After he has put the ring on your finger, it is normal, in the bliss of excitement, to want to have the ring on every time. However, here is the bad news, if you want to maintain the bling on your ring, you will have to place it down when attending to your dishes. As such, if you are used to scrubbing the grease and oil from your dishes while wearing your ring, this article is for you.
Should I wash dishes with my wedding ring on? The short answer is no. While else the effects of water, hard soaps, and bacteria from these dishes are minimal, you cannot afford to ignore them. In fact, the cumulative consequences of cleaning your dishes with your wedding ring are dire. Wedding rings are expensive investments and the last thing you want to do is destroy them while attending to your chores.
If you have been doing this, read on to find out, why you should not wash dishes with your wedding ring, other things that you should not do while wearing your ring and how to store your wedding ring when washing dishes.
So, Why Should You Not Clean Dishes With Your Wedding Ring?
Before handling the dirty dishes, you must learn to remove your wedding ring if you intend the ring to last and still glow. The following are reasons why washing your dishes with your wedding ring can damage it beyond repair.
- Effects of Chlorine
Chlorine is one of the chemicals found in tap water. The chemical has different effects on different types of wedding rings that is, gold, diamond and silver rings.
To start, chlorine does not react with pure gold. However, it reacts with alloy, found in most golden rings; the reaction causes the ring to disintegrate.
While else most people argue that tap water has minimal levels of chlorine, the truth is the effects of chlorine on the ring accumulate causing the ring to deform. The effect of chlorine to golden wedding rings is especially severe for rings made of white gold.
Moreover, chlorine breaks down the molecular structure of gold causing it to lose the diamonds found on your wedding ring. Another effect of chlorine on the wedding ring is causing blackening of the ring. So, if you are looking to maintain your wedding ring, avoid chlorinated water.
- Effects of Salt
Salt is another substance that can corrode your wedding ring. It is normal to have food remains on your dishes even after emptying the large remains. These stubborn food particles dissolve in the water each carrying a different amount of salt from the food. Other than that, some tap water is usually salted.
As such, while cleaning dishes with your wedding ring, you expose it to the salt in the water. The salt reacts with the ring causing corrosion on the ring and smoldering its joints As such, with smouldered joints chances of losing your diamond or any other detail on the ring is higher.
The effects of salted water on rings is severe on rings made of silver and white gold. Weeding rings made of platinum can withstand salted water. However, given the value of wedding rings, both financially and emotionally, you want to make sure that you keep it away from salted water. That means you remove your ring before washing your dishes.
- Effects of Harsh Soaps
Washing dishes definitely requires that you use some soaps and chemicals to get rid of the oil and grease. Therefore, when you expose the wedding ring to the harsh chemicals, it easily discolors due to reactions. Eventually, your ring loses the sparkle and it looks older and duller
- Effects of Rust
Wedding rings are made of metal and when metal encounters water in the presence of specific conditions, the metal begins to rust. As such, wedding rings are not an exemption. Avoid exposing your ring to water and after touching the water with your wedding ring on, make sure you dry it completely to avoid rusting. This is especially for the low-quality wedding rings.
- Effects of Scratches
Washing dishes is not always a walk in the park. Sometimes indelible stains may require you to scrub the dishes harder while cleaning them. In the process of scrubbing dishes, if you are wearing your wedding ring, you might scratch it. This makes the diamond on the ring to become dull and sometimes causes it to fall. Therefore, before cleaning your dishes, remove your ring to avoid scratching it on dishes, surfaces, and kitchen counters.
- Losing the wedding ring
Losing your beloved wedding ring is also a possible effect of washing dishes with your ring. The soaps used to remove stains makes your hand slippery As such, the ring can easily fall off into the water.
If you are not cleaning the dishes on a sink, the chances of losing your ring are higher. However, in case you have a sink, the ring may settle on the sink after the water has drained. Overall, the panic of losing your wedding ring can is avoidable by removing it before cleaning the dishes.
- Other Effects
Other negative effects of washing dishes with a wedding ring are, the scam formed in the water discolors the wedding ring in the long-run. In addition, if you are cleaning your dishes using hot water, the steam may melt the glue holding together the diamond and other details on of the wedding ring causing them to fall.
The above are the most severe consequences of washing dishes with your wedding ring. Therefore, if you are looking to expand the life of your wedding ring and its sparkle, you need to make sure you remove your ring before washing the dishes. However, other chores and activities can cause equal or more severe damage.
Common Activities to Avoid When Wearing Your Wedding Ring?
Other than washing dishes, other activities may cause damage and even lose to your wedding ring they include
- Swimming – the water contains chlorine and salt that corrodes and disintegrates the wedding ring respectively. Similarly, the ring can easily fall off and get lost
- Showering– the soaps used to soften skin are mostly oily. The oily soaps cause the diamond on the ring to become dull.
- Primping– this is the use of hair sprays, perfumes, and other cosmetics. The cosmetics contain grime and the buildup of grime on the ring weakens the natural sheen of your wedding ring.
- Using Lotion and Moisturizers– lotions and moisturizers cause the diamond to become dull. As such, make sure your hands are dry before wearing your wedding ring.
- Cooking- handling food in the kitchen, example meat, with you ring on, exposes it to bacteria found in the food. This may result in a rash around your ring finger
- Attending to any chore that requires water
- Working out – some activities of working out place pressure on your ring. Eventually, the pressure disfigures the ring causing it to loosen the grip on the diamond. Other than that, nobody wants to put on a deformed ring.
Where Do I Store My Wedding Ring?
Wedding rings are invaluable assets to us. They hold important memories and they are of great financial value. As such, when it comes to storing your wedding ring, extra caution is required.
Firstly, do not place your wedding ring on the edge of a surface. This is because it can easily fall, have a scratch, or loose diamonds
Secondly, to not place your wedding ring next to an unsecured sink lest it falls and goes down the drain.
If you frequently remove your wedding ring, then you might consider placing it a jewel box or a drawer. Whichever spot you chose to store your ring, make sure it is safe and you can easily remember it.
However, when it comes to stones that have diamonds, keep them away from other jewels. This is because the hard nature of the diamond can easily scratch other precious jewels.
Related Questions
What if the damage is already done?
Well if you have been washing dishes with your wedding ring, al, hope is not lost. It is not a death sentence. The first step to preventing any further damage to your ring is removing your ring before washing dishes. The next step, especially if you suspect any damage in your ring, is visiting a jewelery expert. The expert will examine the ring and fix the necessary areas.
However, visiting a jewelry expert should not be done only when the wedding ring is at risk of spoiling. Make a habit of taking your ring to an expert regularly for checkups.
Can I Clean My Wedding Ring?
Yes, you can clean your wedding ring. In fact, it is very important to clean your wedding ring for a longer life. You can choose to have your ring cleaned by an expert or ask them how to clean it.
See Also:
Can You Wash Dishes In Cold Water?
Can You Wash Shoes With Clothes
Can You Use Hand Soap To Wash Dishes
Can I Use Dishwasher Detergent To Hand Wash Dishes
