In the last 6 months or so, you've most probably used hand sanitizer more than ever before in your life! COVID-19 has changed our lives and daily routines drastically, one of those routines being the practice of hygiene and sanitizing our hands. Throughout the pandemic we have all significantly increased the usage of hand sanitizer, making it one of the most valuable and scarce item to find on your Target or grocery store run. It is so important to keep yourself healthy during these unprecedented times, but could the increased usage of hand sanitizer be damaging to your engagement ring?

It turns out, the increased usage of hand sanitizer is indeed damaging to your engagement ring. Whether it be alcohol or non-alcohol based hand sanitizer, both can cause irreversible damage to your ring. Repeated use of alcohol based hand sanitizer can diminish the brilliance of your stones and metal shine, and loosen your engagement ring prongs. It can also cause buildup between your stones and metal. On the other hand, non-alcohol based hand sanitizers usually contain an anti-bacterial or another type of chloride cleaning agent that can tarnish your jewels.

Of course, you should not stop using hand sanitizer during the coronavirus pandemic, so here are a few tips to avoid any damage to your engagement ring.

1. Put your ring in a little jewelry dish or on a necklace chain to wear on your neck, so you can safely rub hand sanitizer without worrying about any damage to your ring.

2. Wear gloves to protect from any chemicals touching your ring.

3. Clean your engagement ring on a weekly basis with warm water and dish soap to protect yourself from bacteria buildup on your ring.

Yes, you can still use hand sanitizer! If you take the correct precautions, you can use hand sanitizer and keep your ring feeling and looking brand new at the same time!