I have a few things made of brass around my home, mainly things that I’ve been given by family members. My preference would be to let them age naturally, however two brass pots (possibly flowerpots, possibly something else?) got splashed the other day when my house sprung a leak. (Long story, but exciting weekend!). The splash left them looking terrible so I decided they should be given a new lease of life. Being someone who is determined to avoid buying chemicals, I wanted to find a nice natural way to clean brass. Luckily for me the simplest of ingredients can be used; Baking soda and lemon juice. Yep, that’s it!
How to clean brass naturally
- 1/2 a lemon
- 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda
this home
Make your cleaning paste
The recipe I found for how to clean brass naturally said half a lemon and a teaspoon of baking soda, then mix together to make a paste. However this didn’t create a paste for me. Maybe the lemon I halved was too big… who knows. Anyway, I ended up using half a lemon and a heaped teaspoon and a half of lemon juice. My advice is to start with a teaspoon of baking soda and then add a little more if you have more of a liquid than a paste.
1. Pour lemon juice into the bowl
Halve your lemon and add the juice to a small bowl.
2. Add baking soda
The mixture will fizz when you first add the baking soda to the lemon. You can start mixing it at this point and then wait to see if you have a paste or if you need to add a little more baking soda.
3. Add more baking soda, if required
Mix until you have a paste
4. Get a clean cloth and dip it into the paste
5. Rub the brass gently
You might need to be a bit patient but you’ll start to see the brass getting brighter.
6. Give the brass a good rinse
Wash all the paste off the brass and let it dry. You might need to go over a few places on the brass, so just reapply the mixture as required.
I was very surprised at how well this worked. Just look at the difference!
Top Tip – Don’t throw away the lemons you’ve squeezed. You can actually use them to clean your shower and bath. Rub the lemon rind onto the shower walls or around the bath and then rinse using a cloth. If you have a bit of a ring around the bath (happens to the best of us), then the lemon will loosen the dirt and the wet cloth should remove it fairly easily. Give the bath / shower a rinse afterwards and it should be sparkling clean. It smells really nice too.
Final thoughts about this homemade brass cleaner – What’s great about this is that it’s so easy to do and uses very simple ingredients. No chemicals, no waste and great looking brass. Next time I’ll be cleaning copper naturally, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Some really handy things to always have in your cupboard is white distilled vinegar, which is used for cleaning loads of things, baking soda and fresh lemons. If you’re lucky you’ll have a local shop where you can buy loose baking soda. Just take a container and fill it up. If not then the next best thing is baking soda that comes in a cardboard box.
Please note that this link to purchase baking soda is an affiliate link, I earn a small amount of money if you purchase something, at no extra cost to you.
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