Jewelry Care Tips During COVID-19 Hand Washing Craze

For most of us, it seems as though things are changing by the day, hour or even minute with the uncertainty of the world right now. While many things have changed, there is one thing that has remained a constant… and that is hand washing! Hand washing is certainly a top of mind activity right now, but can lead to questions about jewelry care when you’re washing your hands so frequently.

Did you know that hand washing has been a part of personal hygiene and even religious and cultural customers for centuries? Although the link between the benefits of hand washing and the spread of diseases was only established two centuries ago. You can read complete history on hand washing here.

Nevertheless, we’ve all been taught to wash our hands our whole lives. We have all seen signs in the restaurant bathrooms, “Employees must wash our hands before returning to work”. Those signs will most likely change to say, “Everyone must wash their hands before leaving this bathroom”, from here on out.

With all this hand washing, you may be wondering ‘What are the effects it’s having on my hands?’ or even more your valuable rings and other jewelry worn. Well… we’re here to break it down for you with a few simple tips.

Jewelry Care Tips During COVID-19 Hand Washing Craze

Yes- wearing jewelry while washing your hands is considered safe. Yay! If you’re worried about missing any germs underneath your rings while washing your hands, you can remove them.

TIP: Keep extra ring dishes at different places in your house. If you feel the need to remove your rings while you’re washing your hands (or doing that spring cleaning), you’ll have a safe place to keep them.

Generally speaking, hand sanitizer is safe for all hard stones and precious metals such as silver, platinum, titanium and other plated rings. If the ring contains soft stones like pearls or opals, the alcohol in the hand sanitizer could damage them. In addition to possibly damaging soft stones, the additional ingredients in hand sanitizer will dull the shine.

TIP: Don’t apply hand sanitizer directly to rings. If you notice any changes in your jewelry from hand sanitizer, wash your jewelry immediately with warm water and soap.

Use your at home jewelry cleaner or a spare toothbrush to scrub the item in a solution of dish soap and warm water.

So there you have it, washing your hands is something that you can continue doing while wearing your wedding rings or other jewelry!

As always, if you have any concerns about your jewelry, we’re here for you and can be reached online via our webchat, email us, direct message on social media channels or call us and leave a message at 317-255-4467 and we will return your call as soon as we can. You can also schedule a virtual appointment here. And when you are able, remember to visit Reis-Nichols to get a professional cleaning every six months.