Chuck the Brass-O. All you need to clean copper & brass is right there in the kitchen cabinet... What’s more, it works. Better yet - it doesn’t stink. I can’t deal with the eau-de-pew-pew of petrochemicals any more. They’re expensive and they don’t work.

This simple recipe is so old it's embarrassing. On the other hand, it’s a modern day miracle. Nothing works better than Grandma’s formula.
 
If you've ever tried to use brass or copper cleaners then  you know how frustrating it is. If you let the stuff dry, it won’t come off. 

Alrighty, enough boasting, here’s the formula :)

Lemon Juice, Salt, and a soupcon of flour. That’s it.  I’ve had some emails from people who tried this and while it worked, they complained that one lemon wasn’t enough. I didn’t really pay attention to this until I found an enormous vintage piece of copper, then I realized the problem.

Lemon juice is acid, so I hunted around for a cheaper substitute that would work as well - and guess what? White vinegar works just fine. The only problem was that between the salt & the vinegar, I felt like a dill pickle.

Besides, I was restoring a HUGE piece and it was in wretched condition.

If you go to a good hardware store you can find steel wool in very low grades. Steel wool is just like sandpaper. Some are exceptionally fine. Here in the US they’re graded from 0000 (mildest) to 0000 (strongest) - if that sounds confusing, don’t blame me.

When all else fails, blame ebay :)

hehe

I use the 0 grade with white vinegar for copper and it works fine. It’s a lot less expensive than organic lemon juice & now, I’ll cut the steel wool in 1/2 - you don’t even need the whole thing while cleaning.

Just remember one - no two - important things. Don’t substitute the Brillo under the kitchen sink for the milder steel wool. It’ll scratch the copper.

Secondly, remember that this recipe works best on copper. Brass is a harder alloy and so it is harder to clean.

A little maintenance can go a very long way.

The most important thing? Any time you can avoid using harsh chemicals, the better it is for you, for your health, and for everyone!

Thank you for reading my guide. Your votes & your emails are appreciated!