Cleaning with electric toothbrush

[jayreneepea]

Has anyone tried cleaning their diamond/ring with an electronic toothbrush?? My husband and I went away for the weekend and I forgot to bring anything to clean my ring -- which is a huge no-no

I''ve gotten so used to cleaning my ring daily, I think I''m addicted. Anyway, we were on our way out to go wine tasting and I was getting desperate, when I got the bright idea to use toothpaste and an electronic toothbrush. WOW! Is all I can say!! I have never seen that much sparkle before!

We were with about 20 other people (strangers) and my ring was a hit and the talk of the day!

Anyway, I kind of wish I had saved the money for the ultrasonic cleaner and just invested in an electronic toothbrush. Does anyone know if it''s safe to use the brush or not?

I''d hate to be doing damage!

But I sure do like the results!!

jayrenay

 

[justjulia]

Oh heck yea, I use a toothbrush all the time. I like the patina on my platinum, so I don''t worry there. I have read that people have been concerned that a nylon bristle might get caught under a prong and do damage, but I''m usually pretty gentle about it.

 

[chrono]

I would not use toothpaste and an electric toothbrush. The toothpaste has fine abrasives in it and I'd be worried that it might cause fine scratches on the table, plus you might not be able to totally remove the toothpaste from all the tiny nooks and corners of the setting (which will end up gunking the setting). Not only that, I think the electric toothbrush might be a wee bit too "strong" for usage. I only use a regular toothbrush with soft bristles, and even that, use it gently with a jewellery cleaner only.

 

[jaz464]

I don''t like the idea of the toothpaster either...Maybe the brush if it was very soft and gentle. But I would not risk it on MY ring.

 

[diamondfan]

Toothpaste is an abrasive, I would not use it to clean the ring too much! It can wear down the setting...a jeweler told me this...

 

[denverappraiser]

Instead of toothpaste, try using dishwashing detergent or glass cleaner. It''ll work better and won''t damage your metal as mentioned above.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Heishman]

I always use a toothbrush, but not toothpaste. I have a designated toothbrush that i only use for my jewelry.
As far as cleaner, I am a BIG fan of Palmolive. That is the only cleaner that I use on my diamonds and I love the way it makes my jewelry sparkle.

 

[jaz464]

Jayrenay9, I always travel with a tiny bottle of ammonia. That will certainly bring the sparkles out!

 

[jayreneepea]

Just for the record, I only used toothpaste because I had nothing else to use, I don''t plan to use it at home. I have been using a mixture of windex and water in the ultrasonic and then dipping the toothbrush in that mixture, but I keep hearing good things about palmolive -- I think I might give it a try!

Jazmine -- thanks for the tip about the amonia, something else I have learned today!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 4/3/2007 7:50:23 AM
Author: Chrono
I would not use toothpaste and an electric toothbrush. The toothpaste has fine abrasives in it and I''d be worried that it might cause fine scratches on the table, plus you might not be able to totally remove the toothpaste from all the tiny nooks and corners of the setting (which will end up gunking the setting). Not only that, I think the electric toothbrush might be a wee bit too ''strong'' for usage. I only use a regular toothbrush with soft bristles, and even that, use it gently with a jewellery cleaner only.

oh I would definitely not worry about toothpaste scratching the diamond table... think of how incredibly HARDER the diamond is from your teeth... and you scrub your teeth VIGOROUSLY with the stuff 2-3x a day. I would only worry about scuffing the metal.

 

[justjulia]

I use Dawn and a dab of ammonia with water in my ultrasonic. But for a quick fix, I use my toothbrush and toothpaste (hey, think MOH''s scale of hardness-diamonds are hard!) and I like my platinum''s patina.

 

[jaz464]

Yes, ammonia works wonders! I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with warm water to clean my ring.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Just be aware of what's in the ring if you're improvising. Ammonia mixed with water is good for breaking up grease but not safe for all gemstones. Similarly, toothpaste is an abrasive which can harm the finish/polish on some gemstones as well as scratching metal. You may all be aware of this, but I thought I'd send a gentle reminder.

 

[FireGoddess]

Sometimes I use an old toothbrush, but I don''t use toothpaste.

 

[jayreneepea]

Date: 4/4/2007 1:45:26 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
Yep, I do, every morning after I brush my teeth. (I bought one specifically for my ring..

) I don't use toothpaste, there's a blue gel type jewelry cleaner I use with it. Its in a purse size container. Its fantastic

LOL!! So did I!!!

But, I'm glad you pointed that out because I had visions of you brushing your teeth, then your diamond, then rinsing!

Where did you find the blue gel stuff?? Sounds interesting!