There are natural alternatives to buying expensive copper and brass polishes.
Instead of using commercial polishes, you can polish copper or brass using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Home-made Natural Copper and Brass Cleaning Recipes
Environmentally Friendly - No Harsh Chemicals - Save $ Too!
Once you have your copper clean, it will tarnish quickly unless protected. Seal and Protect your copper, brass and other metals with Everbrite™ Coating or ProtectaClear®
There are many recipes for home-made copper cleaners. These can be not only less expensive than name brand cleaners but for those who do not want chemicals in their home, these can be a good alternative.
There are a lot of sites with recipes for metal cleaners on them but which ones work better? We have tested some of the home-made copper cleaning recipes and here are some results with pictures. There are lots of variations of vinegar and salt. The acid in the vinegar will clean copper, some have flour or other ingredients to make a paste to keep the acid on the copper. Ketchup and Lemon juice are also acids and will clean copper and brass.
Testing
We divided a piece of copper into areas which would be tested.
On each section, we applied a home-made copper cleaner made from ingredients found around the house. The bottom section was left bare for a comparison. The left side is a paste of Lemon Juice and Cream of Tarter. The Upper section is Vinegar, Salt and Flour. The Right Side is Ketchup. We waited 30 minutes and rinsed off the cleaners. The little clean spot on the untreated area is a drop of lemon juice.
We reapplied the cleaners, waited another 30 minutes to give them all a fair chance and here are the results after 60 minutes of sitting with the cleaners sitting on them.
We were amazed at the difference. These cleaners were just put on and rinsed off with no scrubbing.
The top area was salt, flour and vinegar, then on the right Lemon & Cream of Tartar, then on the left Ketchup, then on the bottom Bare - No Cleaners
Other Recipes
1 pint vinegar - 3 tablespoons salt - Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and add salt. Spray solution liberally on copper or brass. Let set for a while, then simply rub clean.
Copper Pots. To remove tarnish from copper pots, rub with lemon halves dipped in salt
One secret is ketchup. Ketchup is great for cleaning copper, even spaghetti sauce will clean copper effectively.
Sprinkle the surface with lemon juice, shake salt all over it, then rub with a soft sponge.
Vinegar and Salt. If copper is tarnished, boil article in a pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar for several hours. Wash with soap in hot water. Rinse and dry.
To clean copper: Place item in a pan of tomato juice and wait until it shines. Or use a lemon wedge dipped in salt to gently scour the metal.
Lemon juice -Cream of tartar - Make a paste about the consistency of toothpaste. Rub onto brass or copper with a soft cloth. Rinse with water and dry.
Cleaner for Copper or Brass: Make a paste of vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and corn meal. The corn meal helps make it easier to spread on an item and the vinegar /lemon juice and salt do the work.
Mix one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon flour and enough vinegar to make a thick paste. Rub paste on surface and let dry completely. Rinse in warm soapy water, buff with clean soft cloth.
Try Our HD Copper Cleaning Gel
Made with organic ingredients. Paint it On - Let it Work - Wash off with Water. Environmentally Friendly - Will Not Harm Plants. Great for large copper areas like copper roofs, copper gutters or other difficult to clean copper.
HD Gel Copper Cleaner is a unique solution which has been blended specifically to remove tarnish and oxides from copper based metals.
HD Gel Copper Cleaner will cling on copper roofs, copper walls or other copper preventing run-off. Stays where you paint it until you are ready to wash it off.
HD Gel Copper Cleaner is strong enough to restore tarnished and stained copper back to it's original copper shine - but is also environmentally safe as well - non-toxic, non-hazardous - it will not harm shrubs or plants in flower beds!
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Protect Copper & Brass with our Coatings
Once your copper is cleaned, ensure it's sealed and protected with one of our Everbrite Coatings.
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Once your Brass is cleaned, ensure it's sealed and protected with one of our Everbrite Coatings.
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