In our experience, ultrasonic cleaning does not work nearly as well as a fine brush under water with soap. At the same time, the constant vibrations do not only stress connections in jewelry, but can also unnecessarily strain delicate joints in glasses and other items.
For us, cleaning jewelry by hand under water with a soft brush is the loving and careful way to care for jewelry. This allows the cleaning to be adapted particularly precisely to the shape and fine details of the piece, instead of just running a quick cleaning cycle and waiting for the dirt to loosen on its own—which doesn't always work. Furthermore, this method does not require expensive equipment and can easily be done at home.
Important:
Always use a fine, soft makeup brush. Do not use toothbrushes or other hard brushes, as these could scratch the jewelry.
Hold the jewelry steady with your fingers while brushing it under water and do not move it around in the bowl, as the bowl can scratch the jewelry.
With gold-plated jewelry, the coating can wear off or peel away over time after very long and intensive use. In this case, the jewelry should be cleaned with extreme caution or not at all, as the brush could remove the coating.
Can you clean jewelry or glasses in an ultrasonic cleaner?
Yes, you can, but a fine brush under water with a little soap is significantly faster and gentler on the jewelry. Using a brush often gets jewelry cleaner in just 30 seconds than several minutes in an ultrasonic bath. While ultrasonic cleaners do not directly break anything, the strong and continuous vibrations can loosen weak connections or settings. Therefore, if a stone falls out or something comes loose in jewelry that has been worn for a long time, it is not uncommon for it to happen during ultrasonic cleaning.
Which jewelry is safe in an ultrasonic cleaner?
Solid jewelry without set stones or delicate connections is generally unproblematic for ultrasonic cleaning. For example, a simple solid ring, a thick bracelet, or a sturdy chain.
Which jewelry should ideally not be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner?
The more individual stones, settings, screw fittings, or movable joints a piece of jewelry has, the more you should avoid an ultrasonic bath. This applies, for example, to so-called ice-out jewelry, which is completely covered with many small stones, or jewelry with a halo design. Ultrasonic cleaning is not forbidden here, but a fine brush under water works significantly better.
What is better than ultrasonic cleaning for jewelry?
A bowl of lukewarm water and a little soap is perfectly sufficient. Soak the jewelry briefly and then brush it directly under water with a fine brush (makeup brush). After about 30 seconds, the jewelry is already cleaner than after 10 minutes in an ultrasonic bath. The 10 minutes was only for our test and is much too long for regular jewelry cleaning. Afterwards, simply rinse the jewelry with clear water and always pat it dry with a clean paper towel, as polishing cloths become smeared cloths after being used just three times.
How long should jewelry stay in an ultrasonic bath?
It is best not to clean jewelry in an ultrasonic bath for longer than 120 seconds. A longer cleaning duration is generally unnecessary and can unnecessarily stress delicate connections and coatings. For a particularly gentle clean, we recommend cleaning with a soft brush, warm water, and a little soap instead.
How often should you clean jewelry?
Rings are ideally cleaned while washing your hands. Earrings should be cleaned regularly, and chains or bracelets best whenever they have become dirty—or better yet, regularly. After all, like our clothes, jewelry is in constant direct contact with the skin and therefore deserves to be cleaned regularly.
How do I get my jewelry to a high shine?
Once you have already cleaned your jewelry, you can wipe it briefly with a clean paper towel. Paper towels are always clean and absorb oils from the skin on the jewelry much better than a polishing cloth, which can become a greasy, streaky cloth after just a short period of use.
Why cleaning jewelry with ultrasound sounds better than it is
At first, ultrasonic cleaning sounds like a simple solution: put the jewelry in, turn it on, and wait until it gets clean. In practice, however, it is a bit like putting dirty dishes into the sink, turning on the faucet, and waiting for the water to wash all the dirt away by itself. In an ultrasonic cleaner, the jewelry is not simply rinsed, but continuously shaken with very fine vibrations. The goal is for the dirt to hopefully loosen on its own. Even after 10 minutes, not all particles are necessarily completely removed—and 10 minutes in an ultrasonic bath is already far too long.
It is completely normal for something to loosen over time in jewelry that has been worn for a long time, or jewelry with many small, set stones or delicate connections; it is part of natural wear and tear. Precisely these things can then easily fall out or break in an ultrasonic cleaner, even though they could have been preserved for a long time without the additional strain.
One should be careful with jewelry featuring many small, delicately set stones. Halo designs like the Moissanite Halo Stud Earrings from the photo, with several finely set stones, are best not cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner. The strong vibrations can cause small stones or delicate settings to loosen, especially if the jewelry has already been worn for a long time or individual connections are already slightly loose.
For jewelry with delicate settings, many small stones, or already loose elements, a gentle cleaning with lukewarm water, a little soap, and a soft brush is the better and more efficient choice.
Since ultrasonic cleaning does not get the jewelry completely clean despite the strong vibrations, and we use exclusively real photos for our product images, we have carried out many different cleaning tests. We found that a simple brush with water and soap works best.
Cleaning jewelry easily at home - the best way
You have probably heard it many times, but it really is one of the best ways to clean jewelry at home: a bowl of lukewarm water, a little soap, and a fine brush.
Simply place the jewelry in the lukewarm soapy water and let it soak for approx. 30 seconds. Then, brush it directly under water in the bowl with a fine brush. This way, you are actually wiping the dirt off the jewelry instead of hoping that it will eventually come off by itself in the ultrasonic cleaner. Because the jewelry is brushed underwater, the loosened dirt will simply "swim" away in the water and not re-attach to the brush or another part of the jewelry. When all areas are clean, simply rinse the jewelry under the faucet and best dry it with a clean paper towel. Paper towels are best because they are very absorbent and cleaner than a multi-use cloth. It is best to always dry the jewelry rather than letting the water simply evaporate. This prevents water spots and residues.
Important: With plated or coated jewelry, the coating may wear off or peel away in certain spots after extended wear. In this case, you should avoid brushing, as it could potentially further remove the coating. That is precisely why we at Moissanite Mode rely on 925 sterling silver with high-quality 18K gold plating. Should the white gold coating wear off over time, sterling silver remains visible underneath. Due to the similar shade, the transition is much less noticeable than with yellow gold coatings on sterling silver.
A soft makeup brush is best for this; almost everyone already has one at home. Ideally, use a brand-new brush and wash it thoroughly with soap or a little dish detergent before first use to ensure there is no dirt or dust in it. Subsequently, you should reserve this brush exclusively for jewelry cleaning and not use it for anything else.
The brush does not need to be washed again after every cleaning. If kept clean, it usually stays clean for a long time. After a while, however, it may be useful to give the brush itself a thorough cleaning as well.
The size of the brush can also be adjusted depending on the piece of jewelry. A small makeup brush is particularly suitable for small Moissanite Stud Earrings like in our photos. For larger pieces of jewelry such as bracelets or chains, you can use a correspondingly larger makeup brush. For rings, a flat brush is particularly practical, as it allows you to easily clean the surface and between the stones.
How do I get my jewelry to a high shine?
You don't need a full cleaning for daily shine. If the jewelry is already clean, you can simply wipe/polish it briefly with a clean paper towel or disposable tissue.
Conventional polishing cloths become smeared cloths after the third use and easily contaminate the jewelry with streaks and grease without you noticing it immediately. A disposable paper tissue like a paper towel, on the other hand, is always perfectly clean and absorbs oils and impurities much better, and the paper practically does not lint at all if you do it gently and relaxed.
The whole process takes just 5 seconds for a Moissanite Brilliant Stud Earring like in the photo with the brush and one stone, while it is being worn in the ear. A simple eternity ring is just wiped all around once or twice.
If, however, there is already visible dirt between the stones or in hard-to-reach places, cleaning with lukewarm water, a little soap, and a fine brush is the better choice.
Thanks for reading <3
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