How to Clean Earrings

No one wants to wear dirty jewelry, however when it comes to earrings, cleanliness is more than just appearances. Ear piercings are sensitive, so you need to clean up dirt or bacteria that accumulate in the earrings. By regularly cleaning your cute earrings, you can ensure that they still look good and work well for many years to come.

Table of Contents

Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide

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Wash your hands to avoid spreading bacteria. Wet hands with warm water, then wash hands with soap. Rub soap between your fingers over your wrists, and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Use a clean towel to wipe your hands.

Washing your hands thoroughly will help you avoid making your earrings dirtier before you start cleaning.

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Wet cotton wool with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria and makes the earrings shiny again. You can hold a cotton ball or gauze over the mouth of a hydrogen peroxide bottle, then tilt the mouth of the bottle to wet the cotton/gauze ^{[1] X Research Source}

Stephanie Anders

Owner of Royal Heritage Tattoo and Piercing

Stephanie Anders is the owner and principal piercer at Royal Heritage Tattoo and Piercing, a tattoo and piercing salon in Los Angeles, California. Stephanie has over 10 years of experience and her client portfolio includes the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Nicpe Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sharon Osbourne.

Stephanie Anders
Owner of Royal Heritage Tattoo and Piercing

If the newly pierced ear has healed, use a mild cleaning solution or an alcohol swab to clean the earring. A healed piercing has no new tissue in the wound and is rarely irritated by mild cleaning agents.

Clean your earrings with hot water

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Wash your hands thoroughly before starting. Washing your hands first ensures that you won’t spread bacteria when cleaning your earrings. Wet hands with warm water, then wash hands with soap for about 20 seconds. Rinse hands thoroughly with water and dry with a towel. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Make sure to clean between your fingers and wrists.

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Bring water to a boil in the microwave or on the stove. Cleaning your earrings with boiling water is perfect when you’re short on tools and want to give your jewelry a little shine. To start, pour two cups of water into a boiling pot on the stove. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You can also boil a cup of water in the microwave. Start boiling for about 1 minute 30 seconds, then check and continue boiling if necessary.
Boiling water won’t clean your earrings completely, but it’s a good solution when you’re short on cleaning tools.

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Soak the earrings in boiling water for about 20 minutes. Remove the boiling water from the oven and place the earrings in a glass of water. Soak in water for about 20 minutes to clean. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Boiling water will kill bacteria and remove stains from the surface of the jewelry.
Boiling water is a safe choice for all earrings. If cleaning plastic fashion earrings, you should wait 1 minute or so for the water to cool down before putting them in.

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Take out the earrings and scrub with a toothbrush. Use a spoon or hand to remove the earrings when the water cools down. Gently scrub with an old toothbrush, scrubbing each earring to remove any stains, then rinse with warm water. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Tip: Wet the toothbrush with warm water before scrubbing the earrings for a better clean.

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Place the jewelry on a clean towel to dry. Let the earrings dry for a few minutes, or wait until completely dry. You can also use a mild cleaning cloth a few times. Use your hand to see if the earring is dry and set aside or wear it again.

Deep cleaning gold, silver, gemstone earrings

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Clean diamonds with dish soap and warm water to prevent color fading. Mix 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of warm water, then soak the diamond earrings for 3-4 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the earrings and gently scrub them with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Soak the jewelry in the mixture for another 1-2 minutes, then drop into a cup of cold water to rinse. Place the earrings on a clean towel to dry. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Do you know? Diamonds are very hard but are sensitive to cleaning products, because they can become discolored. Only unscented, colorless soap should be mixed with clean water to clean diamond jewelry.

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Rinse silver earrings with warm water and baking soda. To clean silver earrings, first use aluminum foil on a glass tray, glossy side facing up. Place earrings on aluminum foil and cover with warm water. Sprinkle baking soda on the tray until you see the earrings start to foam, soak for about 1 hour. Wash jewelry in a bowl of clean water and let dry on a soft cloth. ^{[9] X Research Source}

You need to clean silver earrings properly, because they can lose their luster and tarnish when dirty.
You can clean several pairs of earrings at once using this method.

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Use mild soap and water to clean pearl earrings. Mix warm water with a few drops of mild soap. Wet a soft cloth to gently wipe off the pearl jewelry. Allow jewelry to dry on a towel before storing. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Do not use harsh chemicals to clean pearl earrings, because this type of jewelry is often easily damaged.
Wipe the pearls with a soft cloth after each earring to keep them clean.

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Remove stains from gem earrings with a toothpick. Stains can accumulate in the corners of gemstone earrings, making it difficult to clean. Use a match or toothpick to remove the stain slowly and meticulously. ^{[11] X Research Source}

You can also try wrapping the toothpick in a towel or cloth to create a softer tip, but this won’t work when it comes to narrower areas.

Advice

Keep your earrings clean by removing them before going to bed, showering, or swimming.
You can also buy a jewelry cleaner so you don’t have to spend too much time cleaning your earrings.

Warning

Avoid cleaning your earrings on the sink, as this can cause you to drop them down the drain. Instead, clean small jewelry in cups or glasses.

Things you need

Use cleaning solutions

Hydrogen peroxide
Cotton balls or gauze pads
Bowl
Towel

Rinse the earrings with hot water

Small kettle or cup
Water
Soft bristle toothbrush
Towel

Special earring cleaning

Glass
Warm water
Soft cloth or towel
Colorless, fragrance-free and mild soap (for diamonds and pearls)
Soft bristle toothbrush (for diamonds)
Glass tray (for silver earrings)
Aluminum foil (for silver earrings)
Baking soda (for silver earrings)

Steps