How to clean brass at home

Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper, the material is considered eternal due to its strong composition. It is used not only for industrial purposes, but also in the production of many interior details, such as door handles or decorative elements for bedside tables. In addition, brass jewelry and accessories are partially made from brass. People who are faced with a unique composition are wondering how to clean it. Let's analyze all the options in order.

Salt and vinegar

Pour 3.5-4 liters of filtered water into the pan, add 45 g. chopped fragrance-free sea salt and 250 ml. table vinegar (concentration 9%). Put the composition on the stove, boil, reduce heat, put brass in a container and simmer for 4 hours. The solution will boil, so add a new composition every hour: dilute 30 ml. acetic solution in 350 ml. pure water. During boiling, unwanted shades will disappear, it remains only to polish the product for greater shine.

Lime

Yogurt

Perhaps the cleaning of brass is the only circumstance that requires an unnatural composition. Get low-quality, high-lactic acid yogurt from the store. Put the brass in a container with yogurt, cover and wait about 40 minutes. After the specified time, rinse the product with water, wipe with a soft cotton cloth. Lactic acid destroys neoplasms and walls of the stomach, for this reason it is harmful to eat such yogurt, but it is ideal for cleaning brass.

Vinegar and flour

Mix 200 ml. filtered water with 250 ml. vinegar solution (9%), add rye flour so that a viscous dough is obtained. Moisten a brass item in boiling water, leave for 10 minutes. After that, apply large quantities of dough to the product, wait until the composition has completely dried. Rinse off the mass with water, wipe off with a soft cloth and polish. The product is more suitable for cleaning brass products in which copper, rather than zinc, predominates.

Lemon and salt

Cut 1-2 lemon into small pieces, depending on the size of the product and the degree of contamination. Pass them through a blender or meat grinder several times to make porridge. Now add fine edible salt at the rate of 25 gr. 1 citrus fruit, cover the container with cling film and wait about half an hour. At the end of time, put brass in the mixture, rewrap the container with polyethylene, wait at least 40 minutes. Dampen a cosmetic swab in lemon juice and wipe the product, do not rinse with water, polish.

Ketchup

As with yogurt, ketchup should contain a maximum of preservatives, but a minimum of flavors and colors. Apply it on the soft side of the kitchen sponge, spread evenly over the entire surface of the brass object, leave for a quarter of an hour. After that, remove the composition with a hard cloth, an old cotton towel will do. If the product requires small parts, rinse the brass with boiling water, then wipe it dry with a cotton cloth.

Oxalic acid

1. Carefully review all cleaning products that are available in the house for the presence of oxalic acid in the "Composition" column. When you find a suitable option, put on gloves, apply the product on the product, wait about a quarter of an hour. At the end of the term, take brass in your hands, turn on the tap with warm water and walk along the surface of the old toothbrush. Make sure that the pressure is weak, it should not wash off the entire composition at a time. Next, you need to prepare a mixture of soda and water in a ratio of 1: 2, after which place the product there or cover it with a plentiful layer. The exposure time in this case ranges from 7 to 15 minutes, it all depends on the degree of contamination. Rinse off with cold water, polish brass. At the end of the manipulation, the subject may acquire a darker shade.
2. This method involves treating a brass product with an oxalic acid solution. To cook it, dilute 70 gr. acid in 4.5 liters of water, if desired, you can reduce the proportion by half. Put the brass product in the container with the solution and observe the process. When the oxide disappears and the brass darkens, the item must be removed, rinsed with water, wiped and dried. As a rule, 10 minutes is enough to completely clean the brass of old stains.
3. When none of the above methods help, use pure oxalic acid. Wear gloves, goggles, a bathrobe and a mini respirator to protect yourself to the maximum and not to breathe flying fumes. Take a bandage or gauze, fold in 6-7 layers, soak in acid, wipe the brass product. Leave on for 1 minute, then rinse immediately under the tap using liquid soap or shower gel. Dry with a soft cloth, blow dry or in a natural way.

Acetone

There are several variations of brass cleaning in this way. The first involves the use of pure acetone, for this it is enough to moisten the swab in solution and wipe the product well. The second is the use of nail polish remover, which contains acetone. In this case, it is necessary to soak the object in the solution, cover with a film or a lid and leave for a quarter of an hour. At the end of the term, you can rinse the brass with boiled water or leave it in a processed state. In all cases, gloves should be worn to protect hands.

Specialized tools

Before using harsh brass cleaning methods, use gentle products. These include ketchup, yogurt, nail polish remover, lime, a mixture of lemon and salt, vinegar or flour. If the effect disappoints you, get oxalic, formic or nitric acid, examine the store shelves for the presence of Delu or Metal Kliner preparations.

Video: brass cleaning and polishing