On solid metal, yes, but there's rarely a reason to. Household hydrogen peroxide doesn't sterilize an earring, it can dull or discolor some metals and stones, and most professional piercers now advise against it on piercings. A short soak won't harm solid S316L Surgical Steel. For plated pieces, glued stones and anything soft or porous, it's better to clean earrings with warm water and mild soap. Our safety FAQ covers everyday care in more detail.
What hydrogen peroxide actually does
The brown bottle in most bathroom cabinets is a 3% solution. It's an oxidizer, which means it reacts readily with other substances.
It fizzes on organic material. The bubbles are the peroxide breaking down as it reacts with skin cells and other organic residue. That's why it looks as though it's working hard.
It loosens some build-up. The fizzing can lift residue from behind a stud and around a butterfly back.
It doesn't sterilize. A soak reduces some surface organisms. It doesn't make an earring sterile, and anything close to sterile ends the moment the earring touches a hand.
It reacts with some metals. Oxidizing is what peroxide does, and several jewelry metals don't respond well to it.
Where it's harmless
Solid S316L Surgical Steel. A few minutes in 3% peroxide won't harm it. Stainless steel resists exactly this kind of exposure.
Titanium and platinum. Both are highly resistant.
Solid high-karat gold. Gold doesn't oxidize, although any stones set in it are a separate question.
Where it isn't
Sterling silver. Peroxide can speed up tarnish and leave silver looking dull or darker.
Brass, copper and anything plated over them. Oxidizing those metals is how discoloration starts. If a plated finish is thin or worn, the peroxide reaches the base metal underneath.
Pearls, opals, turquoise and other soft or porous stones. Peroxide can bleach or dull them, and that can't be undone.
Glued stones. Repeated soaking softens and weakens adhesive.
Darkened or antiqued finishes. An oxidizer can lift or change them unevenly.
How long can earrings stay in peroxide?
For solid steel, a few minutes is plenty. A longer soak doesn't clean any better, and an overnight soak raises the risk of damage to anything that isn't solid, unplated metal. Rinse well afterwards and dry the earrings completely before she wears them, because peroxide left on the post dries and irritates the skin inside the piercing.
New earrings, fresh piercings and sore ears
New earrings. Plenty of parents wipe new earrings with peroxide before the first wear, because they've been handled in a store or packed loose. That instinct makes sense for a pair that arrives unsealed.
Fresh piercings. Most professional piercers now advise against hydrogen peroxide on a healing piercing, because it can damage the new skin forming inside the channel. Sterile saline is the usual advice. If her piercing is still healing, follow the aftercare her piercer gave her. Our earrings are designed for ears that have fully healed.
A sore or crusty ear. Cleaning the earring isn't the same as treating the ear. If the lobe is hot, swollen, painful or discharging, or she has a fever, take the earrings out and speak to her pediatrician rather than reaching for the bottle.
What works better
- Warm water and a drop of mild dish soap. Soak for a couple of minutes.
- A soft toothbrush behind the setting and around the post, where residue actually collects.
- Rinse thoroughly. Soap left behind is an irritant in its own right.
- Dry completely. Moisture held between the butterfly back and the lobe irritates skin more than most metals do.
- Once a week is enough for a pair she wears every day.
One habit does more than any cleaner. Earrings go on last and come off first. Lotion, sunscreen, perfume and hair products go on before her earrings and come off after, because product building up on jewelry is what drives tarnish and residue.
What we do
Every pair of ours is sealed in its capsule, sterilized, batch-numbered and dated. You can read the batch number and the date on the packaging yourself, and a new pair doesn't need soaking in anything before she wears it for the first time.
S316L Surgical Steel, used on its own throughout the Polished Surgical Steel range, with nothing plated over it. Peroxide won't harm it. I'd still suggest soap and water, because it's gentler on her skin.
24K Pure Gold, which is pure 24 karat gold applied onto a S316L Surgical Steel core with Aunix™ 24K, our engineered gold finish. It's a gold-plating process, so I'd keep these to soap and water only.
Independently tested by SGS to ASTM F2923, CPSIA and BSEN 71-3, with nickel release not detected under EN 1811. Report BTO 341803/1.
The easiest pair to keep clean is the one with the fewest places for anything to gather, which is why we make the 4mm Ball Stud Earrings in S316L Surgical Steel. The full range is on the Polished Surgical Steel collection.
Questions parents ask next
Can I clean butterfly backs with hydrogen peroxide? Steel backs, yes, briefly. A soft toothbrush and soapy water usually shifts more of the build-up that collects inside the back.
Is peroxide or rubbing alcohol better for earrings? Neither is needed for routine cleaning. Alcohol doesn't oxidize metal, so it's the gentler of the two on metal, but both are harder on plating and soft stones than soap and water.
Can I mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda? It makes an abrasive paste. That can scratch polished surfaces and wear away plating, so keep it away from earrings.
Does hydrogen peroxide remove tarnish? No. On silver it tends to make tarnish worse rather than better.
Will peroxide get rid of the smell from her earrings? It can remove the residue causing it for a while. Cleaning the back of the earring and behind her lobe regularly is what stops it coming back.
Related reading
- How do I clean my daughter's earrings?
- Can I clean her earrings with rubbing alcohol?
- What is the white gunk on her earrings?
- Why do her earring holes get crusty?
About the author. Matt Westmore is the founder of purepixxi. He came to children's jewelry from manufacturing and sourcing rather than marketing, which means he has walked the factory floors and knows what is actually inside a product rather than what a label says about it. purepixxi uses two materials only, names them exactly, and has them independently tested.
