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Miss Martini, New Jersey Age and Occupation: 30, Telecom by day, Superhero by night Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Investments & Finance by day, Hip hop dancer by night Engagement Date: May 24, 2008 Wedding Date: March, 2009 Blogging Since: August 18, 2008 Venue: The Venetian About Me: Things that make me happy: Haribo Happy Cola gummies, TV shows on DVD, buying books although I never read them, 80’s rock ballads, ramen, and of course Mr. Martini! He is the calm, logical and number crunching finance guy. I can’t even multiply double digit numbers in my head and I am so indecisive that trying to choose between light green or slightly lighter green paper stresses me out (Wedding planning is going to be soooo much fun). We both find great joy in nabbing great seats at the movie theater for a blockbuster movie on opening weekend, and we are both absolutely crazy about snowboarding. And he loves to cook, I love to eat!
About Miss Martini

Cleaning the Engagement Ring

August 25th, 2008 @ 8:27 am by Miss Martini

When I first got engaged, I didn’t know anything about owning a ring or how to take care of one. I never wear any jewelry at all, so wearing a ring all the time took a little getting used to. This might sound a little dumb, but I didn’t even know if I was supposed to take off my ring before I go to bed or before I take a shower. I was just that clueless and I was terrified of losing it (if you know me, you know how clumsy I am and how often I tend to lose/break things).

About 2 weeks into our engagement, I went on a business trip to Washington, DC. I never took my ring off at all because I wanted to avoid having to tell Mr. Martini that I lost my ring and risk being told not to come back to NJ (kidding… he would never say that… or would he…). By the time I got back, I started to notice that my ring wasn’t as bling bling as it was when I first got it. I was all set to buy a jewelry cleaning machine and started asking around for suggestions on different types of cleaners. I found that I generally got the same advice from most of my newlywed friends - a jewelry cleaner is a huge waste of money. So if it’s a waste of money, how do I clean my ring?

My matron of honor told me that she bought two pricey electric cleaners, and she never used either of them. She actually got her ring cleaning secret from a friend of hers. Her friend’s ring was always super shiny so my MOH couldn’t resist asking her what she used to clean it. The secret? Good old toothpaste. She gets comments on her ring all the time and they are always shocked when she tells them that she just pretty much brushes her ring like she brushes her teeth. I’ve tried this and it works! I bought a child toothbrush dedicated to ring brushing (best 3 bucks I’ve ever spent), added a little toothpaste and brushed away. It worked wonders and I watched my ring turn from dull to glow glow glow.

Another good friend of mine suggested using dishwashing liquid, so I tried that as well. I thought it worked just as well if not better. In fact, I prefer this to toothpaste because it foams better and washes off faster. Just place a small dab on the same kiddie toothbrush, brush, and rinse under hot water to watch the dullness wash away.

I also found something called Maas Jewelry Cleaner and thought I’d give it a try as well:

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The cleaner actually comes with a little brush, but I prefer using my own kiddie brush.

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There is a basket inside so fishing out your ring is a piece of cake.

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Brush brush brush.

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All clean! I don’t know why my hand is spread out like that. I swear I’m not a Trekkie.

Of course I have to admit that nothing will get it as clean as a professional cleaning, but I found these three things to work very well for me. I am bit partial to the Maas Cleaner because it was created specifically for jewelry, so I know it is safe. I do a quick brush with the dishwashing liquid sometimes before I run out the door.

Do you have any ring cleaning tips? If so please share because I’d love to hear!

29 Responses to “Cleaning the Engagement Ring”

1.
clevelander says:

such a pretty ring!

a word of advice - watch using toothpaste as it contains abrasives that have the potential to damage your metal.

2.
laterz says:

yeah i heard the same warning on toothpaste from our jeweler.

3.
jessplusben says:

My jeweler gave me a dozen bottles of his cleaner. Its blue and it smells like windex….

4.
Lasareath says:

I bought a SharperTEK Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner CD-7800 CD PRO for my Fiancee and it works very very well. It cleans everything!

I think I paid around $68 for it.

5.
jessplusben says:

@Lasareath:
I’d suggest to be careful with the ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. My sister setting became loose after using this; the jeweler highly discouraged using this!

6.
Lasareath says:

Thanks Jess, We bought it because our Jeweler uses one from the same company.

If you go to your Jeweler and ask them to clean your ring don’t they just put them inside a ultrasonic cleaner as well?

7.
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Miss Hot Cocoa says:

I started out using the Brilliant Earth cleaner (that came with my ring), but I’ve switched to Something New on the strength of the recs from a number of the other bees. It really works!

8.
gatornicole says:

the place where i bought my ring told us to use a little bit of mr clean! just be careful when you use it. i read up online about it first. it depends on what your ring is made out of.

9.
LizzyJ says:

Thanks for the great tips. I use jewelry cleaner like Maas and it works great. Must try that toothpaste trick, though!

10.
KateMW says:

I use my daughter’s old Diego toothbrush and whatever is close, either hand soap or toothpaste. Every few months if I’m out shopping near my jeweler, I got have it really cleaned and then they check the setting since the ultrasonic thing could make it lose. It’s so pretty right now! I was in buying my husband’s anniversary watch the other day and they cleaned it for me while I wrote the check! :)

11.
Xangeleno says:

If you have a sonicare-type electric toothbrush, save an old head as your ring cleaner. Just dampen it with water, and brush away. After a minute or so, submerge it in water while you clean, so the “gunk” can come off. Finish with a cloth to get your final squeaky clean result. It makes a huge difference with my ring!

True about the ultrasonic cleaner - I lost a pave’ stone after the jeweler cleaned mine.

12.
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Miss Champagne says:

Something new is great!! Works wonders and smells like a smoothie!!

13.
october2008bride says:

Ditto the warnings on toothpaste - but any of those cleaners from the jewellery store should work. Also just use some dishsoap mixed with hot water (some people add a bit of mr. clean) and that will clean it and cut the grease.

As far as the ultrasonic goes, it isn’t recommended for pave, but is fine for solitaires. It won’t typically make the stone come loose, but if it is already loose, it will often come out.

14.
Corey says:

I only use toothpaste (the plain ol white kind w/o bleach etc) for pearls only and I use windex for my ring (that’s why my jewler said that all cleaners you buy essentially are). Works great :)

15.
doctorgirl says:

My jeweler recommended a 50/50 mixture of windex and water. I looked it up and ammonia (the ingredient in windex) is the recommended way to clean both platinum and diamond.

Now my question is, “How often is too often to clean?” My fiance says I clean it too much (almost every day). How often do you clean?

16.
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Mr. Bee says:

Wow you can spot a Vulcan hand salute, but you’re not a Trekkie? Haha whatever - Live long and prosper!

17.
nashgirl says:

i use a toothbrush with dish soap… an electric toothbrush works great for getting into all the nooks and crannies! i also have an ultrasonic cleaner, but i find the toothbrush does a better job :)

18.
Marissa says:

I agree with october2008bride. A baby toothbrush dislodged two of the pavee diamonds on my ring. I didn’t know they were loose until they were in the sink!

19.
Stacey says:

i use the baby toothbrush method too! i have some pave set stones on the side, but i don’t brush those - i wipe them with a soft towel, specifically so they don’t dislodge. i brush the three main stones, and they get very nice and pretty. :)

20.
historybride says:

I just get my ring cleaned every month at J B Robinson. They do it for free without even asking where I got it (though we did get the ring there), I get an excuse to go wander around the mall a little bit, and look at shiny things in the store while it’s cleaned. Takes 3 minutes, tops, and they always check that the settings are secure.

In between though (if it starts to bug me), I just use some Windex and a cloth.

21.
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Miss Martini says:

@doctorgirl: i clean my ring pretty often too. my best friend cleans hers once a week so i thought i cleaned it too much - about once every other day or once every three days, depending how dirty it gets. but she takes her off as soon as she comes home - I tend to leave it on until right before getting into bed.

22.
Darlene says:

I actually soak mine in a bit of vodka for 15 minutes and use my toothbrush to give it a gentle scrub and it’s sparkly and new again!

23.
ChrissyM says:

This may be a stupid question, but for using dish detergent, what kind of detergent do you mean — the kind you use for handwashing dishes? (As opposed to dishwasher detergent?)

24.
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Miss Martini says:

@ChrissyM: hi! yep~ i meant the liquid dishwashing detergent, like joy or palmolive, that you use to hand wash dishes in the sink. =)

25.
gigglebride says:

My jeweler advised that I drop my ring in a shallow dish of warm water and dish soap for about 10 minutes every so often. If it is really dirty he said to use hotter water and leave for 15 minutes. He recommends I don’t scrub or rub with a brush, as it’s not great for the metal and can eventually loosen the diamond. His “professional” cleanings are actually nothing more than the same soap and water, with a little vibration to loosen stuck-on dirtyness, and my ring always comes out like bling after that! :)

26.
Katherine says:

Thanks so much for the advice! I look at mine & think how dirty it is all the time & never thought to do this… d’oh!

27.
erinjane says:

My jeweler advised the same baby toothbrush and warm water method, but suggested also dipping it in a bit of rubbing alcohol a few times, too, as this breaks up any greasy buildup: from hand lotion, scummy dishwater, and especially what he says is the worst shine-killer… hair products!

28.
MrsK2be says:

After trying nearly ALL of the methods listed above, I took my ring to a jeweler once that used a steam cleaner. I have NEVEr seen my ring so shiny as after that steam cleaning. Even FI commented on how great it looked! So, now all I do is put my ring in steaming hot water (tap water) for a minute and scrub it with an old tooth brush (no paste). It never fails!

29.
MarkyK says:

I love your ring! I happened upon this website randomly helping a friend plan a wedding. Would you be able to give me more details on it? Not price or carat size but type of cut, setting, and the band I can’t see it clearly in the pic. It is beautiful! Thanks and congrats!


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Miss Martini Miss Martini, New Jersey Age and Occupation: 30, Telecom by day, Superhero by night Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Investments & Finance by day, Hip hop dancer by night Engagement Date: May 24, 2008 Wedding Date: March, 2009 Blogging Since: August 18, 2008 Venue: The Venetian About Me: Things that make me happy: Haribo Happy Cola gummies, TV shows on DVD, buying books although I never read them, 80’s rock ballads, ramen, and of course Mr. Martini! He is the calm, logical and number crunching finance guy. I can’t even multiply double digit numbers in my head and I am so indecisive that trying to choose between light green or slightly lighter green paper stresses me out (Wedding planning is going to be soooo much fun). We both find great joy in nabbing great seats at the movie theater for a blockbuster movie on opening weekend, and we are both absolutely crazy about snowboarding. And he loves to cook, I love to eat!