Whether you're always wearing a piece of jewelry or you keep it safely tucked away in a jewelry box, its shine and luster are sure to diminish over time. Oil from your skin, body lotions, perfumes, and makeup, as well as everyday grime, can accumulate over time and make metals and stones appear dingy and flat.

Jewelry can be expensive, so it's essential that you take good care of it. Many DIY-ers mistakenly believe the best way to clean jewelry at home is with cleaners containing slightly abrasive ingredients, such as baking soda or toothpaste.

Look no further than Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner the next time you need a jewelry cleaner. The non-abrasive and non-corrosive formula will not wear down gold or sterling silver pieces. It also rinses cleanly, so you don't need to worry about lingering residue possibly causing skin irritation.

Do not use Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner or any other degreaser to clean pearls, opals, or emeralds. A degreaser can remove the oils with which these gems are treated, removing their luster and causing damage. We also do not recommend cleaning costume jewelry, gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry - these should be cleaned only with warm water.

Cleaning your jewelry is just one piece of the maintenance puzzle; tarnish is a whole different beast. Simple Green does not prevent tarnish, but you can slow the process by doing the following:

• Keep silver and gold pieces clean and dry
• Store them properly away from heat and humidity

For specifics on how to clean gold jewelry, click here. To learn how to clean silver jewelry, click here.

1. Run your jewelry under clean water. Wetting the pieces first will ensure the Simple Green can better penetrate soils. Be sure to avoid hot water, especially if your jewelry contains fragile, precious stones. Drastic temperature changes can cause stones to crack more easily. It can also cause the metal to expand, loosening settings. When you're rinsing your jewelry, use a kitchen strainer to make sure you don't accidentally drop any pieces down the drain.
2. Soak. Mix 1 ounce of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner with 1 cup of water in a cup or jar. Allow the jewelry to soak in it for about 10 minutes.
3. Scrub. If necessary, gently scrub away dirt build-up with a soft-bristled toothbrush or damp cloth. It's important for the toothbrush bristles to be as soft as possible so they won't scratch the surface.
4. Rinse with clean water. Run the jewelry under clean, warm water.
5. Dry the pieces. Use a soft cloth to wipe each piece of jewelry completely dry. You can also opt to leave them to air dry on a clean cloth. Hard-to-reach crevices can be dried using the cool setting on a hairdryer.

TIP: When you're finished soaking and scrubbing, pour the used Simple Green into the sink. You can use it to quickly wipe down your sink and help deodorize your drain.