Homemade Brass Cleaner & Polish Recipes

Here are several homemade brass cleaner and polish recipes to keep both your lacquered brass, and unlacquered brass clean and shiny.

Before you begin cleaning your brass you need to determine if it is lacquered or unlacquered.

You can tell if brass is lacquered if it generally does not tarnish (unless there is a crack in the lacquer) and it will have a clear coat film on it.

On the other hand if the brass is unlacquered it is much more likely to become tarnished with age and does not have the clear coat finish on it.

The lacquer can be fragile, so always go with the most conservative method for cleaning if you aren't sure if your brass is lacquered or not.

Below are brass cleaning recipes for lacquered and unlacquered brass.

Brass Cleaning Recipe For Lacquered Brass

You really only need to clean lacquered brass if it gets smudges or spills on it since the lacquer is designed to prevent the brass from tarnishing.

Therefore, generally a solution of dishwashing liquid and warm (not hot) water is best for cleaning lacquered brass.

Be careful to get the lacquered brass only as wet as necessary to clean it and then wipe with a clean damp cloth to remove any soapy residue and dry thoroughly.

For more stubborn dirt you can wipe with a light mineral oil, but always test in an inconspicuous area first to make sure it does not harm the lacquer.

Homemade Brass Cleaner For Unlacquered Brass Which Is Highly Corroded

Ingredients:

• 2 parts white vinegar
• 1/4 part salt
• 2 parts water

Directions:

Soak the brass in a boiling solution of these ingredients.

Please note this will harm any embellishments on the brass item because of the boiling so make sure there is nothing like that on there before you begin.

Next, rinse with water, and then air dry to prevent further corrosion.

Alternative Recipes To Clean Highly Corroded Unlacquered Brass

You can also try these additional recipes for cleaning corroded brass.

Both use natural ingredients to make an abrasive to remove the corrosion.

First, you can rub the brass with a paste made from lemon juice and baking soda, and then rinse well.

In the alternative you can dip a half a lemon in salt, and rub it on the brass, and then rinse well.

Homemade Brass Polish Recipe (For Unlacquered Brass)

Ingredients:

• Salt
• White flour
• White vinegar

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together in equal amounts to make a paste.

Next, rub the paste onto the unlacquered brass and wait an hour.

After the hour is up rinse the paste off the brass and dry thoroughly.

Use a dry soft cloth to buff the brass to make it shine.

Share Your Own Brass Cleaning Tips

I've just given you several recipes for cleaning brass, but there is always more than one way to clean something. You can share your tips for cleaning brass here, or read other tips already submitted.

Other Homemade Metal Cleaner Recipes

If you found this homemade brass cleaner recipe helpful, here are some additional homemade metal cleaner recipes you may be interested in, that are on the site:

• Homemade Aluminum Cleaner And Polish Recipes
• Homemade Copper Cleaner Recipes
• Homemade Gold Cleaner Recipe
• Homemade Rust Remover Recipes
• Homemade Silver Cleaner With Cream Of Tartar
• Cleaning Silver With Baking Soda
• Homemade Silver Jewelry Cleaner Recipe

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Homemade Cleaning Products Recipes

Go From Homemade Brass Cleaner Recipes To Home Page

CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.