How To Sanitize Jewellery And Watches?
Processes To Sanitize Jewellery And Watches
We often tend to forget that it is not only our hands that need to be clean but also the jewellery that we wear needs to be cleaned as well. Our rings and bracelets could prove to be a breeding site for many bacteria and viruses.
In times where the coronavirus is trending, the best way to keep yourself safe is to avoid wearing jewellery in your hands or ears. Research has shown that germs and viruses can live for up to 72 hours on metal surfaces.
Your normal tap water is not enough to wash out all the germs and bacteria. For your hands, 20 seconds of washing might be sufficient.
How To Properly sanitize Jewellery
At the moment, there might be very few confirmed cases of the coronavirus spreading through jewellery items, but that the fact that most of our jewellery is made out of metal is still a valid cause for concern.
Research has shown that the coronavirus and all other similar viruses can survive for days under the crevices of stainless steel, plastic and copper.
Dirt and grime can accumulate in bends and all the hard to reach surfaces, in these places, lotion, dead skin and soap accumulate to provide the perfect breeding spot for bacteria and other viruses.
To be able to clean your jewellery correctly and deeply, you will have to send it to a jeweller. Our regular faucets cannot do the job on their own.
Jewellers and Watchmakers have special grade equipment that they use to sanitize and deep clean all the surfaces. Deep cleaning can help you bring out the colours of your jewellery or watches and bring it back to its original form.
There are two cleaning equipment that jewellers and watchmakers use to deep clean their ultrasonic cleaner and steamer.
In most cases, the ultrasonic cleaner is only able to loosen the dirt, and going over the jewellery piece and watches with a steam cleaner can take out any leftover dirt. The steam itself is at such a high temperature that it can effectively kill many germs in the process.
We can also place the watch case in an ultrasonic cleaner but the watch case has to be dismantled from the movement; but we can put their straps in to clean. Because ultrasonic cleaners make very tiny bubbles, the bubbles can go into the most waterproof of watches and damage their clockwork permanently.
The best way to sanitize watches is by using alcohol or anti-bacterial wipes that are readily available. You can also spray them over with a disinfectant spray. Alcohol might not be a good option for most jewellery because it might affect their colour adversely.
If you’re someone like me who loves wearing rings a lot, then you might want to send your rings off to a jeweller to get them disinfected. Most jewellers might not be operating at this time. Therefore, it might also be better to avoid wearing your rings for a couple of days until the pandemic is over.
Don’t try to put your jewellery or watches into alcohol or disinfectant solution as the chances are that those solutions might corrode your pieces or discolour them, ruining them permanently. One thing you can invest in is buying a jewellery cleaning liquid. There are many jewellery stores online that sell these products, and you can use them to wipe your jewellery clean without having to worry about it damaging your pieces.
For watches, you can temporarily clean them by dipping only the metallic straps into warm soapy water. Use a soft toothbrush afterward to go over the dirt. After which you can wipe dry with an alcohol wipe. Do not soak your straps in the soap for more than 15 minutes.
These are all the ways through which you can clean your jewellery and keep it bacteria-free. If you frequently go out for any work, then it might be best not to wear your jewellery or watches outside, and even if you do, then it might be best to sanitize and then let your jewellery or watches lie down in a clean place for three days.
Not using your jewellery for three days will ensure that any virus strains that you might have caught from outside die effectively.