How to clean metals with home remedies

Cleaning the metal objects we have at home is not always simple; gold, silver, brass, copper, every metal needs a specific cleaning method. Let's find out which are the most effective natural remedies to clean them.

We all have objects in silver, brass, copper, gold, aluminum, metal materials that tend to rust and oxidize over time, becoming opaque. In these cases it is better not to use aggressive remedies like ammonia, alcohol or chemicals that could damage them and then, how can we clean our metals? Better to resort to natural remedies and little tips, to have them shiny and without rings using products that we all have in the pantry and that we can easily find. Let's see how!

How to clean metals like silver, copper, brass, bronze, gold, stainless steel

Here's how to clean the different metals with natural remedies; from silver to copper, all the most effective cleaning methods also for cleaning chromed and gilded metal and antique metals.

Lukewarm water, salt and bicarbonate for silver

Silver is a very shiny metal that over time can get damaged and becomes opaque, and it is also prone to scratches and stains. The first thing to clean it is to wash it with lukewarm water and a natural soap; always wash the silver objects alone, without mixing them with other metals to prevent them from being scratched.

To clean the small silver objects, coat a glass container with aluminum foil, boil some water and pour it into the container until it is almost half full. Add 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate and 1 of salt per liter of water and dip the metals inside. If the water is too hot, use rubber gloves to clean the silver objects. A faster method is to use only salt and water, always inside an aluminum-coated glass jug, leaving it to work for about 3 minutes before rinsing and drying the metals.

Lemon juice, vinegar and bicarbonate for copper and brass

To clean copper you can use simple white vinegar that you can spray on the metal to be cleaned; you can also sprinkle the object with coarse salt first and rub gently. Then rinse and dry well with a soft cloth. For the cleaning of ancient copper, an excellent remedy is the artichoke leaves soaked in vinegar to be passed on the surface before rinsing and drying with a woolen cloth.

A very effective remedy for both copper and brass is lemon, to rub directly on the metal using the inside of the peel, or you can mix lemon juice and bicarbonate so as to obtain a paste that will also serve to polish the metal; rub the surface with a soft cloth and leave to act for 5 minutes before rinsing to dry carefully.

Olive oil, lemon juice and beeswax for the bronze

The bronze is a metal that can be easily stained, so it is advisable to clean it with olive oil that you must heat a bit and then delicately pass it over the entire surface. To do this, use cotton wool and wipe until the stains disappear. To make your copper more shiny, mix water and lemon juice, let it act for a few minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water; for the chiseled bronze use a toothbrush to reach even the most difficult areas to clean and then dry with a soft cloth .
To keep the bronze clean and polished longer, clean the metal with a bit of beeswax; first heat the object a little and then gently wipe the wax with a soft cloth.

Natural soap and bicarbonate for gold

Even a metal as precious as gold can be cleaned with some effective grandma’s home remedies, just use natural liquid soap (also Marseilles soap) and bicarbonate; mix a tablespoon of soap with one of bicarbonate, clean the gold objects and then rinse well and dry carefully using a woolen cloth. You can also clean your gold metals by soaking them in water and lemon juice for at least an hour, then rinse them with lukewarm water and do not forget to dry them well.

Extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar for stainless steel

Everybody in the house have some pots, cutlery and various stainless steel objects, how cam we clean them? To eliminate the stains, just rub some extra-virgin olive oil on the object; stains and rings will immediately disappear. To polish metal and remove the limestone, you will need white vinegar to be used pure; rub, rinse and dry well. To clean the steel cutlery cover the inside of a pan with aluminum paper, add water, a teaspoon of salt and one of bicarbonate; then boil the water and then dip the cutlery, boil for another 3 minutes then rinse and dry them carefully, they will be shiny and bright.