Oh how I love my wedding ring that was chosen so carefully 20 years ago by my Todd, and oh how happy I am that this DIY Ring Cleaner works! I recently started getting a rash under my ring and it was driving me crazy! It was just underneath the area that my diamond sits and it was red, dry and had itchy little bumps. I had a feeling it was from gunk that had collected under my ring, as on each side of my diamond on the underneath part there are hollow areas in my wedding band. It is the perfect area for grime to accumulate. I was right. After using this DIY Ring Cleaner, I have been rash free.
I wanted to make my own cleaner for several reasons:
- I didn’t want to go run an extra errand to pick up store-bought cleaner
- I didn’t want to use harsh chemicals
- I didn’t want to store it
- I didn’t want to spend the money
What I DID do was search Pinterest and found all kinds of ideas for DIY Ring Cleaners. Several ring cleaner DIY’s caught my eye, but I decided on one that was just two ingredients. I already had them on hand (hydrogen peroxide & vinegar) AND the post said that they had struggled with ring rash, too! I guess ring rash is a thing?!? I feel less alone in my grime build-up.
I did everything according to the instructions, minus boiling the ring at the end. I am not brave enough to boil my ring. I am okay with pouring hot water over it, but leaving it to boil makes me nervous.
DIY Ring Cleaner
I simply took a glass measure cup, filled it with 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide. I let my ring soak for about 15 minutes, then used an old toothbrush to scrub-a-dub-dub.
While the ring was soaking I noticed bubbles coming up out of the water the minute I put the ring in the solution. That hydrogen peroxide was getting right to work! I was really put off by how icky the solution got once I started scrubbing, as I dipped the ring a few times back in the solution to rinse it.
Towards the end of my scrubbing, I did add a drop of dish detergent to the ring and used that for my final scrub. It seemed to make it extra shiny, and there is just something about soapy bubbles that makes me feel like something is getting nice and clean. I gave it one last rinse with water and let it dry thoroughly before putting it on.
My ring is so sparkly and I am ring rash free! Whoo-hoo!
Note: Only use this solution with real gold rings. Do not use it with your precious, antique grandmothers ring, if you don’t for sure what it is made of. The vinegar is acidic and can make certain metals look dingy or worse. Only use on gold rings.
DIY Ring Cleaner Recipe
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
1 drop dish detergent (optional)
Put vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in a glass measure. Drop ring in. Let soak for at least 15 minutes. Scrub with a a small brush (I used an old toothbrush). Add a drop of dish detergent to the ring and give it one last scrub. Rinse with water, being very careful not to drop your ring down the drain. Polish dry with a soft towel & enjoy the sparkle!
