Is hand sanitizer safe to use while wearing jewelry?

In recent days and months, hand sanitizer has become almost an everyday necessity for the average person --much more so if you are a healthcare professional!  We use it without any thought to its effects on anything besides the killing of germs--which is what it is supposed to do!

So with our recent expanding use, one might ask if it is safe to use while wearing your favorite, priceless heirlooms or favorite inexpensive fashion baubles.

So Here is the Scoop!.....

According to research published by Jewelry Auction.com and Morris jewelry, there are generally two kinds of hand sanitizer--both using a mixture of chemicals.

One hand sanitizer is 60-95%  alcohol-based containing either non-alcohol-based isopropyl or ethyl alcohol or both and the other is a non-alcohol-based or alcohol-free mixture containing antiseptic and antibacterial compounds such as Triclosan and Chloride based sanitizing agents.  These compounds, ingredients and chemical cleansing agents are great for sanitizing and killing gems; however, with prolonged use and exposure to these agents, it becomes bad for your beloved jewelry!

These ingredients will cause an increase in "wear" over time and will have a detrimental effect on your jewelry, whether it is gold, silver, platinum, etc., even more so if it is plated with these metals.

Let's look at Yellow Gold....   

Your yellow gold jewelry is created in various degrees of purity from 12k gold up to 24k gold and then there are those pieces plated in degrees of gold.  According to Jewelry Auction.com, sanitizer and gold is not a huge problem usually, but it does depend on the quality and purity of the gold and how it will be affected.  The lower the quality/purity, the higher the damaging effect will be over time and especially on plated jewelry.

Do you wear "white gold"? 

Did you know white gold is a mixture of metals resulting in a harder metal with a "white" finish?  Many times White Gold is Yellow Gold plated in Rhodium which helps to protect and give it a silver "white" finish according to Jewelry Auction.com.  Sanitizers as well as many soaps contain harsh chemicals or abrasives that can damage and remove the plating more quickly.  Is is good to note that most plated jewelry normally needs re-plating over the course of it's lifetime after years of wear, but this will happen even sooner when the plating is exposed and interacts with the ingredients in the hand sanitizer and soaps.

Ok, so what about Sterling Silver? 

Sterling silver is most susceptible to damage from your non-alcohol-based sanitizers as it will release free radicals that react with the silver causing damage, dulling and tarnish.

If hand sanitizer can cause damage to your hard, good-quality, jewelry metals, imagine the effects on your lower-quality, costume and plated jewelry, no matter the level of there quality!

So what is the recommended solution to protecting your jewelry while using a must-needed hand sanitizer?

Harsh chemicals and jewelry metals do not mix well over time, even when using daily hand lotion--which are also sure to increase while using a drying hand sanitizer--perfumes and other aerosols such as hair sprays can have damaging effects on plating, finishes and metals.  The use of these can cause jewelry plating to crack and wear off leaving your finishes lacking shine, changing color, losing luster, cause stone prongs to loosen and dish their beauty!  So no matter the quality of your jewelry, it is best to REMOVE jewelry before applying anything and allowing your hands to dry before replacing your jewelry.  To extend the beauty of your loved heirlooms and pretty baubles, remove items when possible before washing with soaps, scrubs, applying lotions and spraying perfumes and hair products.

To clean your finer jewelry, it's best to use an ultrasonic cleaner a few times a week or soak in warm water with a fragrance-free soap or dishwashing soap according to Jewelry Auctions.com

For all your plated and costume jewelry, use a clean soft jewelry or glasses cleaning cloth and just wipe them down after removing and before replacing them in your jewelry box.