We get it — you want to do everything while wearing your engagement ring. It’s subtly (read: not so subtly) front and center in every photo you’re in. And we get it — we really do. You’re excited, and you never want to take it off. We’re not here to crash your party but to ensure you properly care for your engagement ring. Read on to discover certain instances when it’s best to leave the engagement ring at home.
Activities to Avoid While Wearing Your Engagement Ring
- Heading to the Pool or Beach
No effortlessly casual Instagram photo (that took 30 minutes to get right) is worth getting chlorine and/or salt in your ring. This is one of the biggest no-goes when it comes to engagement ring wearing.
The chlorine from the pool can sit on your ring (even if you’re just poolside) and slowly eat away at its shine. The same goes for the beach in general. The salt from the ocean (lakes are no exception here, either) can wear down your ring, and the little grains of sand can find their way in like awful little secret agents set on infiltrating your ring. Just leave it at home. It’s safer there anyway.
- Going to the Gym
Just like the salt in the ocean doesn’t play nicely with your engagement ring, neither does sweat. Sweat is going to hurt your ring’s luster and just isn’t doing your ring any favors. It’s not the only thing to be concerned about when going to the gym, though. It’s really easy to damage your ring, whether you’re lifting weights, running or doing yoga. There are a million things to hit your ring on and cause little scratches and indentations.
Now, can you wear your ring to the gym and leave it in your locker? Sure, but it’s still not the best idea. If you have a ring box in your locker and a good lock, you’re probably fine. Still, it’s not a risk worth taking unless you have no other choice. If you absolutely feel naked without something on your finger at the gym, consider a silicone ring to wear while working out.
- Any Sort of House Chores
This is a good lifelong rule of thumb to remember. Any chore you might need to do around the house is not something that your ring should tag along for.
Two of the biggest culprits are gardening and cleaning the house. Gardening should be obvious. Dirt and plants aren’t friendly to your ring, so leave it behind. You might be tempted to leave your ring on when you’re cleaning the kitchen or mopping the floors, but it’s worth the extra few seconds to take it off. The cleaning chemicals can damage your ring, especially if you accidentally get some of them directly on your ring.
- Doing the Dishes
This is probably the most popular way to damage your ring over time. It’s easy to just forget to take off your ring before doing the dishes, and that’s understandable. However, dish soap can cause your ring to lose some of its shine, so you want to take it off before doing the dishes.
If you like, get some waterproof gloves and start doing the dishes in those. It’s super hard to put those things on over your ring, so you’ll never forget to take it off. While some DIY ring cleaning routines use dish soap, it’s an incredibly small amount. A little goes a long way here.
- Using Lotion or Sunscreen
We aren’t saying you can never wear lotion or sunscreen ever again after engagement. That would be wildly inconvenient. However, you want to make sure you put on lotion, sunscreen or anything similar before you put on your ring. Lotion and sunscreen can create a little film over the ring that slowly wears down its shine, so be sure to take your ring off before applying either.
- Cooking
Especially if you fancy yourself a bit of a home cook and like to experiment in the kitchen. You can easily get sauces, spices or just hot water on your ring when cooking. That’s not to mention all the pots, pans and edges in the kitchen you can hit your ring on. It’s just much safer to take your ring off before cooking.
What to Do If You Wore Your Engagement Ring During These Activities
All hope is not lost, but you do want to work quickly and diligently to keep your ring looking its best.
DIY Ring Care
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or whatever the saying is. However, if you’re in cure mode, so be it. There are plenty of DIY ring care guides out there that only require common household items. If you want to spend a little extra money, there are some premade ring care kits that take the guesswork out of everything.
Seeing a Professional
It’s good to get your ring cleaned once or twice a year, anyway. However, if you did a number on your ring and you can’t fix it yourself, seek out a professional. It’s still much cheaper than a new ring.
While we made it sound like you can’t wear your ring for anything, that isn’t really the case. You may have to take it off for some activities, but your day-to-day life won’t change much with an engagement ring. Keep these activities in mind next time you’re considering if you should leave the ring securely in a jewelry box.