Nobody warns you about this at the point of sale. Precious metal picks up sunscreen, sweat, perfume, hand cream and whatever is in the water at Bondi Icebergs, and every metal fails in its own way. Gold goes flat and looks like brass, sterling silver tarnishes to something you would find in a shipwreck, and platinum dulls so gradually you assume that is just how it looks now.

I had a chain sitting in a drawer for two years because I thought it was ruined. It was not ruined. It was dirty, and about ninety seconds with a treated cloth brought it back so completely I felt stupid for the two years.

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Everything below was bought with our own money and used on our own jewellery. One thing to know before you buy. Not all of these work on stainless steel. Most are formulated for precious metals, so gold, sterling silver and platinum, and your steel watch bracelet is not what they are for.

Heist Clean Jewellery Polish cloths are our go to. These live in the drawer next to my watch box. Nothing about the process is wet, so there is no jar to knock over and no waiting while something soaks. The cloths come already loaded with polish and you work them over the metal in even strokes until the dullness lifts. At 30cm square there is enough surface to handle a chain rather than fussing over one ring at a time.

$9.95 USD. Shop it here

Family owned in Indiana since 1895, which is longer than most jewellery brands have existed. The white inner cloth does the cleaning, lifting tarnish, fingerprints and body oil while leaving a barrier that slows the next lot down. The grey outer cloth does the buffing. Two steps feels fussy until you try it on a badly tarnished sterling chain and watch the white cloth turn black doing the work.

Around $18 AUD. Shop it here

Your grandmother had this red jar and she was right about it. The piece goes into the dip tray, sits, then you work the crevices with the brush and rinse. The ammonia-free formula suits gold, platinum, diamonds and hard stones, and the result on a ring nobody has cleaned in five years is embarrassing for whoever was wearing it. Pearls, opals and turquoise need the delicate version.

Around $25 AUD. Shop it here

Pen sized, so it goes in a toiletries bag and gets forgotten until you need it. You twist the base to dispense, scrub with the built-in brush, rinse and dry. It is aimed at the film hand cream and shampoo leave in a setting rather than serious tarnish, so treat it as a touch-up before dinner rather than a proper clean. Cleared for carry-on, which is the whole point.

Around $15 AUD. Shop it here

Sound waves collapse thousands of microscopic bubbles against the metal, which knocks grime out of prong settings and chain links no cloth will ever reach. Warm water and a drop of dish soap does the job on gold, silver and platinum. The catch is that the same vibration finds every weakness, so emeralds, opals, pearls, glued settings and anything with a stone that rattles stay out of the tank.

Around $90 AUD. Shop it here

Watch collectors talk about these tins the way car people talk about clay bars. The cloths arrive pre-moistened with polish, which means they are removing a microscopic layer of metal rather than just cleaning it. On a scratched sterling bangle or a brushed clasp the result is remarkable. On a polished platinum band or anything plated you will round off edges you cannot get back, so go slowly.

Around $35 AUD for the tin. Shop it here