How and how to clean brass at home?

Metal products obtained by mixing copper and zinc are distinguished by their original color, wear resistance and attractive shine. Unfortunately, only a few housewives know how to clean brass and how to do it right at home.

The bulk of people original figurines, jewelry and utensils most often simply stored in cabinets. In fact, there are a lot of techniques for restoring the original appearance of brass. All of them are affordable and safe. It is not necessary to seek the help of professionals or to purchase harsh chemicals.

Before you clean brass with one of folk remedies or household reagents, you need to make sure that the product is really made of this alloy. To do this, take a very small magnet and apply it to the subject. If he attracts, then in this case we are not talking about brass.

The Most Effective Brass Cleaning Techniques

First of all, to update the appearance of brass products, experts recommend using the following tools:

• Gels with the addition of oxalic acid. Ideal to clean obvious but not perennial pollution. Oxalic acid is part of most cleaning products. The selected product is simply applied to the product and left for several minutes. As soon as the working surface becomes even darker, you need to start processing it with a brush. Then we fill the object with soda and wash off all the components under running water.
• Pure oxalic acid. If the previous approach does not give the desired results, you will have to clean the product with the base product. We take no more than 20 g of the composition per liter of liquid. In the resulting solution, briefly soak the item and brush it. Work must be carried out with a respirator and gloves.

Tip: The use of formulations based on acetic, citric and hydrochloric acid is best avoided. They give a quick result, but in inexperienced hands can cause damage to the product.

• Acetone. First, simply wipe the brass with a swab dipped in acetone. If positive changes are not obvious, then before such a treatment, we soak the product in a solution of water, salt and vinegar, brought to a boil. For maximum effect, brass objects should be boiled in such a composition for 3-4 hours, if necessary adding more water. Do not be afraid of the darkening of the material, you just need to wait a bit.
• Professional acid concentrates. They can be purchased at hardware or specialty stores. Just apply the composition to a tissue and try to clean the dirt.

Lacquered brass recovers faster than untreated. At the same time, it is polluted much more slowly.

Safe but effective folk approaches

Craftsmen, through trial and error, have developed many effective methods for cleaning brass items. If you do not want to deal with dubious chemistry, then you should first try the following tools:

• Toothpaste. First, wash the item several times in soapy water, wiping off massive impurities and softening them. Next, take toothpaste, apply to problem areas and gradually wipe off. We use a napkin, using a toothbrush only in hard-to-reach places.
• The vinegar test. Take a glass of flour and a glass of water and table vinegar. The resulting composition is abundantly applied to the problematic subject and wait until the mass is completely dry.During this time, vinegar should dissolve even the most dense coating, and flour absorbs all this dirt. It remains only to clean the product with a cloth. If necessary, try again.
• Polishing with lemon juice and salt. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a plate. We start adding small table salt in small portions until a paste forms. We apply the composition to the subject and begin to process it with soft circular movements. Wash the rest of the composition with water, immediately dry the product with a dry cloth.
• Soaking in soapy water. Any cleaning should begin with this. In some cases, this manipulation is quite enough. We pour warm water into the basin, dissolve in it shavings of laundry soap or any dishwashing detergent, and foam. Soak the products for a few minutes until the liquid cools down. After that, drain the water and try to clean the objects with a soft brush under running water.
• Hot vinegar. If the brass went stained, then they can be wiped off with hot vinegar. We heat the pure product to a tolerant state, moisten a cotton pad in it and wipe off the formation on the product. Only need to act in a well-ventilated area, the smell will be very strong.
• Sandpaper. Heavily stained elements, such as candle holders or fireplace parts, can be rubbed with very soft sandpaper. But after this you will have to additionally carry out dry cleaning of inaccessible places.
• Salt and buttermilk. In a half liter of buttermilk, add a tablespoon of fine salt and knead well. We use the composition for cleaning problem areas, then wash off its residues well under running water and carry out the obligatory drying.

The listed methods are absolutely harmless, but they are not recommended to be abused. And without that pure brass they will not add shine.

What should I do if I can’t achieve the desired result?

If all the tested methods did not give the desired result, then you will have to remove the coating from the varnish or its top layer to re-process the item. Manipulation consists of several stages:

1. We cover the horizontal surface with a newspaper. Using a nail polish remover or other solvent and brush, remove the protective layer from the surface of the product.
2. Next, we use a special polish, which can be purchased at a hardware store. Rub the product into the surface until you can get the desired degree of gloss. Do not forget about the problem areas, on the updated product the darkened areas will look especially not aesthetically pleasing.
3. Next, prepare the prepared thing again with a specialized varnish. The product must be distributed evenly. To simplify the work, we use a brush or cotton circles.
4. Leave the finished item dried. At first it’s better not to touch it, and if absolutely necessary, you will have to wear cotton gloves.

To maintain the effect obtained for as long as possible, you need to regularly wipe the brass from dust, treat it with polishes, and when the slightest hint of plaque appears, carry out a profile cleaning.