Over time, jewelry can become rusted and scratched. According to Long’s Jewelers, it costs around $80 to get jewelry professionally polished.
If you can’t or don’t want to fork over the money to polish your sterling silver, a former Tiffany & Co. worker has got you covered. TikTok user Travon Hart (@hartboytray), who says he used to work at Tiffany & Co., shared his hack for how he polishes his sterling silver using a few everyday household items: foil, baking soda, and boiling water.
Hart unveiled two “tarnished” sterling silver rings and a necklace in tinfoil. “You can see it’s browning there,” he says of the rings.
He then added baking soda and boiling water to the foil. Hart then used a fork to move the rings around in the concoction. He concluded the video by showing off one of the clean rings. “You can go to the store and do all this,” he said, adding that that would take a day. “Or just do it yourself.”
While Hart posted his video in February, another TikToker resurfaced it. TikToker @Its_jenise_ recently reposted Hart’s video, saying she “had to try this out for myself!” Her video received 355,000 views.
@its_jenise_ Had to try this out for myself! #fyp #cleaningjewelry I got this from @Hartt ♬ original sound – Hartt
Many blogs recommend the same or a similar method. Viewers shared their success with this hack in the comments section of @Its_jenise_’s post.
“This is how I clean my silver too. Make sure the foil is shinny side up,” @jessymessie recommended.
“Been doing this for 30 years,” a second stated.
Others warned against doing this with certain jewels.
“Boiling water isn’t recommended for many precious stones,” @dianeatkinson1117 remarked.
“Do not do this with gemstones. Many cannot handle the thermal shock,” a second commented.
Real Simple does recommend being careful when cleaning jewelry with certain gemstones. “Be sure to identify your gemstones before cleaning them, because they aren’t all created equal. So, clean with caution and ensure that you don’t use the wrong methods for various types of stones. For example, it’s advised not to submerge gems such as pearls into water. Instead, you should use a damp cloth to wipe them clean,” Real Simple notes.
As for how often you should clean your jewelry, Martha Stewart suggests washing jewelry “as needed or bi-weekly, depending on how dirty they get.” You should at least clean jewelry once a month so that it doesn’t appear “darker, less colorful, loses its luster and sparkle.”
The Daily Dot reached out to @Its_jenise_ via TikTok comment, Hart via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment, as well as to Tiffany & Co via media contact form.
