HOW TO CLEAN COPPER: ARE YOU CAPABLE? - LIFESTYLE

How to clean copper: natural and effective remedies

To find out how to clean copper, we have prepared a practical guide to first get to know this precious metal and learn how to treat it with the right products. Are you passionate about copper pots or other household items? Then you are in the right place, keep reading the article to find out the most effective cleaning method for copper.
Any metal can be cleaned easily, see also how easy it is to polish gold!

Copper: an ancient, resistant and malleable metal.

An ancient discovery of 5000 BC that of copper, which has always been widely used on an industrial level for various objects. In fact, copper has particular qualities that characterize it: resistance to corrosion, malleability, thermal and electrical conductivity.
Beautiful then the cutlery and copper pots suitable for cooking food perfectly without negatively affecting their flavor. However, it is very important to clean them carefully to avoid toxicity, always immersing them in hot water for a long time with soap and ammonia.

Natural remedies: we clean our copper in an ecological way

Since many prefer ecological products to industrial ones, we will reveal many "natural home remedies" to clean copper, even the very oxidized one, and to polish pots, dishes, amphorae, kitchen hoods and various ornaments to make them come back as new.
For example, to clean copper we can use a nice mixture of lemon juice, salt and vinegar: rub all the copper objects you have at home with a cloth, then rinse them with warm water, dry them carefully and polish them with a nice soft cloth so as not to damage the surface.
Lemon juice as well as white vinegar and salt are truly special natural remedies for cleaning and polishing copper. But also a mixture of salt, lemon juice and dish detergent in which to soak your copper objects can prove to be very useful, indeed surprisingly effective. Thanks to these methods you can use, to clean and polish your copper objects, products that you usually use at home as disinfectants, detergents or as food ingredients in the kitchen.

See also: How to clean the house in an ecological way: tips and tricks to respect the environment and save money!

Oxidized copper: how to remove verdigris.

Above all, let's not forget that if your beloved copper objects already have very visible greenish stains, it is possible to clean and polish them until they are shiny and like new, mixing ammonia, oxalic acid and dish detergent with excellent results. Where your fingers or sponges do not reach, you can rub raw onion or a lemon cut into pieces into the coves, perhaps with the help of a toothbrush or a lined screwdriver. In fact, copper objects often become covered with a green or reddish patina due to oxidation caused by exposure to air and humidity.

If the oxidation is very evident, we can pass vinegar on the object to be treated, rubbing and with more force, but always with a soft cloth so as not to damage the metal. If the oxidation is minor, pour the vinegar not directly on the object, but on the cloth, then rinse with plenty of water and dry it with another dry cloth, always very soft.
Still drawing on your kitchen, you can also sprinkle a lemon cut in half with salt, rub it well on the object to be cleaned, rinse and dry thoroughly. Always remember if it comes to pots or dishes, always wash them with soap and water, rinse them with greater care and dry them perfectly. It is also very effective to use a paste of flour, white vinegar and salt to clean the copper. In this case, especially if it is knick-knacks that you particularly care about, try to pass the dough first on a more hidden part of the object to see if the mixture leaves some streaks, so as not to run the risk of ruining it.

Another brilliant idea is to use Ketchup. Tomato is an acidic food and combined with vinegar can easily remove the most resistant oxidation stains. After spreading this compound on the treated object, it is left there for a few minutes and then rinsed to dry well, so as not to create new oxidations.

Products: which ones to use then to clean and polish dirty and oxidized copper objects?

In short, these are products that you already have at home such as disinfectants or detergents or food. Just take a look in the kitchen and in the home pharmacy and we will find them. We are talking about white wine vinegar, salt, lemon, flour, ketchup, olive oil, ammonia, dish detergent especially in powder and oxalic acid, which can be purchased online useful if the dirt or oxidation of your copper objects is very resistant.

Remember to use the salt up to the big one that could easily scratch the surface of the copper objects. Salt and vinegar rubbed with a soft cloth will make your knick-knacks and pots shine magically. Always rinse with plenty of water and quickly dry all objects with soft cotton, sponge or microfiber cloths, always very gently. In fact, if they dry themselves in the air, there is a danger that they will become covered again with green, brown or dark red spots and even blacken due to too much humidity.
If there are still traces of dirt, then you can immerse your copper objects in very boiling water, to which you will then add some vinegar and salt. To clean the copper objects, use the sponge on the softer and non-abrasive side and always well moistened. Lemon is another essential ingredient for cleaning copper. The lemon juice acts quickly, eliminating the ugly green patina from the copper, especially with the help of white wine vinegar and fine salt.
In addition to the raw onion and the small mixture of flour, vinegar and salt that can be spread on the objects to be cleaned and polished to make your copper shine, the mixture of olive oil and white of Spain (calcium carbonate, gypsum in fine powder) which must be spread on the surface to be treated, then rinse and dry with the usual care to avoid scratches.