I’m sure everyone absolutely loves jewelry—wearing it on your hand is seen as a symbol of status. Yet, something that may surprise many people is this: Why can’t you wear jewelry while taking a shower? In fact, quite a few people have strong questions about this very issue. If you want to keep your precious jewelry in top condition, be sure to take it off before you step into the shower—and more importantly, make sure you store it properly. So why exactly do you need to remove your jewelry before bathing?

1. Why can’t you take jewelry with you when you shower?

It’s very easy for jewelry to get damaged. When we take a bath, we often use various personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. These cosmetic products contain powerful chemical substances, and many of the jewelry pieces we wear on a daily basis can easily discolor upon contact with these chemicals. Moreover, the abnormal conditions during bathing—such as hot water and the intense heat emitted by bathroom heaters—can be downright harsh on precious jewelry. If this situation persists over a long period, it can seriously affect the jewelry’s appearance.

It’s very easy for rings to fall off—products like body washes and soaps that we use when bathing all have relatively strong lubricating effects. As a result, our fingers become particularly slippery during use. On top of that, the ring sizes themselves tend to be somewhat loose, making it even easier for the rings to slip off during bathing—and in some cases, they might even become deformed.

2. So, how exactly should we take good care of our jewelry in our daily lives?

Be sure to stay away from chemicals.

The perfumes and various cosmetics we use daily contain relatively strong chemicals. If jewelry you’re wearing comes into contact with these chemicals, it could easily get damaged—for instance, gold and platinum jewelry tend to fade quickly, and over time, the chemicals can permanently harm the surface of these pieces. Moreover, these chemicals can also cause serious damage to certain colored gemstones.

Before using household cleaning agents, please be sure to remove any jewelry you’re wearing as soon as possible. After all, these cleaning agents contain a high concentration of ammonia. If you do this frequently, the strong irritant properties of ammonia can severely damage the surfaces of delicate gemstones on your hands and cause significant harm to metal surfaces.

We must always keep jewelry away from light and heat. After all, over time and under the influence of prolonged exposure to light and heat, many gemstones can fade and even get damaged—for example, amethysts and shell reliefs that we often wear. These pieces of jewelry are made with relatively delicate materials; if exposed to light too frequently, they can become bleached. In particular, amber—often used in everyday jewelry—will become especially dull if it’s regularly exposed to intense light.

The most important key point is to regularly clean your jewelry. In daily life, for most colored gemstones, you can use lukewarm water combined with a mild soap solution for cleaning. You can also use a pulsed-water dental cleaning device along with a soft cloth. Alternatively, you can gently clean them using a relatively clean makeup brush and warm soapy water. Please, everyone, be sure not to rinse your jewelry directly under the faucet—otherwise, you might accidentally wash it down the drain.