Soaking or wiping down earrings with rubbing alcohol is a common practice. Yet, there are other easy ways to clean and sterilize earrings for everyday use. Pay special attention when cleaning the post, which is the part of the earring that passes through the ear. Regularly cleaning your earrings prevents infections. Furthermore, routine cleaning keeps your earrings looking nice.
Earring Cleaning Supplies
Cleaning your earrings is easy and only requires two supplies; however, additional supplies are on the list to address specific gemstones, which are often present in earring settings. Additionally, there are two different ways to handle the cleaning process. Follow our instructions to shine and sterilize your earrings in three easy steps.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide can be used to either wipe down the earrings or used as a soaking solution for the earrings.
- 32-fluid ounce bottle of first aid antiseptic
- First aid to help prevent risk of infection from minor cuts, scrapes and burns
- Active ingredient: 3% hydrogen peroxide (stabilized)
- If you like Swan Hydrogen Peroxide, we invite you to try Solimo 3% Hydrogen Peroxide First Aid Antiseptic
Small Bowl
A small bowl is required for soaking your earrings.
- Super Versatile Small Bowls - Diameter: 4.25in, Height: 2 in, Maximum capacity: 10oz. These ceramic ice cream bowls are the right size portion control and serving for desserts, side dishes, ice cream, rice, nuts,dipping sauces, meal prepping, and suitable for kids' little hands which make them easy to hold, also suitable for pets as they are relatively shallow so that your cats/dogs get their faces into the bowls easily
- Insulation and Minimalist Design - The double-insulated small white bowls wall keeps your food warm and makes for a more durable serving dish. And the modern round edge will ensure that the capacity of our white bowls is the real 10 oz. Unlike other ceramic bowls with irregular shapes which can cause false high capacity
- Reliable Porcelain Quality - Unlike other materials, the small dessert bowls have no harmful plastics, cadmium or Lead. And through high-temperature calcination, our dessert bowls are super durable so even if the microwave and oven are used frequently, this small bowls are safe
- Easy to Clean and Store - Interior and exterior (including bottoms) glaze to make the ice cream bowls silkier and protect the ice cream bowls against stains, making them easy to clean. Stacking and zero tilt function make the dessert bowls easy and stable to stack highly for cupboard space efficiency
- Ideal Gift Choice - Offered in classic white to modern, stylish designs, these small cecreal bowls can be coordinated with all kinds of tableware. The bowls can also let you put on a nice food presentation as you like, perfect for housewarming, birthday or holiday gift for mom, friends
Microfiber Cloth
A microfiber cloth can be used to wipe down the earrings or dry them off after soaking.
- Microfiber 16 x 12-inch cleaning cloth (24-pack); ideal for cleaning cars, trucks, boats, and more
- Ultra-soft and non-abrasive; will not scratch paints, vinyl, glass, finishes, or other surfaces
- Effectively cleans either dry or with liquid cleaners for streak-free results and a lint-free shine
- Durable and absorbent; soak up 8 times their own weight
- Can be reused hundreds of times
Mild Dish Soap
Dish soap is used to clean diamonds and pearls.
- Made without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, dyes, fragrances
- Made for perfectly imperfect parenting.
- Washes away dried milk and funky odors.
- Instant, easy use foam
- Dermatologist tested & non-allergenic
Small Cleaning Brush
A small cleaning brush is used to lightly scrub the diamonds.
- The softest is nylon bristled brush, followed by slightly more aggressive blue nylon bristled brush
- The most aggressive of Otis' all purpose receiver brushes is the bronze bristled brush
- Gives you the ability to scrub places where carbon, powder and copper residue accumulate
- These brushes can be used on firearms, automobile detailing, boats, golf equipment
- Battery terminals, camping, grout, jewelry, wood working, RC hobbies, crafts and much, much more
Cleaning Earrings Without Using Rubbing Alcohol
Not only do you want to clean your earrings, but you also want to sterilize them. Hydrogen peroxide is a great solution to do both of these things. Remember you must pay attention to the type of gemstones in your earrings. Diamonds collect dust and need to be shined up, while pearls require special care.
Step One: Wipe Down or Soak Your Earrings Using Hydrogen Peroxide
The cleaning method chosen is up to you. You can either soak the earrings in a small bowl filled with hydrogen peroxide or use the microfiber cloth and hydrogen peroxide to wipe the earrings down. If you choose to soak the earrings, leave them in the peroxide for 10 minutes.
- Pro Tip: If you are unsure about a particular gemstone, opt to wipe down the earrings until you speak with your jeweler.
Step Two: Dry Earrings
If you soaked the earrings, it is time to pull them out and dry them using a microfiber cloth. A microfiber cloth is typically the preferred material for drying earrings; however, paper towels can also be used. The most important thing to remember is you want a material that will both clean and shine your earrings.
- Pro Tip: Dry jewelry wipes are also commercially available. You can shine up those earrings after cleaning and sterilizing them.
- This is a new set of 50 jewelry cleaning wipes
- They safely clean silver, gold, gemstones, costume jewelry and watches
- Each dispenser contains 25 disposable jewelry wipes
- Each wipe has been permeated with a special formulated jewelry cleaner that is dry to the touch
- These are just as effective as our liquid formulation and used professionally by the worlds finest jewelers
Step Three: Clean Gemstones
Rinse out the small bowl, add a drop of gentle dish soap, and fill it with water. Submerge a clean microfiber cloth in the solution, ring it out, and wipe down the pearls, diamonds, or other gemstones. If you are working with diamonds, you want to also scrub them using a small cleaning brush. After scrubbing the diamonds, rinse them in water. Use the dry jewelry wipes for a finishing touch.
- Pro Tip: While diamonds are scratch-resistant, you still want to be gentle when scrubbing them because diamond settings can loosen.
If you notice a diamond is loose before you start scrubbing, it is best to take the earring to a jeweler to be repaired. Additionally, if you are working with any obscure gemstones and are afraid of damaging them, take the earrings to your jeweler to be cleaned.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning earrings is great, but you want to sterilize them, too. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful antimicrobial. Dry jewelry wipes are used to create a beautiful, lasting shine. Cleaning and sterilizing your earrings is a simple three-step process. This task only requires about 15 minutes of your time; however, it is important to keep your earrings clean and sterilized to avoid infections.
FAQ: Cleaning and Sterilizing Earrings
While you can always purchase some rubbing alcohol for cleaning your earring, we recommend using hydrogen peroxide to clean and sterilize your earrings. Both solutions work great, but hydrogen peroxide is less abrasive. When cleaning your earrings, you must be careful to avoid damaging them.
How often should you clean and sterilize your earrings?
It is a good idea to clean and sterilize your earrings once a week. Routine cleanings help prevent infections and keep your earrings in the best shape.
Can you use vodka to clean diamond settings in earrings?
Vodka is sometimes suggested as a cleaning agent for diamonds. It does have positive effects and can certainly be used for its sterilization qualities. That said, it is best to use conventional methods to clean diamond settings in earrings, and the method described above is preferred.
How do you clean and sterilize an earring that you are not able to remove from your ear?
When your ears are first pierced, you must leave the earrings in your ears until the piercings have healed. Therefore, you are not able to remove them for cleaning and sterilization. Instead, you should make a solution of salt water in a cup. A quarter teaspoon of salt is all that is necessary. Hold the cup up to your ear and submerge your ear lobe and the earring in the cup of saltwater for a couple of minutes. Repeat the process for the other ear. This technique allows you to clean and disinfect your earrings without removing them.
Can you use ammonia to clean earrings?
Ammonia can be used to clean earrings, but using the solution is risky. Ammonia can cause damage to certain precious metals, as well as certain gemstones. You may have heard of people using ammonia because of how well it shines up diamonds; however, it should be avoided.
Is hydrogen peroxide as effective as rubbing alcohol for removing ear cheese?
Ear cheese, which is built-up oil and dead skin, is no match for hydrogen peroxide. Ear cheese builds up easily around the post of an earring. Hydrogen peroxide is just as effective at cleaning the post, and as well as cleaning and sterilizing the entire earring.
