Although numerous commercial products exist to clean gold jewelry, most are unnecessary. In most cases all you need to use is water and a mild detergent. Sometimes it can be helpful to soak the gold jewelry in a solution one part ammonia and six parts water for up to sixty seconds.

One item you should not be without is a jewelry polishing cloth. Jewelry polishing cloths are usually made of cotton and have one side that is treated with a chemical that helps to remove tarnish and the other side is used to buff the jewelry. They are inexpensive and most work very well. Most manufacturers do not recommend using jewelry polishing cloths on items that are 24-karat gold. They are absolutely essential for cleaning gold jewelry and keeping them looking as good as possible. After extended use your jewelry polishing cloth may become darkened. This is normal and does not mean that you must replace the jewelry cloth. You should be able to get satisfactory results until the fabric wears out.