do you take your ring off when you wash your hands?

[slg47]

I remember a thread a while back about when people take their erings off...seems that most people take them off for sleeping/showering/cooking/cleaning/exercising/welding/etc...

but what about washing your hands? Do you take it off? Do you wash just the area around the ring so as not to get it wet/soapy? Do you wash your hands like normal and get the ring wet/soapy? If you take it off...where do you put it?

Also, what about eating barbecue...take it off? Again...where do you put it so as not to lose it?

 

[february2003bride]

I do take my rings off when I wash my hands. I don't like wearing wet rings and the trapped soap would give my finger eczema. I just put them aside, wash, dry, and lotion my hands and my rings go back on!

 

[septsparkle]

At first I took it off to do everything. Then after the newness wore off I stopped doing that. I do take it off when showering most of the time just because conditioner gunked up in your ring isn't a good look! Eating bbq? I would keep it on because I'd generally be eating that out and I will NEVER take my rings off in a public place. Repeat. Never. At home I just take mine off and put them on the counter in the bathroom when showering, or inside on specific kitchen cabinet if I'm scouring a pan real good or doing something else that might be a little more grimey. For everyday hand washing, errands, rinsing dishes before they go in the dishwasher, etc. I don't take it off - even yardwork...though I have a feeling life is going to change with my micropave.

The way I look at it, you can always clean the ring, but you can't always find it if you lose it. So, I favor wearing it through dirty tasks as opposed to setting it down somewhere unfamiliar in all cases.

 

[petrock<3]

Yes I do but only when I am at home. This I learned the hard way. I was washing out brushes in a building in a bad part of town (I do murals) and took my ring off so paint would not get stuck in it. I was not planning to paint that day, normally don't wear my ring while working.

I set it on the counter and promptly forgot about it! I was being rushed out because the building was closing for the day. So on my way home, it hit me and I thought i was going to throw up. One of the dumbest things I have ever done! I could not get back into the building, I called anyone I could think of. After a sleepless night I was camped out in the parking lot about one hour before the building re-opened.

Thankfully it was right there where I left it. So now I'll deal with gunk and clean it when I get home!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I take mine off for sleeping/showering and that's about it. If you want to take them off to wash hands, have a little dish by the sink to put them in. NEVER take them off when you are outside the home.

 

[Fly Girl]

At home, yes, I take them off when washing hands. When I am out, no, I leave them on. As others have mentioned, your rings are less likely to get misplaced when they stay on your hands.

 

[clgwli]

Most of the time I do. I don't wear my rings around my house much so they are usually off if I am washing hands. But if I was out and then came home and had to, I will try to take them off. I try to clean them several times a week so it's not a big deal to me if I don't.

 

[yennyfire]

Nope, my hands are in a lot worse than soap and water on a daily basis, so I have no problem with good old fashioned clean (even if it means my ring is a bit grimy)!

 

[ValentinesJewelryDesign]

At home it's a good idea.....in public I would leave them on. It also depends on what stone you're wearing. If you're outside in Jan and it's 30 degrees and you go inside and wash your hands with warm water, it won't hurt a diamond but it could very well crack an Opal or Emerald. The hand washing thing only affects the visual beauty of the stone. DO NOT GET INTO A POOL OR HOT TUB WITH YOUR GOLD JEWELRY ON. Any contact with bleach or chlorine can have a serious affect on the structural strength of gold jewelry. This is because gold jewelry is not pure gold. 14k gold is 58.5% pure gold mixed with other metal alloys to make it stronger for everyday wear. 18k is 75% pure gold. What happens is that the OTHER metals in your particular alloy will break down and become brittle when in contact with bleach or chlorine. That in turn will cause your whole ring to become brittle.....and none of us want a 2ct F SI1 riding around in a brittle mounting do we? I wish you all the best!

Matt

 

[shihtzulover]

I don't have my e-ring yet, but I will soon. I do have several other rings (although not nearly as nice!), and I wear them when I wash my hands, but not when I swim or shower, and not usually when I sleep.

I imagine that I will be the same with my e-ring, but probably a bit more cautious (especially at first).

 

[Sophie Asscher Lover]

I used to work with a woman who had a 2ct engagement ring and she told me a story about how she once took it off in a public washroom and forgot to put it back on. When she remembered a few minutes later and went back, it was gone! And it hadn't been insured! Her kind hubby bought her a replacement, with the warning "next time you don't get a replacement"!!
I've had mine nearly a month and the only time I've taken it off outside the house is to show friends close up or let them try it on. At home I take it off to shower and wash my face, but otherwise she stays on. I love to wake up in the morning and she's the first thing I see (as well as my darling fiancé of course!).

 

[tyty333]

At home yes...in public no.

 

[Amys Bling]

I do not take my ring off in public for any reason.

BUT I do not wear it to the pool in our complex if I plan on swimming- (or I keep my hands out of the water), I do not wear it to the gym in our complex, and I take it off when showering, washing hands, cleaning the house with strong cleaning products, and sleeping. My finger size fluctuates a great deal, even in the summer (cold water, cold pool, being all dya in the AC) and I get nervous that when doing certain activities it will fall off. Maybe its a stupid fear, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

When I am not wearing my ring (at pool, gym) I keep it in a case in my bedroom. When I do dishes or clean and I am still in the house it's in a ring dish in the kitchen. As for sleeping, I feel like my fingers swell- even when I nap I wake up feeling like its tight on my hand, so I take if off everynight before bed.

 

[SuzyQZ]

In public
I never take off my ring.
I carry around Sani-Hands wipes in my purse and use those often during the course of a day.
If I have to wash my hands, then I wash the palms and finger tips only. I keep my fingers pressed together to keep the water and soap from running through them.
I much prefer the wipes so I don't have to touch any door knobs/pulls on the way out of the bathroom.

At home
I take off all my jewelry when I get home.
I don't sleep or shower with any jewelry on.
I put it on again last thing before I go out the door.

Gym/swimming/house cleaning/gardening
I don't wear jewelry for any of those activities.

 

[LGK]

Nope. Way too easy to set it down and lose it, for me anyway. It gets wet but it doesn't tend to look too grungy when it dries out. I don't get soap under it usually, at least not under the stone. Generally I don't take it off much except to clean it, because I can lose things wayyyyy to easily. And it rarely gets too yucky, I just clean it every day usually and it's fine.

 

[Love Street]

I almost never take my e-ring and wb off for anything (for the past 7 and 6 years, respectively). My rings are modest in size - I have a shared prong eternity, .86 tcw in plat, and a 3-stone .83 ct RB w/ pears.

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

 

[septsparkle]

I almost never take my e-ring and wb off for anything (for the past 7 and 6 years, respectively). My rings are modest in size - I have a shared prong eternity, .86 tcw in plat, and a 3-stone .83 ct RB w/ pears.

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

You are my kinda gal!

 

[Love Street]

I almost never take my e-ring and wb off for anything (for the past 7 and 6 years, respectively). My rings are modest in size - I have a shared prong eternity, .86 tcw in plat, and a 3-stone .83 ct RB w/ pears.

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

You are my kinda gal!

LOL Septsparkle Yes, please come back and update this thread when you've lived with your micropave for a bit (such a gorgeous set btw!). I always wonder whether I could get away with micropave, but then I read the pave threads and so many micropave wearers are so much more gentle with their rings and remove them for things I never would... so I figure I will have to stick with my 3 and 5 stone rings. It is so gorgeous though.

 

[septsparkle]

I almost never take my e-ring and wb off for anything (for the past 7 and 6 years, respectively). My rings are modest in size - I have a shared prong eternity, .86 tcw in plat, and a 3-stone .83 ct RB w/ pears.

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

You are my kinda gal!

LOL Septsparkle Yes, please come back and update this thread when you've lived with your micropave for a bit (such a gorgeous set btw!). I always wonder whether I could get away with micropave, but then I read the pave threads and so many micropave wearers are so much more gentle with their rings and remove them for things I never would... so I figure I will have to stick with my 3 and 5 stone rings. It is so gorgeous though.

I will report back after a little while to check in and let you know how it goes...I figure I insure the rings so I can wear them. So, in that regard I know I don't plan to be as careful as most. Though, I will try harder to be more ring friendly with the micropave.

 

[kittybean]

Nope, my ring stays on when I wash my hands. Never, ever, ever do I remove it in a public place. I am pretty absentminded and forgetful, so taking my ring off in a public restroom would definitely be a terrible idea.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I take off my rings saad soon as I get home. No point taking them off when washing my hand. It makes the ring extra sparky.

 

[Andelain]

I almost never take my e-ring and wb off for anything (for the past 7 and 6 years, respectively). My rings are modest in size - I have a shared prong eternity, .86 tcw in plat, and a 3-stone .83 ct RB w/ pears.

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

You think like I do. My everyday wear ring is a custom prongless design with a .84 ct D-VS stone and I wear it swimming, gardening, cleaning, riding horses and motorcycles, you name it. I'm stationed in Iraq and I wear it here in the sandbox. I've posted pictures on it on my hand looking over T-Walls toward Iraqi cities, in choppers, bunkers, all kinds of places. The only time I ever take it off is in my room, and then only rarely. I NEVER take it off in the shower or latrine, and when I wash my hands I wash it at the same time. I showed the ring no mercy when it had an old brown diamond in it and don't intend to start now just because it's sporting an ACA.

 

[Yimmers]

Nope, neither at home or in public. But, when I cook, clean, or do other activities that would be hard on my ring, I put it back in its box or in a container I have on the kitchen counter where I always leave my rings.

 

[lyra]

No I don't take them off to wash my hands. A little soap and water doesn't hurt them, in fact it helps keep them clean. At home, I take them off and store them and wear a plain band.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

Yes, I spend too much time making them shine in the morning to glop them up with water spots

When I'm in a public restroom I take them off and hold them in my teeth - I know - really odd.

 

[yssie]

Haha nope. I have a baby toothbrush at all apt sinks, and my thirty-second hand-wash usually turns into a two-minute ring bath

 

[Love Street]

You think like I do. My everyday wear ring is a custom prongless design with a .84 ct D-VS stone and I wear it swimming, gardening, cleaning, riding horses and motorcycles, you name it. I'm stationed in Iraq and I wear it here in the sandbox. I've posted pictures on it on my hand looking over T-Walls toward Iraqi cities, in choppers, bunkers, all kinds of places. The only time I ever take it off is in my room, and then only rarely. I NEVER take it off in the shower or latrine, and when I wash my hands I wash it at the same time. I showed the ring no mercy when it had an old brown diamond in it and don't intend to start now just because it's sporting an ACA.

Andelain, that is so cool. It is great to hear there are other PSers who subject their beauties to some rigorous environments (well, it makes me feel less "abusive" toward my poor rings - I often feel like my ring should be collected by PS-social services after reading how careful and consciencious many PSers are with their jewels...lol - just kidding, sort of). And yes - like your beautiful ACA, just because my rings are from Tiffany doesn't mean I'm treating them with kid gloves. [And thank you for your service, Andelain].

 

[marcy]

I do take mine off to wash my hands, do dishes, clean house or anything that I might get my rings dirty, smudged or could knock them on something. I carry a ring case in my purse so I can put rings in there when we travel.

 

[swingirl]

I don't wear my rings around the house. I don't like the feel and I am rough. But once I put them on, I do not take them off until I come home again. Don't get in the habit of removing them in public restrooms or over people's sinks!! and if you are going to wash your hands in public places and use soap... You'd be better off to wear them as often as you like, but take them off to clean and not worry about gunk, lotion, soap scum, etc.

 

[bee*]

I wear both rings while cleaning, washing hands/dishes, eating BBQ, exercising/weight lifting, swiming in pool & ocean (even shark diving!), showering, applying sunscreen, gardening, riding horses (I would occasionally take them off for a naughty horse, but many times just left them on, sometimes causing blisters..), wrestling with my dog, hiking and scrambling over boulders.... I basically take them off to clean them and put them right back on again. I just don't want to have to think about them that much.

I'm the exact same. I only take them off when I'm being trained in surgery in work, otherwise my rings stay on my finger at all times.