although not all metals react negatively to each other, it is safe to keep all metals in different storage spaces. Better still, you should store each jewelry piece in an individual jewelry pouch.
Read More: Does Real White Gold Tarnish?