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Swimming and showering with earrings in
Can you swim with earrings in? Silver does not like it. Chlorine can turn sterling silver dark, salt water speeds up tarnish, and soap and shampoo leave a film. So silver comes off before the pool and the hot tub. After the sea, rinse your pair under fresh water and dry it. A plating is a thin layer, so it gets the same gentle care. And pearls stay out of the water.
In short
Can you swim with earrings in? Silver does not like it. Chlorine can turn sterling silver dark, salt water speeds up tarnish, and soap and shampoo leave a film. So silver comes off before the pool and the hot tub. After the sea, rinse your pair under fresh water and dry it. A plating is a thin layer, so it gets the same gentle care. And pearls stay out of the water.
Chlorine and silver: why it darkens
Pool water is chlorinated, and chlorine reacts with silver. Silversmiths describe a dark film of silver chloride on the surface. Over time, chlorine can turn silver black and leave the surface pitted for good.
Sterling silver 925 is 92.5 per cent silver. The rest is other metals, typically copper, and copper reacts faster in damp conditions. In water, both parts of the alloy have something to react with.
A hot tub is harder on silver still. The water is warmer and usually more strongly chlorinated, and warm water speeds up every reaction.
So the honest answer for the pool is short: silver comes off first. Put your pair in its tin and the tin in your locker, then swim. It goes back in when you are dry.
Salt water and the sea
The sea works on silver in a different way. Salt speeds up oxidation, the process behind tarnish, and over time it can cause light corrosion. Even salty air on the coast plays a part.
A swim in the sea is not the end of a pair. What matters is what comes after. Rinse the pair under fresh water as soon as you can, then dry it completely: head, post and anchor. Salt left to dry on the metal keeps working.
On a beach day, the tin is the best place for the pair while you are in the water and the sunscreen is going on. Sunscreen leaves a film of its own, so put it on first and the pair in afterwards.
Showering: soap and shampoo
Soap, shower gel and shampoo contain sulphates and other ingredients that leave a residue on metal. On silver, it dulls the surface. Hot water and steam add moisture, which speeds up tarnish.
If your pair gets soapy, rinse it with clear water and dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth. Do not leave it to dry in a steamy bathroom.
On Baqless there is one more place to keep clean: the notch of the post. Soap residue and skin oil collect there, and then the anchor slides back less easily. Wipe the post and the anchor now and then, not only the head.
Rhodium- or gold-plated: what the plating does
Under the surface, every Baqless head is the same metal: sterling silver 925. On top sits either rhodium, a bright white finish that stays bright, or gold plating, 18 carat on some pairs. Each pair's data sheet names its finish.
A plating is a thin layer on top of the silver, and it is the surface you see. Look after it like a surface: a soft cloth, fresh water when needed, no ultrasonic bath and no harsh cleaners.
Until there is more to say, the plating gets the same rules as bare silver around water. Out before chlorinated water, rinsed after salt water, dried before the tin.
Pearls stay out of the water
Pearls grow in water, but once they are set, water is their weak spot. They are organic and soft, and chlorine, soap and perfume dull their lustre.
So pearls come off before any water and go on last, after perfume and cream. Baqless has no pearls in its range. If you keep pearls next to your silver, the same rule applies to them, whoever made them.
After a swim: rinse and dry
The routine after the pool, the lake or the sea takes a few minutes and four steps.
Rinse. Hold the pair under fresh tap water and rinse off chlorine, salt or soap.
Dry. Pat it dry with a soft, lint-free cloth: head, post and anchor. Take your time with the post.
Air. Leave it on the cloth until it is completely dry. Damp metal in a closed tin keeps reacting.
Store. Back into its tin, dry and away from direct sun and dust, as the maker advises.
Take the pair out for this. Hold the earring at the front. Slide the anchor back, flip it lengthwise, pull out the post.
Rhodium-plated sterling silver
Four silver-white pairs, with the maker's measurements where they exist.
- Honesty Floral Silver Stud · 7.0 × 7.0 mm · rhodium-plated
- Embrace Sublime Silver Hoop · Ø 15.0 mm · rhodium-plated
- Amity Crown Onyx Silver Stud · stone Ø 4.0 mm · rhodium-plated
- Amity Rebecca Silver Stud · sterling silver 925 · rhodium-plated
Keep reading
Questions
Can you swim with earrings in?
Silver pays for it. Chlorine can darken sterling silver and salt water speeds up tarnish. Take silver off before the pool and the hot tub, and rinse it under fresh water after the sea.
Does sterling silver tarnish in chlorine?
Yes. Chlorine reacts with silver and can leave a dark film of silver chloride, faster in warm, strongly chlorinated water like a hot tub. Over time it can turn silver black.
Can I shower with silver earrings?
Soap, shower gel and shampoo leave a residue on silver, and steam adds moisture. If your pair gets soapy, rinse it with clear water and dry it. On Baqless, keep the notch of the post clean so the anchor slides easily.
How do I dry my earrings after swimming?
Rinse under fresh water, pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth, head, post and anchor, and let the pair dry completely before it goes into its tin.
What about pearls?
Pearls come off before any water. They are organic and soft, and chlorine and soap dull them.
Last checked on 7 October 2026.
