Although there are large numbers of chemical brass cleaners available in the market, try using some natural ingredients to get rid of the dirt and rust in your brassware. These ingredients are easily available at everyone’s home.
Made by combining copper and zinc, brass is a common metal found in jewellery, cookware, decorative items for the home, and musical instruments. If you have an old house, you must be having doorknobs made of brass.
Like the other metals from which it is manufactured, brass also gets destroyed easily. What is the easiest way to clean brass items? First, you need to find out whether your items are made of brass or not. How to do so? Hold a magnet near to your item. If it starts sticking, then the product is not made of brass, but maybe it’s brass-plated. For cleaning brass-plated items, use mild detergent and water, as anything which is more abrasive can damage the plating.
If you have a piece of dirty brass that requires cleaning, how you do so depend on whether it is coated with a glossy finish or with a non-lacquered brass. If it comes with a glossy finish then, you can wipe it using a damp cloth.
Cleaning a non-lacquered brass needs a large amount of elbow grease. Try a few of the below-mentioned natural ingredients to clean the brassware at home.
Ketchup: It is an ingredient that is available in most of the household. It is also one of the best ingredients to clean the dirt from brassware. Squeeze some ketchup on a clean cloth and rub over the stained brass. Then, clean using a damp cloth and pat dry.
Mild detergent or soap: If your brass item is dirty or dusty rather than stained, immersing it in warm soapy water and cleaning it using a soft cloth can do magic. You can use a toothbrush to scrub the areas that have too much dirt.
Mix Salt, Flour, and Vinegar: Combine all these three versatile home staples and make a paste out of it. This combination works great for cleaning the brassware. How to make the paste? Mix one teaspoon of salt in half a cup of vinegar. Add flour and keep mixing till a smooth paste-like texture is formed. Rub this paste on the brass, leave for 10 minutes, and then clean it using warm water.
Lemon juice: You can use lemon juice straight on the brassware. It is great for bringing back the lost shine. After you rub the lemon juice, wipe with a damp cloth and dry it.
Water: Heat some water, add 2 tablespoons of each white vinegar and salt to create another solution for cleaning tarnished brass. Rub the mixture on the brassware and then clean with a dry cloth.
If the brassware is an antique piece before you start cleaning, consider certain things. The stain can add value to your brass piece or detract from it if by any means you disturb the natural finish of that item.