Fingerprints, body oil, lotions, perfumes, and hair products, can all make your jewelry look dull. But by keeping your jewelry clean, you not only save yourself from bacterial infections, you can also keep that new trinket on your body bright and shiny!
Cleaning your surgical steel, titanium and niobium jewelry with warm water and antibacterial soap works best. Alternatively, I’ve found that a diluted solution of a non-toxic cleaner such as Simple Green gets the same results. Either is a great way to sterilize and clean body jewelry before placing it in your piercing. (Make sure you wash your hands before you change your body jewelry, and only after the piercing has healed.) Remember to rinse well after washing & dry fully before storing.
A lot of body jewelry is made of surgical stainless steel. Despite the name, the steel is not completely resistant to staining. Chlorine and oxidization can cause stains on your jewelry. Should this happen, try these steps…
- Make a paste of equal parts liquid dishwashing soap and baking soda. Apply to the stained jewelry and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse the paste and check to see if the stain has lifted.
- Soak the jewelry in distilled white vinegar for 15 minutes. Then gently rub a soft cloth over the stain until it comes off.
- Rub a pencil eraser over the stain as if you’re erasing a mark on paper. Don’t be afraid to rub hard—the eraser will not damage the steel. Continue erasing until all or most of the stain comes off.
NEVER, EVER, EVER use abrasive cleansers, abrasive sponges, silver cleaners or polish on any metals. Keep your niobium and titanium jewelry away from alcohol or harsh chemicals like chlorine and bleach to prevent your jewelry from oxidizing and losing luster. Make sure you don’t use any soaps or solutions that contain these harsh chemicals. Read the labels on any products before you use them to clean body jewelry. You may think a soap is safe to use, but you could discover that there are harsh chemicals in it.
Next week, glass and organics…
Aloha,
Rockin’ Rob
(Image ganked from Topps Co. Wacky Packages circa 1973.)