Material & Care

How to Clean Stainless Steel Jewelry (The Lazy Way)

17 Sept 2026 · 2 min read

Fine jewelry wants a routine. Polishing cloths, separate boxes, taking it off before you do anything fun.

This isn't that. Here's the entire maintenance plan for steel.

The three-step clean

Once a month is plenty. Once a season is fine.

Warm water, one drop of washing-up liquid.
Thirty seconds with your fingers or a soft toothbrush. Get into the chain links and behind any stones.
Rinse, then dry properly with a soft cloth — including inside the links, because trapped water is the only thing here that can leave a mark.

What to keep away from it

No chemical jewelry dips. They're formulated for sterling silver and they'll attack a PVD layer.

No abrasive polishing cloths. The impregnated ones are designed to take a microscopic layer off silver — that's exactly what you don't want on plated steel.

No bleach, and don't spray perfume directly onto a piece. Perfume on skin, then jewelry on top.

Storing it so it isn't a knot

Chains tangle because they're loose and touching. Fix either variable and the problem goes.

Clasp every necklace closed before you put it away — a closed loop can't thread itself through another one. Hang the long ones rather than laying them flat. Keep body chains and hand chains in their own pouch, because they're long, fine and the worst offenders. Rings and studs go in a small dish where you can see them, otherwise you'll stop wearing them.

Your pouch came with the order. That's what it's for.

FAQ

How do you clean gold plated stainless steel jewelry?

Warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, thirty seconds with your fingers or a soft toothbrush, then a full rinse and dry. That's the whole routine — no special products needed.

Can you use jewelry cleaner on PVD gold?

No — skip chemical dips and abrasive polishing cloths. They're made for sterling silver and will attack a PVD layer. Soap and water is all a PVD-plated piece ever needs.

How do you stop necklaces tangling?

Clasp every necklace closed before storing it, hang the long ones instead of laying them flat, and keep chains in their own pouch rather than piled together.

Should you take off stainless steel jewelry to shower?

No — that's the point of 316L and PVD. It's designed to be worn in the shower, sea and gym without damage.

That's it. Go put it back on.