Well. That sounds like a lovely topic, doesn’t it? But I wanted to address it because if you’ve experienced a rash under your rings, you’re probably frantically searching for a solution. I know I was.
In September of 2011 we were moving into our new house. After loading up the moving truck, I noticed I had some irritation under my rings. Figuring I scraped myself somehow, I put some antibacterial lotion on it and went about my business. Instead of it clearing up, however, it got worse. Within a week the skin was dry and itchy, and not long after that it was bright red and bumpy.
I tried it all — creams, lotions, you name it. Nothing worked. I was getting desperate and was about to go to a dermatologist for a steroid cream when I became pregnant and didn’t want to risk using it. And so the rash continued for over a year. It was painful and itchy and really ugly. I felt like freak and worried that it would never go away.
I was embarrassed by it, but finally started talking to friends and realized I wasn’t alone. So many friends had the exact same rash! Knowing now that it was pretty common, I started researching a solution. Below is what has worked for me. I did it once and noticed an immediate change and only just did it again almost five months later when I noticed some irritation. This procedure has caused no change or damage to my rings.
How to get rid of ring rash: (DISCLAIMER: I found this solution somewhere on the depths of the Internet. I no longer remember the original source. Some have claimed they had some tarnishing after using this — especially if their rings were sterling silver. Mine are white gold and I have had no problems at all. But to be safe, use at your own risk.)
Step 1:
Combine 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 cup white vinegar. Drop rings in and let soak for at least 30 minutes, but longer won’t hurt. Those little bubbles you see are from the peroxide doing it’s thing and killing germs and bacteria lurking on your rings. Ewwww.
Step 2:
Use a soft toothbrush (I used a kid’s one) and a little bit of dish soap and give your rings a good scrub. Get into all the nooks and crannies. Rinse in warm water.
Step 3:
Boil some water and suspend your rings over the top of the pot. I rigged up this contraption using a chopstick and a hair tie. You want your rings submerged, but not touching the bottom so they don’t bounce around.
Boil for 20 minutes. The water will kill whatever the peroxide/vinegar mixture didn’t.
Annnd…you’re done. Dry your rings and admire how sparkly they are now!
After your rings are pretty again, you should probably get rid of your chipping nail polish…meh.
Some notes:
– After cleaning your rings, you still need to let your rash completely heal, otherwise it will just continue to get irritated. That means no rings until the rash is gone. When mine was really bad, I left them off for almost two weeks, unless I was going out.
– Like I mentioned above, this caused no harm or discoloration to my rings. I would double check the pot of water before you dump it, though, just in case you had a loose stone that came off. Actually, if you had a loose stone, I wouldn’t recommend doing this!
Ring rash, be gone!
65 comments
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March 27, 2013 at 4:09 pm
Sara
I’ve also learned that if your rings are white gold, getting them re-dipped works, too. Something about the chemicals on your hands causing a reaction at times. This is especially possible during pregnancies.
March 28, 2013 at 7:31 am
Molly
Yes, that definitely helps. I’ve had it done before. But I haven’t in a long time and this made a difference! You’re right about pregnancy — it was at it’s worse then. I think hormone changes can cause it to start.
March 27, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Veronica
White gold is a mix of yellow gold & nickel, then it is coated in Rhodium. Nickel irritates my skin so when my skin starts to get irritated I take it to the jeweler and have them recoat it with rhodium. I also found that if your ring is to tight it will also cause issues because moisture gets trapped under there.
I love this cleaning “solution” I am going to give it a try – because it is always nice to have a super clean and sparkly ring!!
March 28, 2013 at 7:32 am
Molly
The plating definitely helps, but I’ve known people with platinum rings that experienced it too. Gross how much can get trapped under there! If nothing else this will make your rings super sparkly!
April 1, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Ali Farmer
I just thought the irritation was from my eczema and have been just “dealing” with it. Thanks for the solution…trying it right now as I type. 🙂
April 8, 2013 at 10:27 am
Megan
Yes! I’ve dealt w/this before too!
June 7, 2013 at 2:39 am
Alexander King
What is the best solution for melasma?
June 14, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Katie Azara
any suggestions on what to put on the rash. Mine is super itcy!
September 10, 2015 at 1:50 pm
Jamie
I’ve been using A+D ointment, it’s been clearing up much faster than in the past. 1 week instead of 2, apply in the morning and at night.
July 2, 2013 at 7:57 pm
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July 5, 2013 at 6:41 pm
KDub
I just found out I’m pregnant and it’s worse than it has ever been, lovely. Having them refilled in the past worked well but I’m trying this method this time.
Just a note: found 1/2 & 1/4 cup to be really wasteful. I tried 1/4 & 2 tbsp this time, next time will use only 1 & 2 tbsp ratio since it is more than enough to cover the rings. Anyone experimented with this?
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July 20, 2013 at 8:31 pm
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July 30, 2013 at 4:34 am
Julie
It’s 4:30am and I am trying to figure out this itch that’s driving me crazy – it never occurred to me that it might be related to pregnancy (2 weeks postpartum). I’ll definitely try your methods AFTER I manage to get the rings off (unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be happening).
August 30, 2013 at 9:56 am
Kcole
I am so glad I found this website I was going crazy trying to figure out what’s wrong with my finger. I also found another website that Recommended CeraVe cream to help with with the irritation and also help to heal your finger faster. You can get it over the counter at any pharmacy.
October 5, 2013 at 9:20 pm
mindy913
Thank you! Thank you! I thought I was alone with this issue. Finally I googled it and found your blog. Thank you!!!
October 11, 2013 at 12:56 am
Nayab
Can we do this to platinum rings?
July 23, 2014 at 10:18 am
Shara Hart
Yes! I just did this cleaning on my platinum wedding rings and it was totally fine. No damage at all.
November 25, 2013 at 11:27 am
shelley
Just had got engaged and always had 14K gold and white gold and now have my platinum ring. Over night my finger turned
bright red. Called Jeweler and we are going back in to find out what it could be. He said the ring might be to tight which it is or the soap???
March 22, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Michelle
This ruined the finish on my ring and it is not shiny anymore!😞 any suggestions???
Please help!!!
June 21, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Callie
Ruined the finish on mine too! I’m researching options and will post back if I find anything. I was actually checking this thread to see if anyone else had this issue, glad I’m not the only one! I think I may just need to get my rings rhodium dipped. Not sure if they were dipped to begin with, but I’m trying to save that as a last resort.
July 23, 2014 at 10:17 am
Shara Hart
This worked for me! I’ve had a rash for months every time I put my platinum wedding rings on. I followed your cleaning and have been wearing my rings for 24 hours without any reaction!! (before I could only wear a few hours before it itched and turned red!). Thanks for posting this!!
July 29, 2014 at 10:15 am
Abby Flinn
I tried this with my two .925 sterling silver promise rings that my boyfriend gave me. One if then I’ve had less than two months. It stripped them!! I’m looking at $80 worth of rings with so much meaning behind them, and now they’re RUINED!! I’m terrified to tell my boyfriend!! They’re should be a disclaimer or something!! My only option is to get new ones!
July 29, 2014 at 12:37 pm
callie
Don’t panic! There should totally be a disclaimer but my rings are silver as well and got better after repeated cleanings with silver cleaner you can pick up at walmart. They are still a tad tarnished, but I think the mix really just left some sediment on them because they are getting better. Also, were your rings rhodium dipped? I think mine were. Even if not, you may be able to get them dipped to restore the shine, that way you don’t have to but new rings.
July 29, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Molly
Abby – I am so sorry to hear this! I have never had any damage to my rings from this process. Mine are white gold and I have heard only success from regular gold and platinum as well. The original site I found it on (I wish I remembered where!) did not say anything about sterling silver. It looks like someone offered a solution for you below so hopefully that helps.
September 21, 2014 at 4:31 pm
Jen
There was definitely a disclaimer!!
“How to get rid of ring rash: (DISCLAIMER: I found this solution somewhere on the depths of the Internet. I no longer remember the original source. Some have claimed they had some tarnishing after using this — especially if their rings were sterling silver. Mine are white gold and I have had no problems at all. But to be safe, use at your own risk.)”
July 14, 2015 at 8:04 am
Donna
I have always used cigarette ash to clean silver and finish with anti bacterial wipes and silver wipes/cleaner. My nana told me the ash trick and it works. Hope you can sort your rings out hun x.
August 6, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Felicia
I used less vinegar & hydrogen peroxide, but kept the same proportions. We just moved & all I had handy was a kids medicine dosing cup so I used one cup of hydrogen peroxide & 2 cups of vinegar. I used chopsticks to form an X & tied my ring on with dental floss to dangle it in the boiling water. Worked great for me. My ring is super sparkly & the rash is better even though I’ve been wearing my ring to work.
August 6, 2014 at 9:48 pm
Bonnie Dawson
I used a loose tea holder to put my ring in the boiling water. It looks great and the crud is gone. I have to let my finger heal before trying to wear it again. I am allergic to nickel and it says that gold has some nickel in it. I am hoping it was just the accumulation of soap and crud!
August 14, 2014 at 2:39 am
afsana
Meri ungli me ring rashes he aur ring utarne ke baad bhi rashes have not gone so what I do plz give me a treatment tip and reply fast it’s urgent
September 10, 2014 at 9:42 am
Amanda
I tried this. No bubbles at all after the 30 minutes so I added baking soda and let that sit for a while. The rings are shiner but were still gunky underneath so I went to the next step with the brush. Next time I’m just going straight to the boiling.
September 24, 2014 at 7:15 pm
Ariel
http://www.huckleberryprairie.com/ring-cleaning-avoid-the-ring-finger-rash
POSTED IN 2009 — i bet you found this one 🙂 It was one of the ones i was looking at when i found your too 🙂
January 11, 2015 at 3:23 pm
Sherilyn
I’ve been looking for a solution to this problem with my rings and tried your suggestion – it worked great! Thank you!
June 6, 2015 at 9:17 am
Courtney Campbell
I’ve found this insanely useful. For me, hydrocortisone cream helped clear up my rash and instantly relieved the painful itching.
June 8, 2015 at 4:34 pm
Nicole
In case it helps anyone, I found this post at work and obviously didn’t have the tools to do this immediately. Instead I grabbed an antiseptic wipe from the first aid box and gave my rings a good rub down. Rash went away while still wearing the rings, and no more rash. If it comes back, I’ll try this method, but for me, the antiseptic wipe (alcohol wipes might also work?) worked.
August 3, 2015 at 9:20 pm
Julie B
This “trick” ruined my sterling silver rings. It corroded them. Please don’t post things like this.
The irritation is most likely due to water and not properly drying your hands.
August 4, 2015 at 7:53 am
Molly
sorry to hear that, however I did mention the disclaimer to use at your own risk, *especially* for sterling sliver. It’s right there in the post. This is really for gold or platinum. Another commenter was able to buff the discoloration off of her sterling rings with one of those jewelry clothes.
September 29, 2015 at 10:15 pm
Amberlin
I am five months after having my daughter and I just got this as well. Never had any issues the past seven years (eight including engagement), but now I do. I’ve had my ring off for a week or so. I will be trying this in the morning!
October 3, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Melina
Boil some water and then drop your rings into it. Leave them there for 5 minutes. I did this twice a week. My rash was completely gone in 2 weeks. And it was so itchy, red, and irritated. This was the only remedy that worked for me… good luck!!
November 30, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Pamela
This works just great!
December 23, 2015 at 5:33 pm
Hayley
Unfortunately the white gold on my rings started coming off so I wil need to get them re dipped 😯
January 15, 2016 at 8:37 pm
Michele
Thank you so much for writing this. It totally worked last time this happened (on my first pregnancy) and can’t wait to do have it remedied again (now it’s with my second pregnancy!). I was so relieved to search and find this again. All I could remember is that it had something to do with hydrogen peroxide! 🙂
April 3, 2016 at 9:57 am
Mommy Can Learn
This is happening to me and l haven’t worn my ring for about 6 months. I’ve seen this vinegar/peroxide remedy before, but remember seeing another post (about natural home cleaning solutions) saying not to mix these 2 ingredients because they can create a toxic gas. I’m going to try them separately to clean my ring and see if that works.
P.S. l love the hair tie rig, lol.
May 25, 2016 at 7:08 pm
Teresa
I tried this on my white gold wedding set about 3 months ago and the rash has been gone ever since!!! I wanted to wait a while just so I can say without a doubt it does work 😀
Thank you so much for posting this!!!
May 30, 2016 at 1:52 am
How To Cure Rash From Wedding Ring | How Give Money
[…] How to get rid of a rash under your wedding rings | … – Mar 27, 2013 · But I wanted to address it because if you’ve experienced a rash under your rings, … platinum wedding rings … I do plz give me a treatment tip … […]
July 5, 2016 at 7:24 pm
How To Get A Sliver Out Of Your Nail | Technology Loves
[…] How to get rid of a rash under your wedding rings | These … – Mar 27, 2013 · Well. That sounds like a lovely topic, doesn’t it? But I wanted to address it because if you’ve experienced a rash under your rings, you’re probably … […]
July 13, 2016 at 10:21 am
Sarah
Thank you , this is great!!! Did you put anything on your finger (cortaid or neosporin ) while it was healing ?
July 13, 2016 at 2:58 pm
Ingajacks
I used oil of oregano as well as golden seal on the skin on my finger to cure the fungus before putting the rings back on.
August 9, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Manon
I’ve been wearing my 18k white gold for more then a year with absolutely no issues. Once I got married 2 months ago and started to wear my custom made 18k white gold just to have a rash on the side of my ring finger. Thought maybe it was too tight so I had resized….that didn’t work so had my rings soldered together and sized up again and still didn’t…..
Does anyone have any solution or suggestion? I know I’m not allergic to white or yellow gold.
Thanks
August 13, 2016 at 9:39 am
Manon
Well so I tried this with my rings and I’ve been wearing them since Wednesday with no issues. Ne need to say how happy I am.
Thank you!!
September 7, 2016 at 11:49 am
Cindy
I use a battery operated toothbrush and toothpaste on my silver and white gold rings about every 3 months and they come out sparkling
September 25, 2016 at 1:45 pm
Joy Gulas
Never mind the ring – what about the rash? I haven’t worn my rings in 3 months and the rash is still there. The ring was the original “cause” I think but maybe it was a coincidence. The rash subsides and then it flares up; subsides, flares up. Even cortisol cream has only helped temporarily. I can’t seem to pinpoint what aggravates it. My rings are no longer the issue. I stopped wearing them.
September 26, 2016 at 10:19 pm
Ring Rash! - Painfully Beautiful
[…] My friend sent me a text message about a blogger who had this same issue. You can read her blog here: https://theselittlemoments.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/how-to-get-rid-of-a-rash-under-your-wedding-rings… […]
November 25, 2016 at 7:37 pm
elma
what did u use to cure ur rash?
December 5, 2016 at 9:43 am
Laura
I used these steps over the weekend to clean my ring that was giving me ring rash and it worked like a charm! My ring is so sparkly and my rash seems to have gone away for now. I think I need to take my rings off when I wash my hands. I feel like the soap and wetness being stuck in the setting all the time was probably what caused it.
September 25, 2017 at 11:18 am
Emily
I’ve read that you actually shouldn’t mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide because it creates paracetic acid. Just an FYI. I wouldn’t recommend this.
January 10, 2018 at 7:12 am
saranewgz
This worked BEAUTIFULL …thank you so much. I was just sorta dealing with it…i figured it was just me. 😕
February 9, 2018 at 6:11 am
Karyn
Thank you for this post! I just finished cleaning my rings and found I can see the diamonds from the inside again. Guess it needed cleaned. Now I hope this rash goes away for good!
June 25, 2018 at 8:36 am
Amy Gossage
This does not work! It ruined my rings! It discolored them, i cant even wear my rings!
November 16, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Kelly
One add since this process didn’t completely solve my problem: if you have recently worn your rings in a hot, sweaty climate (Hawaii in my case), you may have some sort of fungal infection. Gross, but easily curable. If your skin is scaly, itchy, and red, try an Athlete’s Foot cream in the area in addition to boiling and cleaning your rings. Keep your rings off until the skin is totally clear– the water that gets under your rings no matter how carefully you dry them will exacerbate the rash. A friend who backpacks a lot recommended it to me after seeing my rash and it cleared up within a week after bothering me for months.
September 13, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Coco
Thank YOU so much for sharing this!! So far so good, I’ve been wearing my ring with no rash for longer than I ever have
April 17, 2020 at 8:44 pm
Lilly Daniel
If I did this to a ring that turned my finger green would this make that stop?
July 24, 2020 at 8:43 am
Christine Smith
I am 69 years old and have had my wedding rings on for 23 years. I just cleaned my rings with baking sofa and vinegar(which I do regularly)but now have a rash on my ring finger. I wear gold rings on 3 other fingers but no problem with them.???