How to Clean Bronze

Co-authored by David Liu

Last Updated: December 21, 2021

Bronze figurines, statues, and jewelry need to be cleaned every once in a while, especially if a statue has been outside or a piece of jewelry is worn regularly. Fortunately, some of the best bronze cleaners are household ingredients! Cleaning bronze can take anywhere from a few minutes to overnight. Using boiling water, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, flour, or a combination of these, you can get your bronze looking clean and pristine once again.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Mixture of Vinegar, Flour, and Salt

1
Mix ⅔ cup (158 ml) of white vinegar and ⅔ cup (158 ml) of flour in a bowl. Use a bowl that is big enough to allow you to mix the two ingredients together without the flour flying everywhere. Blend these two until they are fully mixed together.^{[1]
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2
Add ½ cup (118 ml) of salt to your mixture and stir. Your mixture should now be a paste of the vinegar, flour, and salt.^{[2]
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3
Spread the paste on your bronze. You can put a glove on your hand, dip it into the paste, and then spread it onto your bronze piece. You can also use a sponge. If your item is something small, like a piece of jewelry, place the jewelry in the bowl. Be sure that your item is completely covered in the paste. Then, leave the paste on for 1-2 hours.^{[3]
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4
Rinse your bronze with warm water. After 1-2 hours, bring your item to the sink and rinse it under warm water. If your item is large and can’t be moved, bring a pot or bucket of warm water over to it, and pour the water over the item to rinse the paste off completely.^{[4]
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5
Use a soft cloth, such as a chamois leather cloth, to dry the bronze. While you are drying the bronze, rub it with the cloth to remove any marks. Make sure it is completely dry and that all the paste is removed.^{[5]
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6
Rub a dab of olive oil onto the bronze. Add a few drops of olive oil to a soft clean cloth and rub it over the surface of your bronze. Olive oil has been a method for cleaning and protecting bronze since ancient times.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Boiling Water and Soap

1
Place your item in a pot of boiling water on your stove. Choose a pot that is big enough to hold your entire bronze item. Bring the water to a boil first, and then place your bronze inside the pot. Leave it in the pot for a moment or two, until it is hot.^{[7]
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- If your item is too large to fit in a pot of boiling water, consider using a different method to clean it.
2
Remove the item from the pot carefully. Use tongs to grab the item from the hot water, or use a strainer to drain the water. Place the strainer in the sink, and carefully pour the water from the pot into the strainer. If your bronze item is delicate, be careful not to let it fall too far into the strainer.
3
Dip a flannel cloth in water and soap. The flannel cloth should be soapy and full of suds. Use it to pick up the warm bronze item, and then rub the item thoroughly with the cloth. Remove any marks or stains with gentle rubbing.^{[8]
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- Use a natural, unscented soap. Avoid using alkaline soaps that don't have sodium hydroxide as an ingredient. Also, if your bronze is lacquered, avoid using detergents that have pyrophosphates, such as Tide, or solutions made of ammonia. These can cause the coating on your bronze to deteriorate.
- Be careful not to burn yourself if the bronze is still very hot. You can use the cloth as a barrier between your skin and the bronze.
4
Dry the bronze with chamois leather or a shammy. Chamois leather is sheep or lambskin leather that is tanned using natural oils. It is known for being absorbent and non-abrasive, so it will not damage your bronze as you dry it.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Household Items

1
Cover your item with ketchup. Using a sponge, your hand (in a glove, if you want to avoid a mess), or simply a bowl full of ketchup, apply ketchup to the entire surface of your bronze. Let it stay covered in ketchup for about 15 minutes. Rinse it with warm water, and then dry it with a soft cloth.^{[10]
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2
Apply lemon juice to your bronze item. You can squirt lemon juice onto it, or soak the item in lemon juice for 15-20 minutes. Remove the item, rinse it with warm water, and then dry it thoroughly with a soft cloth.^{[11]
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3
Soak your item in white vinegar and water overnight. Pour equal portions of white vinegar and water into a large bowl, and soak your item in the solution overnight. The next morning, rinse your item off in warm water and dry it with a soft cloth.
- If your item is large, such as a statue, this method will be more difficult. If you do not have a bowl large enough to fit the statue inside of, consider trying a different method for cleaning.^{[12]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do you restore oil-rubbed bronze?

David Liu
Residential Cleaning Expert
David Liu is a Residential Cleaning Expert at Anita’s Housekeeping Referral Agency. Since 1994, Anita's has been connecting homeowners, renters, and property managers with experienced cleaning professionals who offer deep cleaning, green cleaning, general housekeeping, maid services, post-construction cleaning, and window cleaning. David holds a BS from Carnegie Mellon and an MBA from INSEAD.

David Liu

Residential Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

The easiest way is to just use water and a soft cloth. After that, you can spread a thin coat of beeswax over the entire surface of the bronze fixture (either with your hands or with a soft cloth).
Question

I have a piece of bronze statuary. How should I clean it?

Community Answer

Try multi-metal polish or brass polish. You can find both at Amazon.com if you can't find them locally.

Warnings

Do not use these methods with lacquered bronze; only use a damp cloth occasionally and dust regularly with a duster.

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