By Clodagh Green • 10 June 2019
Best Kept Secret For Cleaning Brass & Copper.
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You may have several different brass and copper items at your home from pots, boats items, candlesticks, coins, jewellery , door furniture and belt buckles. But how do you clean and polish these everyday metal items?
Both copper and brass tarnish over time and become dark and dull. If a magnet sticks to it, it's plated. If it doesn't, it's solid copper or brass. Why does this matter? Because plate is just a thin layer over some other type of metal. If you're cleaning a plated piece, you'll need to be extra careful that you don't wear off the plate with all of your polishing. While it may not be an issue this time, it could become an issue over time with repeated cleanings.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and is prone to tarnishing.
1) Begin by washing your item carefully in warm water to remove any dirt and dust. Thoroughly dry the item with a soft cloth to ensure you don’t scratch the brass or copper.
2) Take a clean, dry, soft cloth, your Miroxol Metal Polish , gloves to protect your hands and squeeze a small amount onto your cloth. Apply evenly to the surface, polish in small circles and then buff to a brilliant shine. If the item is heavily tarnished it can be quite a messy job so be sure to protect clothing and wear gloves. Because of the quality ingredients and its unique formula, Miroxol Metal Polish preserves and protects from the effects of weathering and keeps tarnish abay for longer.
3) If you find the tarnish is not coming off it could be lacquered. If this is the case use warm soapy water and that should be sufficient. If the lacquer is still intact it shouldn’t need polishing as the product won’t tarnish. However if the lacquer has started to come off in places you are best off asking a specialist to remove the lacquer so that your item can be polished to the desired effect and then re-lacquered if you so wish.
4) There is something profoundly satisfying and surprisingly therapeutic in polishing brass and copper. I love seeing a dull object go from dull to shiny. Finally admire the shine!
If you don’t have a tube of Miroxol Metal Polish to hand you could always try these other methods however be aware that copper and brass are not hard metals and will be prone to scratching if using abrasive materials like salt. These methods also do not preserve and protect.
• Lemons and salt - Simply apply some salt (preferably sea salt or coarse salt) to a half of a lemon, and then use the lemon to scrub the copper or brass surface. Rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth afterwards.
• Rub the brass or copper item with a mixture of flour, coarse salt and vinegar, and then polish with a soft cloth - again this is abrasive.
• It is also possible to polish your copper and brass with a newspaper crumpled into a small ball – the timeless method our grandmothers used to use to clean windows.
• You can also clean copper and brass with tomato ketchup! The vinegar in the sauce will help clean the copper. Apply a thick layer of ketchup on the product and let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse with water.
Our recommendation is to use a specialist brass and copper polish like Miroxol Metal Polish which is specially formulated to get the best most even shine possible. To buy simply click on
www.miroxol.co.uk. You won't be disappointed.
