I’ve lost a lot of my jewelry and accessories during my latest move (2018), and there was this Hermes particular bangle bracelet I was looking for. I’m the worst at keeping my things organized, so I figured I had dropped it somewhere and it was long gone. Fast forward to today, I found the bracelet deeply buried in a drawer I keep my smaller holiday decorations.

When I took out the bracelet to examine it I was shocked at how tarnished it was.

I know that silver tends to tarnish over time and needs regular maintenance, but with two years behind it I thought this bracelet was on the hopeless side. I tried rubbing away the black thick with a paper towel first to no avail.

If you google how to clean your tarnished jewelry, the first and most commonly recommended method is to pour hot water on an aluminum foil with mild soap and baking powder.
That method would work if I didn’t have enamel on my jewelry. Also, I feel like it’s too many ingredients and steps to get your stuff cleaned, when you can use much simpler methods with everyday household items.

There are actually two go-to tricks with issues like this.

First is the bread method.
Grab a slice of bread and rub your tarnished jewelry on the soft middle part and it will instantly turn shiny and clean.

The second is the lipstick method.
Since this blog has a basis on all things beauty, I thought I’d try the lipstick method.
All you need is a lipstick, and a soft cloth or paper towel if you don’t mind leaving micro scratches on the surface… (I would recommend a microfiber cloth).

Grab your lipstick of choice and apply it on the medium you are using to wipe your tarnished goods. My bracelet has enamel in the middle part and no grooves or links that could get the lipstick stuck. At first I didn’t feel comfortable about rubbing a colored lipstick on the bracelet, but I figured the enamel could endure a few seconds of lipstick. I would wipe it clean multiple times after I’m done to make sure that there are no residues left.

Rub the lipstick on the tarnished parts. It’s not magic, so it takes a bit of effort to get everything off, especially if you have a heavy buildup.

After a few minutes, you’ll be able to see the shiny surface under all the grime.

And ta-da!
Here’s the after shot of the squeaky clean bangle bracelet!

Here’s the before and after shot:

There’s a minimal amount of ingredients to making lipstick, so I don’t think this has any long-term effect on the jewelry. The wax part actually also helps with polishing off the surface, not only do you have clean but shiny jewelry.

Hope this helped!

x

Catalina