It never ceases to amaze me how natural ingredients we have around the house could be performing the same tasks as store-bought chemicals, but without the harsh ingredients and toxins. This is quick, easy and works fantastically. Enjoy! :)
Total Time: A few minutes
Yield: Around 1 cup
Source: From a book called Homemade
Supplies:
Steps:
This page contains the following solutions.
Copper is valued for strength, malleability, ductility, and ability to conduct electricity and heat. It is also non-magnetic, resists wear, and forms a green patina which makes it resistant to corrosion.
To polish up copper pots and statues I use lemon and salt. Take the lemon (cut in half) and sprinkle salt on to it. Scrub the bottoms of your pans and they will be like new afterwards.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I inherited a small copper "tub" that was stored in a barn. It has turned completely black. What is the best way to restore it's copper finish? Also, once it's cleaned, is there anything that can be put on the surface to keep the copper from getting dull?
By Lois Crane from Midwest
After cleaning with Brasso, wash with warm soapy water and rinse and Hand dry so no water spots.Then get some spray lacquer and spay finish layer and let dry.It is what stuff like brass lamps are coated with so no air on surface to tarnish it. With out air, it will not tarnish.
Tomato sauce or ketchup work also. I think there is a clear coat you can use after you have cleaned it but you cannot touch it with your fingers after you clean it or it will leave a mark even after you have clear coated it.
I have a copper water jug (pitcher) and I have a hard time cleaning it to keep it shiny. I use lemon and salt to rub and clear the deposits formed by water but it takes a lot of time and I don't get the best results. Can anyone tell me any other easier and better method?
I clean copper with ketchup. Rub it on and let it sit a minute. Rub it some more (with more ketchup) to make it shiny and then wash it with soap and water.
Have you tried a commercial polishing cloth or brasso? Not sure if they would work but you can always try it on the bottom of the pitcher as the inconspcuous spot!
How can I make copper cleanser?
Ketchup is a good cleaner
A paste made of lemon juice and baking soda makes a good copper cleaner.
The best homemade copper cleaner also cleans wooden cutting boards. You basically only need lemon and salt.
Lemon and salt or ketchup and a little hot sauce always works for me - just whatever I have on hand when the mood strikes or it becomes necessary.
Some people swear by baking soda and vinegar so I think you could try any of these suggestions according to what you have in your kitchen.
There is also a very good brass cleaner called Brasso that has been around for many years and it does work well.
Here is a link to the ThriftyFun answers from past postings:
Lotta good stuff here..
www.thriftyfun.com/
Cheap ketsup or tomato sauce are the best. Let it sit overnight and wipe clean!
anything acidic seems to do the trick - ketchup or lemon or whatnot. The ncie thing about ketchup is it's viscous and stays on
other lternatives are www.stain-removal-101.com/
There is a cleaner you can make at home with three pantry Staples you will need vinegar,salt and flour you need to make a paste mix 1cup of salt 1/2a cup of flour and enough vinegar to form a paste coat the bottom of the pan scrub lightly and rinse repeat if needed.
How do I remove built-up grease from an old copper ladle? I recently "inherited" an old copper ladle that has years of grease build up from hanging next to the stove. The copper finish appears to be ruined for the most part, so I am not trying to save that. I like the aged, weathered look, but I want to remove the old, sticky grease. What do I do?
Greased Lightening is a great product all the chefs my Mom works with (and is) swear by. I use it for icky grease.
Also, when the fan vent gets icky above my stove, I fill up a sink (enough to cover) with HOT water and some dish soap and dump a bunch of baking soda on top.
Try oven cleaner.
My favorite product for removing grease build up and baked on grease is Dawn Power Disolver. You find it with the dish detergents.
You spray it on and wait as directed on label. It takes little scrubbing. A great product.
Goo Gone works great on things like this. It is an orange liquid that can be bought at any Wal-mart, Target, Home Depot etc... I too had some old copper pieces given to me and wanted to display them in my kitchen. I used the Goo Gone and it all came off. You will have to squirt in on the cooper and let it sit for a few minute then wipe off.
I just inherited a copper water bottle. I have been surfing for cleaning tips. Can someone really advise on how to keep the exterior as well as the interior clean?
How often does the interior of the bottle need to be cleaned?
I am looking forward to some great suggestions.
Fill it with Coke and let it sit several days. The acid will eat away and clean it over time.
I too have copper bottle with me, I clean it once in a week for cleaning outside of bottle I use pitambari powder and to clean inside I use tamarind juice, I pour the tamarind juice in to bottle and leave it for 2- 3 hours and then I will clean with normal water, it looks like new bottle.
I immersed a yellow copper bell in a solution of warm water and tartaric acid and the copper turned red. Why and what now?
From the kitchen.com
Form a paste for tougher areas: Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl and mix with salt. Apply to the lemon with a spoon and rub directly on copper. Allowing longer exposure by using a paste will help clean stained or hard-to-reach areas. Rinse and dry: Rinse the pot clean with warm water
It sounds like the bell had a protective lacquer on it that gave it the yellow coloring your talking about and when u used the acid and water on it , it has just stripped away that lacquer coloring that was on the bell down to the original color of the copper. I know people use acid to clean old coins and that's basically what it does.The Original color of copper is generally a bright pink, peach. If the bell didn't have any lacquer on it then I'm betting that the yellowing color that the bell began as, that you and many antique collectors actually prefer, was caused by the copper aging over some time. When copper is exposed to air over time , copper tarnishes or oxidizes this can give it a yellow or caramel look. If you don't like the pinkish red looks of the stripped copper you can always buy a lacquer to put back on it or unfortunately over some time just naturally the bell will again become that yellow tarnished color once again.
