Personalized jewelry is a thoughtful gift with meaning that lasts a lifetime, but what do you do when your favorite piece starts to lose its shine? At-home jewelry cleaners can be expensive, and a trip to your local jewelers can cost more time and money than you’re willing to spend on a regular basis.

Instead of letting your custom jewelry rest in peace in the back of your jewelry box, follow these tips to restore beauty and shine.

Alka seltzer

From relieving common cold symptoms to getting rid of indigestion, Alka-Seltzer has a multitude of uses and now you have one more reason to keep it. It turns out that the bubbling action effectively removes oils, dirt, dust, and grease from sterling silver, chrome, and titanium. Simply place your jewelry in a bowl filled with warm water and drop in a couple of tablets. Allow the jewelry to sit for about twenty minutes, and then rinse it well.

Vodka

No, not for you; for your jewelry Vodka is another hard-working household item that can tackle jobs big and small. To clean your chrome or silver jewelry, soak the pieces in a shallow bowl of vodka for a few minutes. After they’ve finished soaking, take a microfiber cloth and gently scrub until they’re shiny.

aluminum and baking soda

When oxygen and sulfur from household cleaning products, perspiration, and rubber come in contact with sterling silver pendants, they chemically bond to the surface of the jewelry, creating a dull, tarnished surface. If your silver jewelry has lost its shine, there is a quick and fascinating solution.

A simple chemical reaction created with baking soda, salt, aluminum foil, and boiling water can clean your sterling silver. Cover the kitchen sink or a glass roasting pan with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Place your jewelry on top of the aluminum foil, and then pour enough boiling water over it to ensure that it is completely submerged. Add two tablespoons of baking soda and salt, making sure to dissolve them completely.

Within 5-10 minutes, the tarnish will transfer from the silver to the aluminum foil. The process doesn’t smell particularly good, as the sulfur tarnish released from jewelry smells like rotten eggs, but your silver will shine once more.

And you thought you’d never actually use chemistry.

Toothpaste

For a quick fix, look no further than your medicine cabinet. A dab of toothpaste on a soft-bristled toothbrush gently removes dirt and grime while polishing your jewelry to a brilliant shine.

Ammonia

Brighten your jewelry by allowing the pieces to soak in a mixture of 2 parts water and 1 part ammonia. The acidity of ammonia breaks down oils and dirt, allowing your sterling silver, chrome, and titanium jewelry to shine again.

Ketchup

This pantry staple has enough tartness to transform dull jewelry. Just dip the piece into a bowl of tomato sauce and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Be sure to watch your watch; the acid from the tomatoes and vinegar can damage the piece if left too long. After a few minutes, remove the jewelry, use an old toothbrush to clean the grooves in the piece, and rinse well. As an added bonus, ketchup is effective at preventing tarnish.

Keeping your custom jewelry looking like new is simple and inexpensive. By using what you already have on hand, you can keep your sterling silver sparkling, your chrome gleaming, and your titanium gleaming.