Do You Ever Take off Your Wedding Ring?

Updated on March 20, 2014
A.G. asks from Houston, TX
60 answers

When? Cooking? Baths or showers? Doing the dishes?

I don't, but if I get a manicure, they make me take my ring off. But that's the only time.

What can I do next?

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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

All the time! I don't make dinner or do any chores in them. I'm a runner and I don't like running in them in case my fingers swell (sometimes they do in the heat). I'm also a swimmer and I don't wear them to practice (but no good reason). I also can't stand the idea of putting lotion on when my rings are on! There are so many nooks and crannies in my rings - I don't want all that gunk in them! Yuck.

5 moms found this helpful
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H.W.

answers from Portland on

I love my wedding ring and family ring (they are art rings with images molded into them) and want to protect them. I take them off before doing dishes, before gardening, if I'm doing rugged work of any consequence (painting), slathering on hand lotion, and before my shower.

I do like to wear them, though, and feel a bit naked if I leave the house without them. I don't wear any other jewelry besides a pair of earrings I've had in for the last two years or so. Just the basics!

4 moms found this helpful
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L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

My brother is a jeweler and says everyone should remove all rings for chores and bathing and every night at bedtime -- over the years, even the rings brushing against "soft" bedsheets will eventually create lots of tiny abrasions. So I do take off my band and engagement ring for chores (and when my hands are dry and I need a few days of extra lotion to help them). I forget to take them off at night much of the time, though.

In fact my rings are off right now because it's time to work on my dry hands plus I'm doing a ton of dishes later today!

Any ring with stones really should be removed for any form of chores or bathing -- "gentle" bodysoaps, shampoos over time actually etch scratches into the stones! You can't see them but they're there and they make the stones look dull no matter how you clean them....

4 moms found this helpful

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

I take off my wedding ring and put it in a special bowl on the counter (so i always remember where i left it) whenever I am working in the yard, getting a manicure, or for surgery. It fits pretty snuggly now so I am not in danger of having it slip off. On my honeymoon cruise, I lost my brand new gold wedding band in the ocean when we stopped for a day at the beach. It just slipped on my finger and i knew the area it landed. I was devasted. All of these nice people got snorkels out and started helping us look. I was afraid that there movements would just send the ring deeper and deeper in the sand. A little boy noticed some fish nibbling at something and found my ring. They were attracted by the shiny gold. We were overjoyed. We got a gift card for him, and the cruise line made a big deal out of it for the boy and his family.

5 moms found this helpful
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P.K.

answers from New York on

Been married almost 39 years. Had many surgeries and it was always taped. However,,when I had my kidney out (I guess due to electrical,issues) I had to take it off. The first time in almost 39 years. Woke up in recovery with my husband putting it back on my finger.

5 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

I leave mine on all of the time.

5 moms found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

I have a very simple platinum band. No, I never take it off.

4 moms found this helpful

V.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

Only to clean it.
Not cooking. Not cleaning. Not swimming. Not washing my hair. Not working in the yard. Not ever... except to clean it and put it back on.
---
Oops.. I DID take it off years ago when I was pregnant. Wore it on a chain around my neck, because my hands were too swollen to keep it on.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

When I was married, I only took my ring off when I was hospitalized, when I had to scrub in for a surgery (I used to be a vet tech), or when I was working with caustic chemicals (I also used to be a lab tech).

3 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Houston on

Every evening when I get home from work, I take it off. I don't want to tear up my rings while I do chores and other things which are h*** o* jewelry. Also my wedding band is extra wide so I need to air both my finger and the band. I put my rings on whenever I am heading out the door. It is a habit now and I keep a special box near my exit door for this very purpose - I get home, take it off and put it in the box; in the morning I do the reverse.

3 moms found this helpful

O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

NEVER! The only time my engagement ring was off my finger was when it was getting some repairs done. I still wore my wedding band during that time. I wear them no matter what I'm doing, cooking, cleaning, swimming, sleeping, manicure, whatever. I never, ever take them off.

3 moms found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from Appleton on

I take my wedding ring and my other ring off when I go to the gym. I never know what my trainer has in store for me during my workouts and I can't wear my rings for certain things like boxing and weight lifting with a bar so I just leave them at home.

I also take all my jewelry off at night before bed.

Similar to what Mom2KCK said, I know a family that owns a jewelry store and they always take their rings off when they are at home and put them on when they leave the house.

3 moms found this helpful
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T.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I leave mine on all the time because I love looking at it. Wearing jewelry 24/7 never bothered me.

3 moms found this helpful
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P.R.

answers from Cleveland on

I never used to but after having kids, my fingers must have gotten ever so slightly fatter. So I had my rings sized up a bit and now they twist around pretty easily and kind of annoy me. I never used to understand why people took their rings off and now I do...

2 moms found this helpful
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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

over 19 years - I have never taken it off. We had a jeweler custom design our rings (sort of wide, swirly bands with 5 rows of alternating baggets & small diamonds). I do everything in it - no stones sticking up or anything. We've built fences, decks, landscaped, gardened, cooked, etc.etc. I DO wear thin surgical gloves when I'm cooking or painting or doing anything with chemicals. I've never lost a stone or chipped anything & it still sparkles like new. I probably don't clean it often enough, but the jeweler (NASRs - Peter - in Denton) used the best diamonds and his workmanship is impeccable! We get compliments on them all the time. They're perfectly comfortable no matter what I'm doing. I DO try to make sure to keep my finger dry and the underside of the ring too - use a hair dryer if I have to...

2 moms found this helpful
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❤.I.

answers from Albuquerque on

I don't wear it at home. I have a ring holder by the door so I just put it on whenever I leave the house, I do feel naked without it on when I go out. It's easier to leave it in the holder instead of taking it off for cooking, cleaning, and kid rearing.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Washington DC on

the only time I wear my rings is when I leave the house...

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I take it off in the shower. It gets tangled in my hair when I wash it.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.K.

answers from Stationed Overseas on

Only to put lotion on my hands. Otherwise they never come off anymore unless I am having surgery. I used to have a very labor intensive job and I would where a plain gold band. I feel like my hand is naked without them.

2 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Richland on

Have to when I shower or my hair gets all tangled on the diamonds. Surgery/childbirth, they made me take it off. Other than that it stays on.

Oh yeah, it does go in my pocket sometimes when I am cooking because, well gross what could get stuck in there.

And gardening

2 moms found this helpful

⊱.⊰.

answers from Spokane on

I take mine off as soon as I get home and place them on my ring holder. I don't like wearing them while making dinner and doing nightly dishes and baths, etc. I put them back on after my shower and getting ready in the morning for work.

2 moms found this helpful
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R.K.

answers from Boston on

Only when I broke my finger and had to remove it (SCREAM). My knuckle ended up being larger than before, so I had to have it resized. Now it is removed only when I'm cleaning it.

2 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i used to take mine off to do dishes and chores. lost 'em both camping up at skyline drive when the boys were small. they weren't a fancy set at all, but boy was i sad.
i got a replacement wedding band, very simple, that almost never comes off. i'm not fanatic about it, but it's very comfy and i really never need to take it off.
this past fall, after 27 years of marriage and 31 being together, we picked out a fancy-schmancy diamond engagement ring. it wasn't anything i've craved or longed for, but he really really wanted to do it, and who am i to deny him? ;) and since i picked out the style and stone, i have to say, now that i've got the bling, i love my bling. i love looking at it, and although i'm very unused to dealing with the hazards of diamonds, i'm somehow suffering through. so yeah, i'm shredding my sheets, and the lining on my horse blankets, and ripping up gloves, and getting food gunked up in it. but i keep it on, and enjoy it smiling and sparkling back at me, and clean it every now and then.
my rings are the only jewelry i can stand to wear 24/7. and if they need to come off, they do. but for the most part, i do keep them on all the time.
:) khairete
S.

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M.F.

answers from Phoenix on

I wear mine all the time, along with multiple other pieces of jewelry that stay on in the pool, shower, during sleep, etc. Very rarely will I take them off to use lotion or put gloves on to dye my hair. If I'm cooking and mixing something by hand, like meatloaf, I'll take them off, but otherwisw they stay on. I took my engagement ring off to use lotion one night and ended up flying to Chicago for my bridal shower without my ring.

2 moms found this helpful
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E.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Nope. I took them off when I was pregnant, towards the end when my hands swelled a bit, left them home when I went on an extended study abroad in Kenya, and remove them as needed for medical procedures. Other than that, they stay on 24/7.

2 moms found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

I have a cheap $100 gold ring band. I never take it off.
If I had something fancy I probably would when handling raw meat, or anything else that I think would "dirty" it up.
L.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.M.

answers from Portland on

My hunny and I married in the Quaker tradition of simplicity. We didn't exchange rings, and have not missed them. As an artist and 'maker,' a ring would mostly be in my way, anyhow. But I do have a promise that lives in my heart, and still feels new after 32 years together.

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K.B.

answers from Chicago on

I've been married a while (19 years in April) and I used to never take off my band/engagement ring. When I did, I would get anxious that I misplaced it. Even in my sleep I would notice that I didn't have my ring on. Now....I take it off when I get home from work, but if I lost it I would be totally devastated.

2 moms found this helpful

X.O.

answers from Chicago on

All of the above + diaper changes.

1 mom found this helpful
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X.Y.

answers from Chicago on

If I'm home the ring is off. I have ring holders on both floors so I know where it is at all times.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Sometimes to clean it or wash my hands, but not regularly.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

I have not worn my ring in over a decade, since my fingers swelled during my first pregnancy. Its just a ring, the commitment is in my heart.

1 mom found this helpful

A.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi A.!
No, I have never taken it off (for my C-section my finger was taped), and I have never thought of it..until now...

1 mom found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Houston on

Never did until lately. I even waterskied with mine on. But I did wear
waterski gloves. I felt like it was safer on my finger than in my purse
on the boat.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Missoula on

Yep, when I put lotion on my hands and when I get my hands dirty in the kitchen (kneading dough for example).

1 mom found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

I do - most of the time when I am home it is off. We were in St. Thomas a little over a year ago and spent some time in Diamond's International...they told me over and over and over why it's good to take it off if you're cooking/cleaning/sleeping, etc. So if I'm home, I'm doing all of those things most likely.

However, if I am home all day, I'll have it on. But after work and all, I take it off.

Plus I've lost a decent amount of weight in the last 18 months and it is slipery, so until I get it resized, I prefer to lessen the risk of it falling off.

1 mom found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

I love my ring, but I don't wear it when I am at home. I take off all of my jewelry when I get home, wedding ring included, and I don't put any jewelry back on until I'm ready to leave the house.

I don't wear it if I'm going to swim or exercise either.

Other than that, I wear it every time I leave the house.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Mine comes off if I have to have my hands in the food while cooking dinner or baking, other than that they are always on. When I worked in the restaurant business I would just wear my plain band. Like others have said I feel naked when I don't have them on. Both engagement and wedding band went in to get coated I ended up putting on an older ring just so I had something on that finger.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Houston on

I take all my jewelry off when I get home after work. I never leave the house without it. =) Its too pretty!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from Chicago on

I haven't worn my ring in a few years... except for special occasions. My hands swell so it will hurt my finger often and I really don't like the feel of it on my hand.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Roanoke on

I have a simple, small gold band that I keep on. However, I hardly ever wear my engagement ring. I like the simplicity of a wedding band, and I think a diamond takes away from that.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I wear them only when I go out. I take them off as soon as I get home.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Raleigh on

I never wear my ring but that's because I'm pregnant. My fingers are so sensitive during pregnancy that my finger breaks out badly if I wear my ring for a week. It swells, turns red, blisters and just looks gross plus it stings a little. So I only wear my bridal set on special occasions. I have a 2yr old and a belly bump so people assume that I'm a baby mama smh.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Put it this way, I only have my ring on when I'm leaving the house. When I get home, off it comes!

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Yes! I never got used to having in on in bed and almost feel like it is choking me when I sleep. (ok choking my fingers) In the AM it feels way to tight if I left it on and can hardly get it off at all. I do not do dishes or make certain foods with it on. Sometimes (like today) I even forget to put in on and dont have it on all day. Sometimes in the summer it is too hot and my hands swell so I dont wear it for a few days. I wear it most days and it doesnt bother me or my husband when I forget.

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K.C.

answers from Denver on

I'm actually…um…allergic to my wedding ring. I can wear it, sometimes, for a couple of days even. But then I always get a rash around my finger where the ring sits. So I only wear it out on special occasions. Plus I REALLY hate wearing jewelry (except earrings). But I ALWAYS know where it is.

One of these days, I'm going to have the setting changed over to platinum, which I'm not allergic to. One of these days when I have extra money laying around to do that (so, really, like never).

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S.W.

answers from Amarillo on

When I am making doughy stuff like bread, gardening and some heavy duty house cleaning, soap making (chemicals) and hospital stays. I take them off to clean while I bathe and put them back on.

My diamonds sit up but they are six prong verses four prong as I had a stone fall out on the floor at home many years ago.

I do use rubber gloves sometimes and leave them on.

the other S.

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L.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I actually have to remember to put it on :) And when I was getting engaged/married I was so worried about getting something I loved!

I don't like the feeling of it being wet between my finger and ring, so it comes off with all water stuff. I have a ring holder in my kitchen to keep track of it.

I can't sleep with it because I sleep with my hands up by my face, and it scratches and is uncomfortable.

Lately, I've been wearing only my band, and leaving the engagement ring at home usually.

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V.T.

answers from Washington DC on

I don't wear my rings, more than I wear my rings. My engagement ring, the stone sits up and I can't count the number of times that I've scratched my kids, and twice the diamond and setting have popped off my ring and needed to be fixed. When I only had one kid, I'd always put them on when I left the house, but since the birth of my twins two years ago, I can't remember to put them on when I'm trying to get three kids out the door. I tried wearing just my wedding band, but for some reason it feels more weird having one ring on than having no rings on. For what it's worth, I never wanted an engagement ring. I don't typically wear jewelry, so maybe that affects my decision.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

I don't wear mine at all anymore. It hasn't fit in years. When I did wear it, about the only thing I took it off for was making meatloaf/meatballs. I didn't take it off for showers or sleeping or anything else like that. I hate the way rings feel, so I don't mind that I can't wear it anymore. I don't know if my husband has ever taken his off.

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Wow! I am shocked more people don't take off their rings to shower. Maybe it is the style of mine, but I would have it tangled in my hair and it would be cruddy from soap and conditioner.

I typically keep it off the rest of the night. I am not sure why, but I will go through phases where I will wake out of a sound sleep in search of my rings as if I've lost them. I'm not sure when that started, and I'm not sure what makes it more prevalent. By now, my husband is used to me sitting bolt upright in bed ISO...

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T.T.

answers from San Antonio on

back in the day when I was happy in my marraige I never took it off, not even for cooking, I didn't swell up during pregnancy, I had a cheap toothbrush in the kitchen to clean it when I cooked and got food on it.
One day about 5 years ago the Husband and I got into a HUGE fight, I took it off and never put it back on.

J.A.

answers from Indianapolis on

I always take my rings off when washing dishes and bathing. Sometimes to wash my hands or prepare food. Otherwise they are always on. My husband takes his off for bed, but I never do.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Some women take off the engagement ring to wash dishes or take a shower or make meatloaf. But they never remove their wedding band.

Some don't take off either ring.

Others take them off all the time.

It's personal preference. What your traditions are. If you were raised by a mom that never took her wedding band off then chances are you associate your band with the whole shebang. The engagement ring is the fun piece. It's not nearly as important as the band.

My mom didn't take hers off. Her band had a few very small stones in it that were not stand out stones. They were rather flat with the curve of the band. She would even have them taped over when she was going to have surgery.

I take mine off all the time. I even pawn them on occasion when we need money really badly.

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I.O.

answers from McAllen on

Every. Single. Day. The band and the engagement ring are a set, so the band looks kind of funny without the other ring, though I have worn it alone on occasion. I take them off to cook if I expect my hands to get good and messy. I never wore it when my toddler was an infant, because I didn't want to chance cutting or scratching him. It has pretty sharp edges.

When we were first engaged, I would slice him in bed at night, so I started taking it off then. I used to always take them off to lotion my hands. I sometimes cut myself under my nails (a terrible freak accident that seems to be too common over here) when I wash or lotion my hands, and that hurts like hell. Have you ever sliced the skin under your fingernail??

I take it off every evening and don't put it back on until I get ready to leave the house. Sometimes that means a full weekend of a bare left ring finger.

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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Yes. I had to cut it off and haven't bothered to replace it.

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M.C.

answers from Chattanooga on

I keep mine on, except for when I shower. When I suspected that u was going to get a proposal, I made sure to let it drop that I prefer smaller jewelry that doesn't get in my way... So I have a ring that I don't have to worry about getting caught on stuff. :)

I did have to wear it on a chain when I was pregnant, because my hands liked to swell a lot.

I used to have to take it off for work, or risk losing it to the dough (or spend an hour trying to get it clean afterward... Lol.)

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M.M.

answers from Dallas on

I wear my band all of the time. I take off my solitaire while I'm at home - I only wear it when I leave the house. It pairs with my watch. When I have my watch on I also have my solitaire on. My solitaire, watch & shoes all come off when I get home.

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

I did when I got manicures before pregnancy, and maybe for things where I was afraid I would lose it or damage it. But since pregnancy, my knuckles got a bit bigger so I can't take it off now. I haven't tried anyway because it would hurt.

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A.R.

answers from Dallas on

I take it off all the time, actually not wearing it right now. My fingers swell dramatically, especially when it's hot, and the ring becomes uncomfortable. I run 3-5 days a week, my fingers swell. It's hot, they swell. I forget to drink enough water, they swell. You get the idea. The ring is an antique, belonged to hubby's great-gma, I don't want to take the chance that it would get stuck and have to be cut off. I have a variety of inexpensive cocktail rings that I wear in lieu of my wedding ring sometimes, but only when I have sausage fingers.

Hubby doesn't care. He broke his ring finger a couple years after we got married and his ring doesn't fit well. He wears it on his right hand or not at all. Doesn't bother me.

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