Yes, in most cases. A quick clean before the first wear is a sensible habit for any new pair, especially one bought from a store display or delivered loose in a bag. Here's how to clean earrings before wearing them: a few minutes in warm water with a drop of mild soap, a soft brush around the post and back, a good rinse, and a complete dry. You don't need to sterilize them. Our safety FAQ covers everyday care.
Why a new pair is worth a clean
New doesn't always mean clean. Between the factory and her ear, a pair of earrings can pass through a lot of hands.
I've walked plating factories where finished jewelry hung in open air on rails, rows and rows of it, drying in an industrial building, handled by workers with bare hands. From there, earrings are packed, shipped, unpacked, put on display cards, and often tried against an ear or picked up by other shoppers before they're bought.
None of that makes a new earring dangerous. It means there may be dust, skin oil, polishing residue or packaging fibers on it, and five minutes takes care of all of them.
How to clean earrings before wearing
- Take the backs off. Clean the earring and the back separately, because the inside of a butterfly back is where residue hides.
- Soak for a few minutes in a small bowl of warm water with a drop of mild, unscented dish soap.
- Brush gently with a soft toothbrush around the post, the base of the setting and inside the loops of the back.
- Rinse well under clean running water, with the drain covered. Soap left on the post irritates the skin inside the piercing.
- Dry completely with a clean, lint-free cloth, then leave them on a paper towel for a few minutes so any water in the back can evaporate.
- Wash your hands before you handle them again, and put them in.
That's the whole job. A longer soak or a stronger product doesn't make them any cleaner.
How to clean earrings you just bought, by type
Solid metal studs, such as S316L Surgical Steel. Soap and water as above. These tolerate almost anything, but they don't need more.
Gold-plated earrings. Soap and water only, and a soft brush. Skip anything abrasive, because it wears plating.
Earrings with glued stones. A short soak and a quick rinse. Long or repeated soaking can weaken the glue.
Pearls and soft stones. Wipe with a damp cloth instead of soaking.
Can you clean new earrings with alcohol?
You can. A wipe of 70 percent isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad is fine on solid metal, and it evaporates quickly. It isn't necessary, and it's no better than soap and water at lifting oil and dust.
Keep it off pearls, soft stones and glued settings, and don't soak plated earrings in it. If you use it, let the earrings dry completely before they go in, because alcohol on the post stings and dries the skin inside the piercing. Hydrogen peroxide, the other bottle in most bathroom cabinets, is covered in Can I clean her earrings with hydrogen peroxide?
What not to do
- Don't boil them. It can damage plating, stones and glue, and it adds nothing a healed ear needs.
- Don't use toothpaste or baking soda. Both are abrasive and scratch polished and plated surfaces.
- Don't use bleach or household cleaners. Residue left on the post irritates skin.
- Don't put them in damp. A wet back held against her lobe irritates skin more than most metals do.
Is she ready for new earrings?
Everything here assumes her piercing has fully healed. If her ears are still healing, the earrings her piercer put in should stay in, and any change of earring, and any cleaning routine, should follow her piercer's aftercare.
If her lobe is red, sore or swollen when she changes earrings, take them out and speak to her pediatrician.
What to do when you buy new earrings
A quick checklist for a new pair, before the clean:
- Check the material is named. "Gold tone" or "silver color" tells you the color, not the metal. A named metal tells you what's touching her skin. If you're working out what to look for, How do I choose earrings for young ears? goes through it.
- Check both backs fit the posts. A loose back on day one will be lost by day three.
- Run a finger along the post. It should be smooth, with no rough end.
- Keep the packaging until you know they suit her.
After the first wear
Once she's wearing them, the routine changes. A pair she wears every day needs a clean about once a week, and the method is in How do I clean my daughter's earrings? When they're out, keep them dry and apart, as set out in How should we store her earrings between wears?
One habit helps more than any cleaner. Earrings go on last and come off first, so lotion, sunscreen and hair products don't build up on them.
What we do
We use two materials. S316L Surgical Steel, the same grade used in medical instruments and implants, and 24K Pure Gold, which is pure 24 karat gold applied onto a S316L Surgical Steel core with Aunix™ 24K, our engineered gold finish, a gold-plating process. Soap and water suits both. On the gold range, I'd keep to soap and water only, and leave the alcohol in the cabinet.
Independently tested by SGS to ASTM F2923 and CPSIA, with nickel release not detected under EN 1811. Report BTO 341803/1.
The 5mm Star Stud Earrings in 24K Pure Gold are a simple first pair to try the routine on. The full range is on the 24K Pure Gold collection.
Questions parents ask next
How long should I soak new earrings? A few minutes is enough. Soaking longer doesn't clean them any better, and it can loosen glued stones.
Do I need to sterilize new earrings for healed ears? No. A healed piercing needs a clean earring, not a sterile one, and anything sterile stops being sterile the moment it's handled.
Can I clean new earrings with hand sanitizer? It works much like rubbing alcohol, but many sanitizers leave a gel residue. Rinse and dry the earrings afterwards.
Should I clean earrings that were a gift? Yes. A quick soap and water clean is a good habit for any pair, whoever bought it.
How often should I clean her new earrings after the first wear? About once a week for a pair she wears every day, and whenever they look dull or smell.
Related reading
- How do I clean my daughter's earrings?
- Can I clean her earrings with hydrogen peroxide?
- How should we store her earrings between wears?
- How do I choose earrings for young ears?
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.
