When it comes to your silver earrings, whether they are studs, ear cuffs, drop, huggie, or hoop earrings, all of your pieces require the right care and maintenance to keep them sparkling. By following this guide and incorporating the right storage and cleaning home remedies, your earrings will stay sparkling.
Key Takeaways
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Clean earrings every 1-2 weeks to remove bacteria buildup
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Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive scrubbing methods when cleaning
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Use the aluminium foil and baking soda method only for durable sterling silver earrings, not silver-plated earrings
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Use gentler cleaning methods, such as silver polishing or mild soap and water, to clean silver earrings with stones or hinges.
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Store silver earrings in tight pouches or containers in separate pairs
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Wipe earrings after wearing to prevent tarnishing and maintain shine.
Why Regularly Cleaning Earrings is Important
Regularly cleaning your earrings is essential for basic hygiene, as they sit directly in your ear piercings, where they often collect dead skin cells, natural body oils, and other debris, creating a breeding ground for germs. Without regular cleaning, your piercing is prone to bacterial buildup, which can lead to painful skin infections and unpleasant odours.
For piercing cleaning, if you wear the same sterling silver earrings often, clean them once every 1 to 2 weeks.
How to Clean Sterling Silver Earrings
When cleaning sterling silver (925 silver) earrings, use the right equipment and materials, as the wrong products can cause further issues. Here is a list of products to avoid when cleaning earrings at home:
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Harsh Chemicals (Hydrogen Peroxide or Bleach): Harsh oxidisers can deteriorate silver earrings and can destroy the shine of gemstone-adorned pieces.
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Rubbing Alcohol: Frequent use of alcohol disinfectants on silver earrings can strip away plating.
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Scrubbing with Baking Soda & Toothpaste: Scrubbing silver with baking soda and toothpaste is too abrasive, causing scratches on classic designs and damaging pieces adorned with delicate gemstones.
Instead of these, adopt the following remedies to see the best results:
Sterling Silver Earrings Cleaning Equipment List
Cleaning sterling silver earrings correctly requires the following:
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Baking soda
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Lukewarm water
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Aluminium foil
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Mild dish soap
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Silver polishing cloth
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Microfiber cloth
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Bowl
While baking soda is frowned upon because it's known as abrasive, that is only if you scrub with it. Whereas, if you line a bowl with aluminium foil and then add a mixture of baking soda and water to the earrings, it gently scours, removing dark spots and rust. Its chemical properties can leave silver jewellery sparkling.
Silver Earrings Deep Cleaning Guide
When dealing with earrings that have rust or dark spots, the aluminium foil and baking soda method is very effective. Here are the steps to take for tarnish removal:
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Prep the Bowl: Grab a heatproof bowl and line it with aluminium foil, shiny side up.
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Add Earrings: Place the earrings in the bowl, ensuring they contact the aluminium foil.
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Add Baking Soda: Lightly sprinkle around 1 tablespoon of baking soda over the earrings.
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Add Hot Water: Very carefully pour close-to-boiling water into the bowl, submerging the earrings. This will cause a bubbling reaction as rust and tarnish are extracted from the earrings onto the foil.
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Leave to Sit: Let the earrings soak in the bowl for 3 to 5 minutes.
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Remove Earrings: Use tweezers to remove the earrings from the bowl to avoid getting burned by the mixture.
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Rinse with Cold Water: Rinse the clean earrings with cold water to remove any excess tarnish and cool them down.
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Dry Earrings: Finally, dry the earrings with a microfibre cloth or a specialised silver-cleaning cloth for extra polish and shine.
Light Earring Cleaning Guide
The aluminium foil and baking soda method is recommended only for durable sterling silver designs, while other remedies suit earrings with wire or hinge designs, as well as those adorned with gemstones and pearls.
Reasons for not using the aluminium foil and baking soda method for these earring types include:
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Gemstones and Pearls: Porous stones that come into contact with aluminium foil and baking soda can absorb the alkaline solution, leading to discolouration, thermal shock cracking, and the dissolution of jewellery glue, which can cause them to dislodge.
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Wires and Hinges: This method can weaken springs in clip mechanisms, usually found in hoop or leverback earrings, causing them to lose the snap that holds them together. Also, the bubbling liquid can cause a chemical reaction that loosens joints and causes internal corrosion in earrings.
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Silver-plated Jewellery: Using more abrasive cleaning methods can affect the thin layer of silver plating, cause base metals to react, and, as with gemstone earrings, damage the glue, causing decorative elements to fall off.
To safely clean these earring types, use a commercial silver-polishing cloth, such as the Silver UK cleaning cloth, or a mild soap-and-water wipe with a microfiber cloth to avoid heat and submersion during cleaning.
How to Properly Store Silver Earrings
Storing silver earrings should be just as important as cleaning them, as it isn’t as simple as placing them in a box in a drawer; there are specific routines you should follow to ensure your earrings remain in immaculate condition, as silver earrings can tarnish when exposed to air, moisture, and sulfur. Here are some tips for storing silver earrings that can help prevent tarnishing and darkening:
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Wipe Earrings Down: After wearing your earrings, always wipe them with a soft microfiber cloth or a silver jewellery polishing cloth to prevent oil buildup.
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Limit Moisture Exposure: When storing sterling silver earrings, use an airtight bag or box, like an anti-tarnishing pouch, to prevent tarnishing.
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Store in Pairs: Keep earrings in separate, tightly sealed pouches per pair. This prevents the scratching of silver.
What to Avoid When Storing Silver Earrings
It is important to note the common storage methods that shouldn’t be used when storing silver earrings due to the risk of tarnishing:
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High-Moisture Areas: Storing earrings in areas like bathrooms and other damp household areas can weaken silver earrings.
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General Containers: Storing earrings in cheap plastic containers and not using jewellery-specific storage can accelerate tarnishing by trapping moisture.
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Leaving Exposed: Leaving earrings on the side, exposed to humidity and moisture, will accelerate tarnishing.
Keep Your Earrings Immaculate with Silver UK
Regularly cleaning silver earrings at home, like other silver jewellery, helps control tarnishing and keeps your jewellery in optimal condition and ready to shine for all occasions. For general care, discover our Jewellery Care Guide. If you are new to your piercing journey, check out our How to Care for Newly Pierced Ears Guide for expert insight into preventing ear infections, keeping your piercing pain-free, and easily changing your earrings.