Clean gold with a soft cloth and a commercial gold cleaner. Avoid soap and chlorine. [2] X Research source Silver usually needs a clean cloth and some water. You can also buy special silver cleaners. Diamonds need a special cleaning solution. Visit a jeweler or search online for diamond-specific cleaning products. [3] X Trustworthy Source Gemological Institute of America Nonprofit institute responsible for gemological research and education and setting gemstone buying and selling standards Go to source For cheap rings—the kind you might buy in a dollar store—use only your fingers to scrape off the grime.

Make sure to clean between any cracks or ridges in your ring. Use the toothbrush like you would use it on your teeth, brushing gently, firmly, and thoroughly. You should clean your ring every few weeks to months, depending on how often you wear it. Consider dedicating a toothbrush to ring-cleaning, and do not use it for anything else.

Don’t use any towels or napkins to try to clean your ring, since it could scratch the surface or ruin any stones present. Don’t pat it dry with a 100% cotton cloth. It’s important to use thoroughly filtered water in this process. Try putting a magnet in a flour sifter, then running your tap water through that before using it to clean your ring. This will eliminate any metals containing magnetic properties—these metals are the ones that could ruin silver, gold, or other precious metals. If your ring seems particularly dirty, you can add a few drops of dish soap into the water and mix it in before cleaning. [4] X Expert Source Kennon YoungCertified Jeweler Expert Interview. 13 September 2019.

Rinse the ring in soapy water. Scrub the ring. Rinse in warm water and leave to dry.

Wrap the inside of a bowl with aluminum foil. Mix one cup of warm water and one tablespoon of baking soda in the foil. Place your ring in the water-soda mix, making sure it touches the foil. Leave your ring in the mixture for 10-30 minutes, or until it is free of tarnish.

A jeweler can test for the presence of precious metals, as well as the quality of those metals. This information will help the jeweler decide which cleaning agents are safe to use. This is especially important for engraved rings. Cleaning a ring with engravings on it could potentially wipe off the inscription or design. If your ring has important engravings on it, take it to a jeweler.

Your local jeweler can tell you if an ultrasonic cleaning machine is right for your jewelry and recommend an appropriate model.