Have you added brass to your home accessories? Great! You've made a great choice - now it's time to think about keeping your brass accessories clean.
You can go out and buy brass cleaners like Brasso which is pretty inexpensive. But chances are you already have brass cleaning ingredients at home, specifically in the kitchen or pantry.
Our Brass Coatings Are Incredibly Easy to Keep Clean
As regular readers know, we offer 17 coated finishes for most of our brass accessory lines. Our Pipeline collection offers eight finishes, and our Camo collection offers brass finished in green camouflage.
It's easy to clean our finished accessories. Just wipe them down with a soft cloth (microfiber is best). This remove fingerprints and light dust or dirt that can accumulate.
Finish: Polished Chrome
If you discover something like food or grime smeared on a brass accessory, a solution of warm water and mild soap (hand wash dish soap is fine) will clean off most anything.
Dry with another microfiber cloth - don't let it air-dry or you'll be left with water spots.
Remember, all our products are made with brass. They aren't brass-finishes but real brass through and through!
How to Clean Unlacquered Brass
Many customers and brass enthusiasts like a tarnished look on their brass. They don't order a finish, but instead request our unlacquered (unfinished) option which lets brass darken over time into a patina.
This look is especially popular in farmhouse-style decor. So we offer the no-finish option in all our collections except Pipeline and Camo. Our unfinished brass pieces arrive highly polished so that customers can age them to the patina they want.
Unlacquered brass hook, Bolero collection
Unlacquered brass, should also be wiped down with a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints and dust. Warm water and mild soap is also acceptable but be careful if you want to keep the patina - the soap can start a polish process. Buff dry with a clean and dry microfiber cloth.
How to Restore Darkened Brass to Its Original Brilliance
Restoring brass that has darkened over time can be a bit of effort and might need prolonged rubbing with a microcloth. Brasso is a good option if it's handy. But you don't have to run to the hardware store if you don't have any and your neighbors say they're out, too.
(We are amazed at how often our neighbors don't have items we run out of like eggs or toothpaste. What's up with that?)
First try using a mild soap and water solution. If that's not working, something a little stronger might help like a solution of equal parts of vinegar, table salt, and baking soda. (Flour is also acceptable.) Use a microfiber cloth to apply it to brass and let it sit for an hour. Rinse with warm water and use another microfiber cloth to dry it off.
If that doesn't work, put a thin coat of ketchup or tomato paste on the brass. Let it sit for about 15 minutes ad wipe off with a soapy microfiber cloth to see if the tarnish has lightened. If it has, rinse with soapy water (again, mild soap). If it hasn't, try again in another 15 minutes.
Another method is to rub a lightly salted, seedless lemon wedge and leave on for about a half hour. Rinse and dry.
Try using lemons and salt to restore tarnished brass
Don't forget about reaching tight spaces. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles to apply your cleaning solution to details like rings, swirls, and filiels that a cloth might not reach. This works on our finished and unlaquered/unfinished brass accessories.
Use a toothbrush to clean details like the dotted accent rings on these shower door pulls. Finish: Brushed Bronze.