Let me give you a spoiler. “How to clean jewelry at home” 101. You just need some warm water and, in most cases, some dish soap. But we’ll get into the details a bit later. 

What you need to know is that there are ways to clean your jewelry at home, easy and fast, without having to go to a professional jewelry cleaner. (Although sometimes it’s better to do that, especially for very expensive items)

So if you’re looking for how to clean jewelry at home, I’m here to help with easy to follow steps. Read more below:

How to clean jewelry at home – suitable for most types of jewelry

The easiest and simplest way to clean jewelry is to use a mix of lukewarm water and mild dish soap. Try to get a very mild detergent, don’t go for the powerful one. And grab an old toothbrush, you’ll need it.

Here’s how to clean jewelry at home:

• Pour some lukewarm water into a bowl and add 1-2 drops of dish soap.
• Soak the jewelry in the water for a minute
• Then gently use a toothbrush to clear away any dirt 
• If there is dirt stuck in small places that a toothbrush can’t reach, you can use a toothpick
• Pat the jewelry dry on a kitchen towel (or face towel) and allow it to completely dry before putting it away

How to clean jewelry at home – Gold

• Using the same mix of lukewarm water and dish soap, put it in a big bowl and leave your gold bracelets, chains and earrings for 3-5 minutes. 
• Swish them around, then take them out and place them on a kitchen or bath towel. 
• Use a soft toothbrush to clear out dirt from crevices and chain links. Finish by buffing dry the gold jewelry with a soft cloth.

How to clean jewelry at home – Silver

If you want to know how to clean jewelry at home, well, when it comes to silver pieces, things a bit more complicated….but nothing too scary, relax. 

The easy way out is to use silver polish from Amazon, for example. 

But if you don’t want to spend money, then use the method below for how to clean silver at home:

• Make sure you have tinfoil, baking soda, salt, water and a disposable pan. 
• Line the bottom of the pan with the aluminum foil, putting the shiny side up.
• Put the silver jewelry pieces in it, making sure it touches foil.
• Pour a bit of baking soda on top and sprinkle some salt, too. To calculate the right amount, use one tablespoon of each for every cup of water.
• Then pour boiling water into the pan until the jewelry is covered.
• Let the silver jewelry pieces sit in the DIY mix until the dirt and tarnish begin to disappear. 
• Then carefully remove them from the water (using some tongs, for example) and put them on a lint-free cloth, with which you can pat them dry. 

BONUS TIP: If there is still some tarnish left on the pieces, apply a dab of toothpaste (white) on them, and rub them gently with a finger. Then rinse well with lukewarm water and buff it out to make it shiny again. 

How to clean jewelry at home – Pearls

Pearls are very special to begin with, so they are also harder to take care of. That is because they have pores and can easily lose their shine. So you have to regularly clean them. 

First and most important rule of cleaning pearls is: never soak them in water (or any other substance). 

If you want to clean pearls, start by laying them on a cloth / kitchen towel. Dip a small, clean, soft toothbrush or, better yet, makeup brush, into a mixture of lukewarm water and a dollop of shampoo. Then carefully and slowly go over each pearl. Rinse them with a clean damp cloth, and then lay them to dry flat on a surface (preferably a clean towel). 

The easy way out – Professional Jewelry Cleaners you can find on Amazon

• Magnasonic Professional Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner 
• Weiman Jewelry Cleaner Liquid
• Connoisseurs Precious Jewelry Cleaner 

What NOT to clean jewelry with? 

Knowing how to clean jewelry at home is knowing how to avoid using harsh ingredients such as:

• Alcohol
• Lemon juice
• Acids 

Conclusion

You’ve made the first step into knowing how to clean jewelry at home. I hope the information above was useful. I also hope your jewelry pieces will soon be shiny and fresh. Take care!

p.s. Speaking of cleaning, check out the articles below about similar topics:

• How to clean shoelaces
• Cleaning schedules for busy couples
• Essential Laundry Hacks You Need To Know
• How to remove coffee stains from carpet

The post How To Clean Jewelry At Home – Silver, Gold, Pearls & More appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.

Any way you go around it, it’s bad. You need to make sure your washing machine is in top condition, especially since you use it multiple times a week. And you want to keep using it many more times from now on. 

You might think that cleaning your washing machine is hard or complicated, but it’s really not. All you need is a cleaning cloth, or disinfectant wipes, maybe a small brush, and some vinegar. No need to buy extra products! It’s as simple as that. 

Below I’ll tell you how to clean a washing machine, but first let’s see why you should do it:

WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR WASHING MACHINE RIGHT NOW

No matter how much you use it, or what detergent you use, the machine will likely accumulate dirt and grim over time. It usually gets stuck behind the crevices, and because of it, bacteria, mold and mildew start to grow. And that’s a big no-no for you and your family’s well being. 

There is also the build up of water deposits from your water and your laundry detergent. That can make your washing machine wear out faster, because it has to work harder. 

Either way, you have to know and consider the fact that washing machines need to be cleaned at least once a year, if not more. Below you’ll find out how to clean a washing machine. 

HOW TO CLEAN A WASHING MACHINE

First thing you need to do is to CLEAN THE EXTERIOR. 

• Take a wet cleaning cloth and start wiping down the door of the washer. 
• Next, scrub and wipe the inside of the washer seal, ideally with a small brush (an old toothbrush will work fine). This will help get rid of the sludge and gunk you will, most likely, find on the door and between the seal and the washer. 
• Use a small brush to clean the rubber seal. TIP: Pull back the washer rubber seal and clean there, too, you will be surprised what you can find there.  

Second area you need to focus on is the DETERGENT DISPENSER. Open it and wipe it down with a wet, warm cleaning cloth, and some vinegar. There is usually some build up there, too.

Finally, and most importantly, CLEAN THE INTERIOR OF THE WASHING MACHINE.

To do that, you need to do a wash cycle with vinegar. Add 2 cups of white vinegar in the interior compartment, then run a normal cycle.

If you want to clean a top loader washing machine, then fill it up with hot water and add 1 quart of white vinegar. Let it soak for another hour, then run a normal washing cycle.

After the cycle is done, use your cleaning cloth again, with a bit of vinegar, to scrub away any gunk around the detergent and fabric softener dispensers, and the door. 

ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR MAINTAINING A CLEAN WASHING MACHINE

TIP 1 – Keep the door of the washing machine open after a cycle. This helps prevent bacteria growth, because after a cycle, the interior is damp, and can create nasty stuff. 

TIP 2 – Remove laundry from the machine as soon as the cycle is done. This will help prevent bad smells. It will also decrease dampness, so no more grounds for bacteria growth.  Check out this link for more Laundry Hacks!

CONCLUSION

This is how to clean a washing machine. Start from the exterior and work yourself inside the actual machine. No extra products needed, just water, a cloth and vinegar.

The post How to clean a washing machine – No extra products needed! appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.

Cleaning white sneakers or white Converse shoes can be frustrating, especially if you don’t have the right tools. Thank God that over time I’ve developed the skills to take care of them. 

And you know what’s also a pain in the ass? 

Cleaning shoelaces, especially white ones. 

That’s why I’m here to help you learn how to clean shoelaces, white or any other dirty pair. 

There are two obvious ways to go at it: by hand or in the washing machine.

Go through each method and decide which one works best for you, they’re both pretty easy to do. Take into consideration that you need to dedicate a bit of time to the task because you might need to scrub them. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES BY HAND

Here’s what you need to get started:

• A large bowl of hot water 
• Liquid laundry detergent
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)
• Rubber gloves

It will take you about 30-40 minutes to wash shoelaces by hand, so let’s start.

1. Unlace your shoelaces and put the shoes aside.
2. Gently wash the shoelaces under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
3. Then take the toothbrush, dip into the laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
4. After you’re done, put them in the large bowl, with a half teaspoon of laundry detergent and bleach, if you want to wash white shoelaces. 
5. Let them soak in the warm water for 30 minutes.
6. Take them out, squeeze the excess water and let them air dry, ideally on a clothes hanger, if you can. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES IN THE WASHING MACHINE

What you need to wash shoelaces in the washing machine:

• Laundry detergent
• Mesh bag or zip up pillow cover
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)

The process is similar to the one by hand, so let’s go over it:

1. Take the shoelaces and gently wash them under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
2. Use the toothbrush to help the stains get out faster;  dip it into laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
3. After you’re done, put them in a mesh bag or a zippable pillow cover (so they don’t get mixed up with other items) and put them in a normal washing cycle*. If they are super dirty, add bleach to it, too.

*white laundry if they are white shoelaces, colored items if they are a different color .

4. Take them out the bag / cover and let them air dry.

NEVER put the shoelaces in the dryer; the high heat will distort the plastic tips shoelaces have at the end. 

Conclusion

If you wanted to know how to clean shoelaces, I hope this article helped. You can do it by hand or put them in the washing machine. Either way, they will come out squeaky clean. (Well, most of the time)

p.s. For more Laundry Hacks, check this blog post on Essential Laundry Hacks You Need To Know!

The post How To Clean Shoelaces (Even The White Ones!) appeared first on Cozy Home Hacks.