There are many DIY cleaning methods that you can use to polish and restore antique brass pieces. But before you start scrubbing away, it's important to understand what causes tarnish and how to remove it without ruining your metal items.
First, you'll need to figure out how old your brass is and what type of finish it has on it. You will need to remove the varnish from brass lacquered before you can use a cleaner to remove the tarnish. You can remove tarnish with mild soap and water if it isn't lacquered.
Next, you need to find an acidic substance to remove the tarnish from brass. Lemons and tomatoes are great options, but you can also use vinegar or ketchup. A thin layer of any of these will be enough to help remove tarnish from brass. Allow it to sit for around an hour before gently rubbing it off with a toothbrush or soft cloth.
Toothpaste is also a good DIY anti-tarnish product. Sean Parry from Neat Services says toothpaste reacts with the acid present in tarnish.
For antique brass pieces, Bougere recommends dipping a lemon slice or rind in salt and rubbing it on the tarnished item for about 10 minutes. Combining the citric acid of the lemon and salt's abrasiveness can help to remove tarnish from delicate brass items.
You can even try mixing lemon juice with table salt to create a homemade paste. Make a paste of the salt and the lemon juice. Then apply the paste to your brass items. Let it sit for about an hour before you scrub them.
After scrubbing, rinse and dry the brass with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. You may need to repeat this process several times, depending on how much tarnish is still on your brass.
If you want to clean brass or copper that has been exposed, you can combine equal parts of flour and white vinegar. Spread it over the tarnished items. Allow the mixture for about an hour. After that, use a toothbrush to scrub off any tarnish.
A natural, organic salt-based product is the best way to clean brass that has been badly tarnished. Flitz Instant Brass & Copper Tarnish Remover is a safe and efficient way to remove heavy tarnish and corrosion from copper and brass surfaces.
Spray-on copper and brass tarnish remover immediately dissolves and lifts heavy deposits of calcium and tarnish. It is safer and more effective than traditional acid-based cleaners. It's safe to use indoors and outside on copper brass, aluminum and glass.