Tips For Cleaning Brass

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How To Clean Brass

Brass is a beautiful metal, and can be a wonderful way to bring shine to accent pieces throughout your home. Whether you have a big brass mirror, a picture frame, or candlesticks, you’re sure to appreciate these quick and easy tips to clean brass safely and swiftly.

Check to See if it’s Solid Brass

An important first step to determining how to best clean your brass piece is to determine if it’s solid brass or actually brass plated steel. A quick and easy way to check is to try putting a small magnet on the piece. If the magnet falls, your piece is solid brass and you should read on! But if the magnet sticks, your piece is brass plated steel and what you’re seeing is not tarnish but rust. Take some very fine grade steel wool and buff away the rust. You may then need to have the piece repainted.

Always Try a Clean Cloth First

Brass can often be cleaned with a clean, lint-free cloth. One of the best types for this is a microfiber cloth. Put some elbow grease into it, and really buff the area hard. You might be amazed that you don’t have to do anything further!

Some Warm, Soapy Water will Go Far

The second easiest tip for brass cleaning is the simple washing of the piece in warm, soapy water. This can be done by immersion or wiping, depending on the nature of the piece. Make sure you dry the brass thoroughly once it’s clean, and buff it to a shine.

Ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce

Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce really do clean brass. It’s not crazy, we promise, even though you may think this is a waste of good cooking materials! Use a clean, damp cloth to rub the sauce of your choice into your brass piece, and then wipe it clean. The piece will shine like never before!

Lemon & Salt

This method is wonderful because it’s both completely natural and doesn’t require dirtying a cleaning rag!

Cut a lemon in half and remove any seeds. Then coat the open fruit of the lemon with table salt.

Hold onto the lemon by the rind, and rub the salt-coated lemon over the brass. You may need to recoat your lemon with salt if it’s a large piece. Buff to a shine with a clean, dry cloth!

Salt & Vinegar Paste

Salt & Vinegar is more than a great flavor of potato chips, it’s also a great brass cleaner! Combine equal parts salt, vinegar, and white flour to form a paste. Use your fingers to put the paste on the piece and leave sit for an hour. Rinse thoroughly with water, buff with a clean, dry cloth, and admire the shine.

Cream of Tartar & Lemon Juice Paste

Another great option for a brass cleaning paste is one made of cream of tartar and lemon juice. Use 2 parts of cream of tartar to one 1 part of lemon juice to get a firm paste. Rub it on the piece with your fingers, let sit for at least 30 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly with water and buff away with a dry cloth.

Mineral Oil

Rubbing the piece of brass with mineral oil will help to bring out the shine as well as break apart any nasty stains. Apply the oil to a clean, dry cloth and rub thoroughly. This may be enough in and of itself, or you may need to apply either the salt, vinegar, and floor or the cream of tartar paste to clean the piece further.

Yogurt

Plain yogurt is a great tip to clean brass. Rub it on the brass with either a clean cloth or your fingers, and then let dry. Use a clean, dry cloth to buff off the yogurt. Your brass now looks like new again!

An Ammonia Dip

If your piece of brass is particularly tarnished, a great cleaning method is a solution of 1 part ammonia to 8 parts water. As always, when working with ammonia, ensure that you are working in a well-ventilated area. You’ll need to completely immerse the piece in the solution and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. This obviously won’t work for pieces that aren’t 100% brass or have decorations glued onto them, but it’s an all-natural way to clean brass quickly.

Use Car Wax to keep Exterior Brass Clean

Once you have your exterior brass piece clean and shiny, you can use car wax to maintain the shine and help inhibit tarnish. This application will likely last 4-6 months, depending on the weather in your area. Simply apply the wax and buff it to a shine!

Brass is a beautiful accent to your home. Regularly cleaning and buffing with a soft cloth will go a long way towards keeping it beautiful with minimal work. If you do happen to need a stronger cleaning option, our tips should help you do so quickly and as naturally as possible.