There are many DIY cleaning products that can help restore or polish 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. If your brass has a lacquered finish, you will need strip the varnish off before you can use cleaners or tarnish eliminators to remove the tarnish. It doesn't have to be lacquered. You can clean it using mild soap water.
Next, search for an acidic solution that will remove tarnish and rust from brass. There are many options. Tomatoes, lemons and vinegar are all good choices. But you also have the option of using vinegar or tomato sauce. 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 another effective DIY tarnish removal product. Sean Parry of Neat Services is a cleaning expert who says that toothpaste reacts with the acid found in tarnish.
Bougere suggests that antique brass pieces be treated with salt by dipping a lemon rind or slice in salt, and then rubbing the salt on the item for approximately 10 minutes. It is possible to remove tarnish using the combination of salt's abrasiveness and lemon's citric Acid, particularly on delicate brass items.
For a homemade paste you can even mix lemon juice with table sugar. Mix the salt with the lemon juice until the mixture is a thick paste, and then apply it to your brass items, leaving them to soak for up to an hour before scrubbing them.
After cleaning, dry the brass using a microfiber cloth. You might need to repeat the process multiple times depending on how severe the tarnish remains.
You can also use equal amounts of flour and vinegar to clean brass and copper that have been exposed to oxidation. Let the mixture sit for around an hour and then scrub it with your toothbrush to remove 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 tarnish eliminator instantly dissolves and lifts heavy lime deposits, calcium deposits, rust, oxidation and water spots on copper and brass surfaces. It's safer than traditional acid-based cleaners and works on a variety of surfaces. It's ideal for indoors and outdoors and can be used on copper, brass, aluminum, glass, painted surfaces, fiberglass, stucco and brick.