Acrylic jewelry is one of the cheapest and also the most comfortable kind of materials used in jewelry making today, and it’s also the perfect alternative to metallic jewelry.
As a result, acrylic jewelry is now one of the most popular kinds of jewelry on the market. But the real reason why acrylic jewelry is gaining popularity is the fact that this skin-friendly type of plastic or acrylic, known as the PMMA Acrylic, is not just affordable and lightweight but also very comfortable to have on.
Acrylic is biocompatible and very much body-friendly, which is why you may never take off acrylic jewelry once you start wearing jewelry made of acrylic. And this brings us to the subject of today’s article – how do you clean your super-comfortable, non-irritating, and ultra-lightweight acrylic jewelry?
Because you will agree with us that this kind of jewelry is not just ideal for most people with metal allergies, but also, by virtue of their comfort, you may keep the jewelry on for longer.
Well, this article shares some important tips and tricks on how to clean your acrylic jewelry; and also mistakes to avoid when handling acrylic jewelry. So, let’s get right into it!
Tips for cleaning acrylic jewelry
The lightweight design of acrylic and the fact that it is a non-hazardous material that allows you to wear the jewelry even in situations and places where metallic jewelry would be unsafe and unacceptable are the main reasons for the growing popularity of acrylic jewelry.
And although you cannot use acrylic as piercing jewelry and in unhealed piercings because this plastic contains numerous microscopic holes that harbor bacteria, it still makes the perfect material for healed, everyday jewelry.
All you have to do about this kind of jewelry is to keep the pieces clean and store them appropriately. To do this, you need to follow these steps:
1. Clean the jewelry in warm water with antibacterial soap
While you may be tempted to thoroughly wash or sterilize your acrylic jewelry in hot, boiling water, we recommend against this because acrylic is a form of plastic that cannot withstand such high temperatures, unlike the Bioplast plastic that can be sterilized in an autoclave.
Instead, you should clean the jewelry in a bowl with warm water and a few drops of antibacterial soap added to the water. You could use a soft cloth to clean it.
After cleaning, rinse the pieces in cold or warm running water to get rid of the soap and suds, and then pat them dry using a clean microfiber and lint-free cloth. Once done, put the jewelry away in an airtight storage/ jewelry box. Never store or wear acrylic jewelry while it’s still wet.
On the same note, you should not clean your acrylic jewelry using harsh chemicals or even alcohol. Such materials or chemicals are damaging to plastic, and acrylic is not spared because it may end up looking dull. Exposure to harsh materials also means that the jewelry would break easily.
2.No direct sunlight or very high temperatures
To protect your acrylic jewelry, you want to make sure that the jewelry is not exposed to harsh conditions such as direct sunlight (UV) light or very high-temperature conditions like boiling water.
This is important to note because these conditions would result in the warping of the jewelry, and also, the pieces of acrylic jewelry will weaken and break easily when exposed to such conditions.
3. Avoid dry wiping the acrylic jewelry.
Although it is tempting to dry wipe your acrylic jewelry when you notice stains, dust, or any other form of smudge, you shouldn’t fall into the temptation because dry wiping leaves behind unwanted scratches while also reducing the level of clarity of the acrylic.
Note that you should dry wipe the acrylic jewelry; even with a lint-free towel or the softest cloth you can find; it will present the same challenge. Besides these, also avoid wiping or cleaning the jewelry using brushes, sponges, paper towels, or any other scouring materials.
If you must wipe down your acrylic jewelry, do so using a wet, lint-free cloth.
4. Avoid ammonia
Even with the most stubborn dirt that is not budging when you use a moist, lint-free cloth, you should never use ammonia-based cleaners to wash the acrylic jewelry. You should, instead, use water and mild dishwashing soap.
Some of the household cleaners that have no ammonia would also be ideal. So, always read the labels of your cleaners to know what they are made of.
Note that the reason why you should avoid cleaners made of ammonia is that ammonia is a harsh chemical that would remove the protective layer of acrylic that makes up and gives the jewelry a bright shine.
Ammonia is also the substance that creates the annoying spider-webbed cracked or the crazing look on the jewelry.
5. Using alcohol-free mouthwash
If you have to clean your acrylic body jewelry thoroughly but don’t want to wash them with soap and water, we recommend using an alcohol-free mouthwash to clean the acrylic jewelry.
In this method, you only need to make sure that you soak the jewelry in the mouthwash for 2-5minutes and ensure that the jewelry in question is actually submerged. Afterward, rinse the jewelry, pat them dry, and voila, clean and safe jewelry pieces.
6. Cleaning oral vs. body acrylic jewelry
The other thing you need to pay attention to is the fact that you cannot clean your oral jewelry made of acrylic using the antibacterial soap and warm water method, but only with the mouthwash method.
The reason for this is that most of the components of the antibacterial soap are unsafe when introduced in the mouth, hence the recommendation for the mouthwash method.
Alternatively, clean the oral jewelry using just warm water, then rinse them out. But you can use antibacterial soap to clean all other kinds of acrylic jewelry. And always do a 3-minute rinse to get rid of all the suds and all traces of soap from the body jewelry.
Conclusion
To get the best out of your body jewelry, we recommend sticking with the simple and gentle cleaning methods above.
No hydrogen peroxide or alcohol when cleaning your body jewelry made of acrylic and the warm water soak will often do great work.
Also, avoid exposure to high heat or boiling water.
Read more tips here or here!
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.