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If 10,000 Biters opt for an 8-oz bottle of eco-cleaner instead of conventional cleaner, we'll avert enough potentially harmful chems to fill almost half an elevator.

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home ›   tip library ›   Jewelry Cleaner

What's more terrifying than Jack Nicholson and an elevator full of blood?

The Bite

Tarnished jewelry. OK, we exaggerate, but if you want your jewelry to really shine, it needs a good polish from time to time. Bring back the twinkle faster than you can say "Here's Johnny" with with nontoxic eco-methods.

The Benefits

  • Avoiding horror-inducing chems. Some conventional jewelry cleaners contain ammonia, which is a lung irritant.
  • Eco-gleam. Less body-harming chem production means less chance of those chems harming nature. Ammonia, for example, can be toxic to aquatic life.
  • Effectiveness. These options shine things up like the pros.

Personally Speaking

Our favorite thing about newly polished baubles? It makes them look a whole lot bigger.

Wanna Try?

  • Purosol Jewelry Cleaning Kit - comes with a gem-cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth for extra glitter; cleans all types, including bone, resin, shell, and stone jewelry ($10).
  • Homewood Metal Polish - lemon oil and mineral formula helps scrub away tarnish on almost any metal ($6).
  • DIY Bite: Use a soft toothbrush and (non-ammonia) eco-window cleaner to polish gems, or a soft toothbrush and nonabrasive toothpaste for metal. Wipe off any residue with a damp cloth.

Feb 15,2008


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A Bauble Blog
Trust me, your jewelry's dirty.  You don't think it is.  You look at it, and think it looks just like it did when you first got it, but honest - unless you received it as a sweet Valentine's Day gift yesterday - you should really go clean it.

In the end, it's sort of like looking at yourself in the mirror every day. You don't think you look older. Or if you do, you don't think anyone notices. The transition is too subtle.  But one day, you see a photo from five years ago, and you think "OMG, was I ever that young?"

Yeah, you were. And your jewelry used to be a lot shinier, too.

At least you can take care of that last one without resorting to plastic surgery.

-Heather... off to soak some earrings...

Biter Comments...
Look forward to maplerush.com for ethical and eco-friendly jewellery, due to launch in mid april 2008
Just be sure that you know what kind of jewelry it is before choosing your cleaner. A cleaner with lemon juice in it, for example, is a real no-no if the jewelry has a pearl in it. Check twice, avoid a disaster.
Great tips on jewelry cleaning! One really effective way to remove tarnish from your sterling silver jewelry is to lay down a piece of alumnimum foil in a bowl or other sort of container, put the silver jewelry on top, cover with a little baking soda, and pour boiling water on top. Let it sit for a few minutes, and somehow the tarnish adheres itself to the alumnium foil, leaving your silver sparkling!
It's a funny coincidence that this morning I cleaned a tarnished silver chain necklace before leaving for work. When I get to work, you're talking about less-toxic ways to clean jewelry! Toothpaste, my people! Plain, old, minty, Pepsodent or whatever is already in your medicine cabinet (tartar control, extra whitening, citrus fresh, it's all good). Toothpaste is a miracle on tarnished metal, and smells downright heavenly compared the mystery liquid in a red jar.
Ah I've tried toothpaste on silver. Works brilliantly, use a toothbrush, the tiny bristles work really well on intricate designs. :)
For some reason... Dr. Bronner's soap keeps my silver jewelry shiny and clean. Also ketchup cleans up my copper pots without any harm to them or the planet.
this was exactly the tip i needed! how timely. thanks, biters!
you guys all rock!!!
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