How to clean brass: the most effective tricks
What do you think when I say brass? Of course, you think of old and luxurious living rooms, classic furnishings, comfortable sofas in precious silk and an ancient charm that can overcome time and space. Brass, beyond its aged allure, is still widely used for various furnishing objects, fixtures, handles, taps, windows, lampshades and even musical instruments. Discover all the methods to eliminate oxidation from brass in your home ... it may be easier than you can imagine. And if you are a lover of classic and retro style, take the opportunity to feast your eyes and be inspired by the most beautiful antique furniture proposals.
See also: Antique furniture: choose the style for your home
What is brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in furnishings, in windows, in the making of musical instruments and even in the trendiest costume jewelery of the moment!
It is very resistant and robust, however external agents such as air are able to oxidize it. When brass oxidizes it becomes covered with a dark patina that deprives it of its extraordinary brilliance. It not only dulls it, but it becomes dark and full of spots. It will take a little patience to clean it up, but with these tips the results will be truly incredible and fast. The brass will be as good as new. For sure at home you have one of the products that will allow you to clean brass in the best possible way. It can be lemon, baking soda, salt or vinegar ... but how useful these products are, they should never be missing in our pantry!
See also
Before starting
By continuing to read you will discover all the secrets and remedies most loved by our grandmothers to clean and polish all the components of this metal in your home. There are so many methods, you just have to choose your favorite and then roll up your sleeves to base on the action. But listen to a rule that is always valid when we talk about brass: never use steel wool, sandpaper or hard brushes when cleaning because you risk ruining the brass forever by scratching it very clearly. What you need to make the brass shine again is a soft cloth, gloves so as not to stain your fingers, non-abrasive sponges and of course a little patience!
The best solutions for cleaning brass
Our grandmothers cleaned brass with Marseille soap. You are certainly familiar with this delicate and fragrant soap, and very active, capable of removing oxidation from brass. You can do it too simply by immersing the objects made of this metal in a basin of hot water with a few flakes of Marseille soap inside. After soaking the brass in soap for at least 15 minutes, it should be rinsed and then dried very carefully, avoiding leaving drops on the brass. If there are still stains, it is possible to wet the object again by rubbing with a non-abrasive sponge. Another effective remedy for cleaning brass is lemon juice mixed with vinegar. After combining the two ingredients, the brass must be rubbed with a sponge soaked in the mixture. The result is really fast, in a few minutes the brass returns to its former glory and begins to shine again. Try this solution on the handles!
Even baking soda will allow you to clean the brass: just dissolve it in water until you get a soft and creamy consistency to be applied directly on the object. It should be left to act for a few minutes and then rinsed carefully. After cleaning your brass objects, every now and then, make a more intense and lasting polish using one of the many specific products on the market capable of removing oxide and dirt without scratching the brass surfaces.
How to clean old and very damaged brass
Antique brass is even more difficult to clean because it is often surfaces rich in inlays, grooves and reliefs in which dirt and oxide tend to settle. This type of brass returns to shine if you immerse it in a basin of hot water in which you have dissolved a handful of bicarbonate, carefully brushing the solution on each part of the brass object, one piece at a time, with the help of a toothbrush. teeth soaked in baking soda. This product is really effective and does a great job! After that, to complete the operation, you can carefully rinse and then dry the brass with a soft cloth to avoid the formation of halos and stains.
As you can see, you have many products available to eliminate metal oxide but in no case never use muriatic acid because in contact with brass it causes the formation of harmful fumes and can cause a very dangerous reaction.
Polishing of brass
After removing the oxidation and perfectly cleaning the brass, it is time to polish it to a mirror to make it shiny and bright. If you are passionate about essential oils, try linseed oil for this purpose: it will amaze you! That's right, you can polish the brass with the linseed oil that you usually buy at a herbalist's shop. Not only will you eliminate stains but you will coat the brass with a protective patina that will keep oxidation away for longer and preserve its brilliance. Still to polish the brass, you can use a mixture of lemon, salt, vinegar and baking soda.The 4 ingredients already very useful for cleaning brass, all together, can perform a particularly effective and long-lasting polishing action. Just sprinkle the surface to be treated with this mixture and let it act for 20 minutes. Then you will need to thoroughly rinse the brass with warm water and dry at each point. Done? Now look at your little cleaning masterpiece! See what show? The shiny and bright brass is practically as good as new again and effortlessly! Now you can dedicate yourself to other cleaning!
