How To Clean A Diamond Ring At Home

An engagement ring featuring a precious stone is a tradition spanning many cultures and dating back centuries. While rubies were once among the most popular stone for this purpose (via Abby Sparks), diamonds have become the engagement staple of the modern age. In fact, while alternative stones have lately made a comeback where it comes to engagement rings, with people choosing everything from emeralds to sapphires with which to pop the question, diamonds still remain the most popular engagement ring choice (via The Knot).

Different cuts tend to rise in fall in popularity based on current fashion trends (like today's increasingly-popular elongated cuts like oval and emerald cuts), and the metal the diamonds are paired with also shifts throughout time (white gold is falling out of favor while yellow gold is seeing a resurgence). But one thing never changes: when a person looks down at their diamond ring, they love to watch it sparkle. And while diamonds are the hardest stone and therefore retain their beauty for lifetimes, they can appear to lose their luster and sparkle as they collect dirt and grime over the years. 

So if you want to bring your ring back to full gleaming life and don't feel lead heading to a jeweler, what can you do? 

While a new diamond ring sparkles in a way nothing else quite does, over time your ring can collect oils, debris, dust and other contaminants that not only dull its shine, but can also dull the metal band and even cause skin irritation for some people (via Brides). Therefore, it's a good idea to clean your ring fairly regularly. Ideally, you should take the time to clean and polish it at least every six months to keep it in the best condition possible. While many jewelers are happy to provide this service for you, it's easy and quick to do it at home. 

One way to clean your diamond ring at home is with non-abrasive jewelry cleaner made specifically for diamonds, which you can usually find at your local pharmacy. These usually come in a small plastic tub and include a small brush for scrubbing. That said, if you'd rather not make the trip or spend the money on the jewelry cleaner, it's likely you already have what you need to crate some make-shift jewelry cleaner in your kitchen. 

The simplest at-home solution to a dull and dirty diamond ring is soap and water (via The Knot). Yes, really! Specifically, use dish soap in a bowl of warm water to soak the ring for somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes. This will work safely whether you have a platinum, gold, or silver ring. If there are some stubborn bits of stuck-o residue that don't seem to come off with soaking, it's okay to use a super soft toothbrush to do some gentle scrubbing. Make sure that you rinse your ring thoroughly when finished so that no soapy residue clouds the stone. 

If your ring is made of silver, another great option for at-home cleaning is a solution made from baking soda and vinegar (yep, the same mixture you use to clean your sink drains!). Simply mix half a cup of vinegar with two tablespoons of baking soda and allow the ring to soak in this solution for about three hours. Then make sure to rinse thoroughly to reveal that like-new sparkle and shine!