How to Restore the Gold Tone Hardware on a Purse

Gold hardware can build up dirty residue quickly.

While gold is one of the most precious and valued commodities on earth, it can build up dirty residue and lose shine quickly. Gold-toned or gold-plated hardware builds residue in the same way as its solid gold counterpart, but it's more fragile and prone to scratching. If you want to restore the gold-tone hardware on a purse, you can do so with some cleaning detergent, a small brush and a polishing cloth.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Cotton swab
• Mild non-phosphate cleaning detergent
• Soft toothbrush
• Paper towel
• Polishing cloth

Instructions

1. Fill a cereal bowl with warm tap water. Place two drops of washing detergent into the water, and mix it around with your hands.

2. Dip a cotton swab into the water. Rub it firmly over the gold hardware, to remove any dust and dirt residue. Repeat the process with another cotton swab, if necessary.

3. Dip your soft toothbrush into the water, and scrub any tarnished sections of the gold hardware gently. Apply minimal pressure to ensure you don't scratch the gold tone.

4. Dry the gold hardware thoroughly with paper towel.

5. Polish the gold hardware with the polishing cloth. Use a moderate to hard pressure to rub in one fluid, straight line between one end of the hardware and the other. This will avoid any patterns appearing in the gold tone after polishing. Repeat for approximately 3 minutes or until the gold tone appears clean and shiny.

References

• Color Spark: Cleaning Gold Jewelry
• Estate Jewelry International: How to Clean Gold Jewelry