Choose Ultrasonic or Steam Jewelry Cleaner

Pieces of jewelry are very intricate and precious that you need to clean them often to keep their shine and sparkle. For people who don’t have time to go to their local professional jewelry cleaner, machines like Ultrasonic and ones that burst out steam are available everywhere or online to help you with their jewelry cleaning woes.

The question now is which one of these machines is the perfect one for you. No doubt, most of them are efficient in keeping your favorite jewels clean, but you’ll want nothing but the best for your household. Here are some descriptive guides through both machines to help you in your decision:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Machine

Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners utilize high-frequency sound waves or vibrations that create microscopic bubbles in the water or cleanser that burst and shake off dirt in every corner of each piece. All of them have their own baskets where you pour the cleaning solution — some products require you to use the cleanser included in their packages — and soak your accessories to be cleaned. This product comes in different variants with different settings — some can even clean DVDs and eyeglasses — and price ranges starting at around $25.

However, the cheaper variants have yet to receive many positive reviews from buyers. A good tip is to invest on the higher-priced, yet more efficient ones, if you are looking for a long-lasting product. Although it might dish out a little cash, it would be proved very worth in the way of cost effective afterwards.

Another important thing to remember is that Ultrasonic is not capable of cleaning all pieces of jewelry. Those with loose stones and delicate gems (opals, pearls, etc.) might get damaged due to the vibrations. Also, the chemical used in the cleanser may be too harsh on jewelry, and might harm the stones and metals on your accessories. This being said, double check both your jewels and the chemical solution that you use.

(Pro-tip: You can also use water with a little detergent for a milder fix.)

Nonetheless, Ultrasonic cleaner products do work wonders when it comes to cleaning jewelry, especially new ones. You can use these products to keep the items clean and shiny after just a few minutes.

Steam Jewelry Cleaning Machine

The idea of this cleaning method is that it uses high-pressure steam to dissolve the dirt found on each piece of jewelry, which makes it easier to rinse and / or wipe off right after each session. This does not include any chemical solutions, just plain water, which also makes this an eco-friendly method. However, jewels with porous and delicate gems and glued parts should not go through steam cleaning for they might get damaged.

Another thing to consider is that purchasing a steam cleaning machine costs more than an Ultrasonic with a starting price of $200. However, this isn’t a huge issue since there are also steam cleaning methods that can be done with just a pot of water and a wire hanger.

Still undecided? Just think about which is more convenient for you and your budget. If you still can’t pick between the two, there are also products (Ultrasonic being the popular one) with both steam and vibrating settings, which makes the selection process easier. However, if you’re not convinced to buy these devices, you can find many homemade jewelry cleaning hacks online.