Tips For Cleaning Gold Plated Watches

Cleaning jewelry of any kind can often be a troublesome proposition in terms of
getting items clean without damage, but in the case of how to clean gold plated
watches the wrong actions can ruin an otherwise nice watch beyond repair. In
order to clean gold plated watches correctly it needs to be understood that gold
plating is in many cases incredibly thin - in some instances gold plating on
watches may only be a few thousandths of an inch thick. It is because of this
that excessive and aggressive measures taken to clean gold plated watches will
result in actually removing the gold plating from the base metal, leaving a
horrific surface of oddly matched colors and materials. Regardless of what some
so-called experts on the subject recommend, common sense dictates that any
strong cleaner be avoided when cleaning gold plated watches, including the use
of brushes of all types.

One of the main reasons why gold plated watches become dirty is due to oxidation
that occurs from the gold plating coming into contact with moisture and body
oils that emanate fro the wearer's skin. As these accumulate on a gold plated
watch tarnish forms which can become rock-hard and very difficult to remove. A
good rule of thumb is to always error on the side of caution when you clean a
gold plated watch - it is better to clean the watch gently ten times or more
than to do it once and ruin the watch. An easy way to soften the tarnish on gold
plated watches is to simply take a dripping wet cotton ball and carefully apply
moisture to the excessively dirty areas, being careful not to allow water to
enter the watch mechanism. After several applications of water applied in this
manner, tarnish can often be removed by rubbing the gold plated watch gently
with a dry cotton ball.

If after the aforementioned process the gold watch is still dirty, the watch can
be cleaned using ordinary toothpaste. On a small saucer place a small amount of
non-gel toothpaste and several tablespoons of hot water and mix them together
thoroughly until they become a watery substance. This can be applied to a gold
plated watch and gently agitated with a cotton ball, and then carefully rinsed
several times with warm water and then dried. To clean gold plated watches in
this fashion it is imperative to rub gently and ensure that the watch has been
rinsed completely to remove any traces of toothpaste which may serve to initiate
corrosion.