Most of us are using more hand sanitizer than ever, but what toll are the chemicals found in hand sanitizer taking on your jewelry?
The answer is... It depends on the type of hand sanitizer you’re using! In this week’s blog post we cover choosing a hand sanitizer that isn’t going to harm or tarnish your favorite jewelry, as well as other everyday chemicals that should be avoided.
Choosing a Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer comes in two varieties: alcohol-based and nonalcohol-based.
As you would expect, alcohol-based hand sanitizer’s main disinfecting ingredient is alcohol. Alcohol is a relatively mild disinfectant and should be completely safe to use with your jewelry, which is fantastic news!
Keep in mind that the
CDC recommends that the alcohol content in hand sanitizer be a minimum of 60% to be effective.
Alcohol-based = Safe for jewelry.
Non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a different story. These hand sanitizers often use chlorine-based chemicals to disinfect surfaces.
When these chemicals come into contact with water they can react and release free chlorine, which can cause jewelry to tarnish or otherwise damage the surface of the piece.
It’s also important to keep in mind that chlorine can be harmful to jewelry in all its forms, and you should avoid it coming into contact with your jewelry. Chlorine is often found in household cleaning supplies, pools, hot tubs, spas, etc.
Nonalcohol based = Bad for jewelry.
What About Soaps and Household Cleaners?
Many soaps contain abrasive substances to help them to scrub services clean. Unfortunately, these substances can be very damaging to the surface of jewelry and cause rhodium to wear over time.
Ideally, all jewelry would be removed before using any soaps to prevent contact that can cause premature wear.
Soaps = Bad for jewelry
Clean Your Jewelry More Often
In addition to everything stated above, we recommend that you clean your jewelry more often to help protect it and keep it looking its best.
We sell a simple and effective jewelry cleaning solution for $9.95 in the store. This solution is non-aerosol, nontoxic, and formulated for the special care of gold, platinum, diamond, and gemstone jewelry.
This cleaner is easy to use. Simply apply the cleaner to the jewelry, rinse with water and then wipe dry. For heavily soiled jewelry leave the solution on the jewelry for 1-3 minutes and then complete the same steps. There is also a cleaning brush supplied to remove any heavy buildup.
Conclusion
Hand sanitizer comes in two varieties: alcohol-based and nonalcohol-based. Only use alcohol based hand sanitizer to protect your jewelry.
In addition, clean your jewelry more often with a dedicated jewelry cleaning solution like the one mentioned above to keep it looking its best.
Follow these simple steps and your jewelry will shine brilliantly for years to come.