How to Clean Gold

Some of your clients will want you to know how to clean gold around their houses. By offering a long list of items you know how to clean properly, you can offer house cleaning services to high income residential customers.

Few possessions leave people with more pride than gold. Whether your clients have jewelry or gold-plated heirlooms, you'll want to make sure that you can properly care for gold. If there is dirt and grime built up on precious gold, it needs to be cleaned off. Here are some quick and easy steps to guide you through the process of cleaning gold.

1. Buff first. Start by buffing gold with a jewelry cloth to remove any surface dirt. Do so in a gentle, circular motion. Remember -- gold plate is a very thin layer of gold. Rub too hard and you'll remove the gold.

2. Choose your cleaner. Most importantly, avoid harsh chemicals. Gold is a very soft metal that is easily scratched. You'll want to avoid abrasive cleaners or acidic chemicals when cleaning gold. There are many jewelry cleaning agents on the market that will clean gold treasures and jewelry with little more than a soak, a scrub and a rinse. But if you've got something bigger than jewelry to clean you can consider these options for how to clean gold.

• Toothpaste and soap. Much like you would brush your teeth, you can brush gold with toothpaste and water. Use a small amount of mild toothpaste (nothing with a whitener in it) and brush the surface of your gold in gentle, circular strokes. Rinse off the toothpaste and follow with a simple soap and water mixture. Finish by buffing clean with a jewelry cloth.
  
• Soap and water. In a small dish, mix together a cup of hot water and some dish soap until both are combined. Let the gold item soak in the water for at least an hour (Note: any item with glued-on pieces should not be soaked, as it may loosen the bond). Remove the gold from the soap and water and give it a scrub with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Then simply rinse clean and dry.
  
• Store-bought cleaners. Something like EcoClean Silver and Gold cleaner is a safe option for cleaning gold. You'll just need to rub it onto the gold surface and then buff it clean. Follow with a good rinsing and drying.

3. Dry thoroughly. It's worth mentioning again -- you need to dry gold thoroughly after cleaning. It will prevent any residual cleaners from eroding the precious metal and it will also prevent bacteria from living on the gold.

4. Prevention. To retain the shimmering look of clean gold, it's important to be conscious of what it is exposed to. Don't wear gold jewelry around household chemicals (bleach, abrasive cleaners), as it will permanently damage gold. Don't store gold heirlooms where they will rub against each other, as gold is prone to scratches. Ideally, keep gold covered in a soft cotton fabric, sack made of jewlers cloth, or at least in a storage container with separate compartments for each gold piece. If your clients don't know this, you can teach them and encourage them to care for their gold properly.

How to Clean Gold -- Summary

It's not necessary to take gold to a jewler to have it cleaned. Clean gold using safe and non-abrasive cleaners and it will give off its beautiful, sparkling shine for years to come. Your clients will love you!

-->

Return Home from How to Clean Gold.