Polydent to clean jewellery - yes or no?

[HopeDream]

I''ve heard that some people use a 15-20 min soak in polydent to clean their jewellery.

(only metal and diamonds NOT colored stones or pearls)

Is this a good or bad idea?

according to the MSDS polydent 5-minute contains :

20% citric acid
11% sodum carbonate
10% potassium peroxymonosulfate
10% sodium perborate monohydrate
49% non-hazardous ingredients

would it leach metal out of your setting/ eat the diamonds?

Thanks!

 

[kenny]

Well at least it may keep your diamond from falling out.

 

[denverappraiser]

I wouldn’t expect it to work very well but it won’t harm your diamond and it won't harm the metal if your ring is made out of the typical things like gold, platinum. etc. If it's made out of something else I suppose the acid might have an effect and it may take the patina off of silver. I'm curious about that 49% figure.

A toothbrush with a little dishwashing soap or windex followed by a clean water rinse is what I normally recommend. It's cheap, fast and quite effective.

I’m a bit surprised that they can get away with a vague statement like '49% non-hazardous ingredients' on the MSDS. When I’ve had to get these things they’ve been ridiculously detailed. I remember being required to get an MSDS for fine gold, one of the most inert materials known, because we used it in the shop and exposed workers to it and others for liquid paper and ballpoint pen ink. That’s all pretty non-hazardous stuff. As an even further digression from the question at hand, the one for fine gold noted that although there were no known hazards associated with eating the stuff, it had no nutritional value! Apparently the problem with employees eating the inventory has to do with the nutritional content!

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

 

[HopeDream]

Thanks Neil!

My information came from this document: Plolydent safety sheet

I think it''s the UK version of an MSDS

Here''s the one for polydent overnight

Apparently Rachel Ray recommended it as a jewellery soak.

 

[Venice]

I''ve used denture tablets for years for cleaning my jewelry while away on vacation. I also use them to clean my crystal vases, especially the ones with the very narrow necks.


When I mentioned this to my jeweler several years ago, they were not surprised because they use them, too. They''re great for getting stuff out of the nooks and crannies.

I imagine the fizz tablets that came with my Jewel Jet are the same idea.