Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but a coffee bean isn’t a bean at all. It’s a seed, the pit of a drupe, also known as a stone. Now, most folks like their stones washed for their cleaner flavors, though many prefer natural stones and more recently anaerobically fermented stones for their big fruit-forward notes.
And when it comes to cleaning stones there may be no better household tool than the espresso machine. But which of course I’m referring to your diamond jewelry, that can be brought back to sparkling thanks to none other than the steam wand on an espresso machine.
Ah yes, espresso machines and diamonds, both one-time indicators that life was treating you pretty pretty pretty well. And while each would historically run you in the thousands upon thousands—and still can if you want—between the glut of home machines on the market and the creation of lab-grown precious gems, there are high-quality modern options for both that come without the comma in the price tag.
But just because you have the trappings of Gen-X wealth markers doesn’t mean you actually have the expendable capital to back it up. You can’t drop 50 bones every time you want your rocks to have a little extra sparkle. Luckily, the espresso machine offers a DIY option.
As reported by Apartment Therapy, when you take your fine jewelry into a shop to get shined, the jeweler uses a steam cleaner to bring it back to life. It’s basically a stick that shoots hot steam. Sound familiar? And it turns out, the steam wand is actually quite effective. All you need is something to hold the ring—the article suggest tongs—while you blast it with steam. Do NOT use your fingers. They also suggest doing the whole procedure over a milk pitcher, so steam doesn’t go everywhere and to catch the ring just in case you drop it.
One caveat: steam wands are powerful, so if your setting is loose, the stone may get blasted straight out of the band.
This revelation has us wondering what other wonderful uses there are for the steam wand. What else can it clean? Could it remove stains from clothing or bring to life an old pair of shoes? (Inquiring barista minds want to know.) What about a caked-on coffee pot or dirty Chemex? And does this mean I need to start keeping my espresso machine in the laundry room? There are more questions than answers at this point.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
