Jewelry loses its shine over time with regular wear. While home cleaning is an option, hand cleaning can gradually dull its brilliance. Professional cleaning with high-quality jewelry cleaners helps maintain its luster for longer, which is why jewelers prefer specialized cleaning machines across their showrooms and workplaces.
When choosing the best jewelry cleaning machine, you’ll often compare two popular options: Ultrasonic Cleaners and Steam Cleaners. While both methods effectively remove dirt, grime, and oils, there are differences between them that you should know before picking one.
In this post, we’ll explore their benefits and differences to help you decide the best cleaning technique for your jewelry.
Ultrasonic vs. Steam Cleaning
*At no extra cost to you, Ultrasonic-Cleaners.org may earn compensation, if you make a purchase through links on this page.At the time you need to clean your jewelry, what you normally do is, visit the goldsmith store or a jewelry dealer to hand over your necklace or gemstone for cleaning. They levy an exorbitant fee for cleaning the same. But if you have handy jewelry cleaning equipment at home, you do not need to pay more as you can do all the cleaning yourself at your convenience.
Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are the two most common types available online, so buying these advanced cleaners for personal use is now easier than ever.
Here’s a table comparing steam cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning methods for your expensive jewelry:
| Aspect | Steam Cleaning | Ultrasonic Cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning Mechanism | Uses high-pressure steam to loosen and remove dirt and oils. | Uses high-frequency sound waves to create microscopic bubbles that dislodge dirt. |
| Ease of Use | Requires careful handling due to the high temperature and pressure | Easier and safer to use for DIYers |
| Effectiveness | Best for surface cleaning and removing oils, dirt, tarnish, and grime from jewelry. | Deep cleans by reaching tiny crevices and intricate details. |
| Use of Chemicals | No chemicals required, making it an eco-friendly option. | Often requires a cleaning solution for enhanced effectiveness. |
| Suitability for Intricate Jewelry | Works well for solid pieces but may not reach tiny crevices effectively. | Highly effective for detailed and intricate jewelry designs. |
| Suitability for Different Jewelry Types | Safe for most solid metals and heat-resistant gemstones; unsuitable for porous or delicate stones. | Effective for most jewelry but not recommended for soft, porous, or fracture-filled gemstones. |
| Speed of Cleaning | Fast and efficient for surface dirt removal. | Takes slightly longer but provides a deeper clean. |
| Risk Factors | High temperature may damage delicate gemstones or adhesives. It can also pose risks like steam burns if not used properly. | Can cause damage to fragile, porous, or treated gemstones due to vibrations. But are safer to use for most. |
Ultrasonic Cleaner – Working and Benefits
If you want to give the old shining back to your ornaments and precious stones, ultrasonic jewelry cleaners can be the right machine for you to opt for.
Most of these portable cleaning machines come at a price range between $40 to $100. The technology used in these best ultrasonic jewelry cleaners is highly sophisticated and easy to use. And for this reason, it is now a widely popular jewelry-cleaning methodology used by at-home moms all across the globe.
When you place your jewelry items in the tank of the machine, high-frequency ultrasound waves are produced into the fluid, which forms tiny microscopic bubbles. These bubbles collide tremendously with your jewelry items to clean the surface, making them dirt and oil-free.
Although regular tap water inside the machine can do a job, for enhanced cleaning results, you are required to have some ultrasonic cleaning solvent or any homemade jewelry cleaning solution. This helps to clean the dirt from even the most stubborn nooks and crannies—perfect for reviving intricate designs in your rings and necklaces.
Once the cleaner finishes its operation, do not forget to rinse your precious belongings with fresh, clean water.
Jewelry Steam Cleaner – Working and Benefits
Steam cleaner is another great Eco-friendly cleaning equipment commonly used by small jewelers.
Instead of using any harmful chemical substances, these steam machines use natural plain water for steaming purposes. When switched on the device produces high-pressure steam (with the help of built-in heaters and a water tank) to blast away the dirt and grime on your expensive jewelry items.
Although there is no direct option to regulate the temperature of the steam, these jewelry steam cleaner machines come with a nozzle that lets you control the amount of heat exposure your jewelry gets by positioning them in a desired direction or angle.
Pre-soaking of your jewelry pieces in a solution is often advised by a few manufacturers, however, this is not a mandatory step. Most of these steam cleaner devices can restore that extra shine without the need for soaking.
The disadvantage of using a jewelry steamer/cleaner is that it is a bit expensive compared to an ultrasonic cleaner. Depending on the size and features you pick, these may range anywhere from $100 to $750+
Additionally, certain gemstones and porous materials (such as pearls) can’t be cleaned by just hot steaming. The ornaments that are dyed glued and glass-made won’t be compatible with these jewelry steam cleaners, too, due to the hot steam produced, which can damage your items.
Steam Cleaner or an Ultrasonic Cleaner – What’s Better?
Before making a final buying decision between steam and ultrasonic jewelry cleaners, you should know that both work differently and come with varied features. Choosing the right option should be based on your specific cleaning needs and budget.
Ultrasonic cleaning is often the preferred choice for at-home use because of its efficiency, versatility, and user-friendly operation. By providing a deep yet gentle cleaning process, ultrasonic cleaners can reach even the most intricate crevices, ensuring thorough dirt removal.
Additionally, they are cost-effective and suitable for various jewelry types, including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and other non-porous gemstones. So, if you want a device for your day-to-day usage, it works pretty well.
But if you want a device for a jewelry workshop that can help you get dazzling results for your customers, you should not compromise with something that comes cheap.
Choose a steam cleaner machine for jewelry cleaning to get a nice shine and polished look but be aware that these devices require skill and caution due to high heat and pressure. Mishandling can cause steam burns or damage delicate jewelry.
Given the fact that both can clean your jewelry and gemstones, if you ultimately want to get the features of both in a single device, we recommend buying an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner that comes with a steam option.
This type of ultrasonic jewelry cleaner with a steamer is rare to find but is worth your investment in case you need to use both – an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and a steamer.