Cleaning Brass

Brass objects can make great home decorations, from the smallest item all the way to objects as large as beds. All brass has the same trait of accumulating tarnish stains and green buildup quickly. This can change your beautiful home decoration into an eyesore. A few easy steps can take that brass ornament back to its original brass shine.

To remove the tarnish and buildup from brass fittings, nameplates, and other small objects, soak them overnight in a solution made up of equal parts water and ammonia. Make sure the objects are completed submerged in the mixture. When you remove the objects from the solution in the morning, rub them with extra-fine steel wool or a soft brush. Be careful not to use anything too coarse or you could damage the brass.

For stubborn tarnish or stains on larger objects, rub the tarnish or buildup with a paste made up of salt and vinegar on a clean cloth. This should easily remove the stain. Another way to reach the same result or in addition to the previously mentioned tip is to scrub the stain with the salted inside of a lemon rind. Toothpastes—both regular and gel—also work when you scrub the stain with them on a rag.

If the brass is covered with lacquer, be sure to clean it with mild detergent and water, then rinse and dry. Make sure to avoid abrasives, since they can wear through the lacquer and leave the object in worse shape than before.

No matter what method you use, be sure to finish off by rinsing or wiping down the object with pure water after cleaning. If you chose to wipe it down, make sure the pure water is applied to a clean cloth, or you could be back where you started. Buff the object dry using a soft cloth or chamois leather.