How to Clean Old Brass

Co-authored by Susan Stocker and Eric McClure

Last Updated: August 5, 2022

There are several ways to clean older brass. For a basic cleaning, you can use soap and warm water to remove tarnish if you simply want to keep brass clean. If you’re trying to avoid abrasive solutions or chemical cleaners, you can opt to use tomato-based products, like ketchup or tomato paste, to soak dirty areas before wiping them dry. If you want a deeper clean or to leave a protective coating behind, you can clean old brass with a specialized polish. Always hold a magnet up to a brass item before cleaning it to make sure that you’re actually working with solid brass and not brass-plated zinc, tin, or iron. If the magnet has no reaction to the object, it’s solid brass.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Cleaning Old Brass with Dish Soap

1
Put a magnet on your brass to check to see if it’s plated or pure brass. You cannot scrub or aggressively clean brass-plated materials without endangering them. To test your item’s material, hold a magnet up against the object. A magnet will not stick or react to solid brass, but it will stick to any brass-plated items.^{[1]
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- If you don’t have a solid brass item, the odds are good that it is plated steel, zinc, or iron.
Warning: You can still clean brass-plated objects with hot water and soap, but you can’t rub or scrub them. Use all of the same steps, but replace the scrubbing with a light rubbing or rinsing. Avoid using tomato-based products or polish on plated objects though.
2
Place your brass in a large bowl or sink. It will be easier to rinse, scrub, and wash your brass if it’s in a sink or large bowl where it can be fully covered under a stream of water. Find a receptacle where you can completely cover your brass in water without having to worry about making a mess.^{[2]
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- If your brass can’t be removed or is too big for a bowl or sink, apply 1-2 squirts of dish soap to a wet, cotton cloth and spot clean it by hand. If this doesn’t work, you may want to soak your brass surface in ketchup.
- Using a sink will make it easier to simply leave the water on while you’re rinsing your brass.
- Don’t put any small objects in the sink without covering the drain. Put a stopper or strainer in the hole of a sink to keep smaller pieces from falling down your drain.
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3
Fill the sink or bucket with warm water and dish soap before submerging your brass. Use a gentle, unscented dish soap and warm water. The amount of dish soap that you use is dependent upon the size of your brass object, but your water should be visibly soapy. Fill your sink or bucket with enough water to submerge your brass before dropping it in.
- If your item is brass-plated, don’t submerge it in the sink. Simply dip a cotton cloth into the soapy water and gently rub it. Alternatively, you can quickly dip the brass-plated item in the soapy water instead.
- Unscented soap is preferable if you don’t want to leave your brass with a lingering odor.
4
Scrub your brass with a microfiber cloth. After 15-45 seconds, lift your brass out of the sink and scrub it with a lathered microfiber cloth. Use the entire palm of your hand to rub the cloth into larger, flatter surfaces, and pinch the cloth between your thumb and index finger to scrub smaller sections.^{[3]
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- Continue scrubbing until you see tarnish and dirt lifting out of the brass.
- Start with a softer, circular motion before you increase pressure to ensure that you don’t apply unnecessary strain to the material.
5
Use a toothbrush to clean intricate details. If you have a piece of brass with a lot of intricate line work, use a clean toothbrush to get into hard-to-reach grooves and inlays. Use back-and-forth strokes while applying light pressure to give the bristles time to scrape dirty areas out.^{[4]
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- Alternatively, if you have a very small piece of brass with a lot of detail, you can use a toothbrush to clean the entire object.
6
Rinse your brass under warm water until the soap is removed. Drain the water from your sink or empty your bucket. Turn the water in your sink on or fill your bucket with warm water. Rinse or dip your brass in warm water until the soap is visibly removed.
7
Rub your brass dry to prevent water spots. Use a soft cotton cloth to rub your brass dry. If you let it sit out while it is wet, you could end up with unsightly water spots all over your surface. Gently rub your brass for 1-2 minutes until it is completely dry.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Soaking Brass in Tomato Products

1
Spot clean brass by squirting ketchup on dirty areas. To clean brass objects naturally or spot clean fixtures that cannot be placed in the sink, squirt 1–2 teaspoons (4.9–9.9 mL) of ketchup on every 4–5 in (10–13 cm) section of brass. If you’re putting ketchup on a vertical surface, use a smaller amount of ketchup or use tomato paste and rub it out by hand so that it doesn’t drip or coagulate.^{[5]
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Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.}
- You can hang a small bucket handle around a doorknob to catch any ketchup as it slides off of the brass.
- You can use ketchup or tomato paste if your brass is still dirty after cleaning it with soap or if you don’t want to use any unnatural products to clean your brass.
Warning: While some people don’t run into problems, this method isn’t great for lacquered brass. To tell if your brass is lacquered, hold it up to a light at an angle. If it has a glossy shine that makes it look kind of wet, your brass has probably been coated in a protective lacquer. Stick to dish soap or chemical cleaners if you want to clean lacquered brass.
2
Mix tomato paste with water to soak larger objects. For larger objects that would require a lot of ketchup, fill a large bowl or bucket with 1-part tomato paste and 2-parts hot water with a large slotted spoon. This will save you some money on large amounts of ketchup while allowing you to submerge your brass in the tomato-product to let it soak.^{[6]
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- You can use tomato juice or soup if you’d like as long as there are no sugars.
3
Leave the ketchup or tomato paste for 1-2 hours. Whether you’re spot cleaning with ketchup or submerging an object in tomato paste or juice, you need to give the tomato product time to eat into the tarnish, grime, or discoloration. The longer that you leave the brass, the cleaner that your brass will be. 2 hours is usually enough to clean really dirty brass.
- Crack a window next to your bowl or bucket if you don’t want your home to smell like tomatoes.
4
Remove your brass and rinse it with warm, soapy water. Remove your brass from the sink and squirt some gentle dish soap on the brass. Run it under warm water for 3-4 minutes and rub your brass very gently with a microfiber cloth. For spot cleanings, put a squirt of dish soap on your microfiber cloth and run it under warm water. Rub the ketchup-covered brass for 1-2 minutes to remove the ketchup and its residue. Rinse the soap off of your brass before drying it.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.}
5
Dry your brass with a clean cotton cloth. Gently rub your brass with a large cotton cloth. Wrap smaller objects in the cloth and rub it lightly with both hands. For larger items, simply run a cotton cloth over every brass surface.^{[8]
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- You can rinse your brass again if it has the vague scent of tomato sticking to it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Polishing Brass with a Chemical Cleaner

1
Purchase a high-quality polish to remove discoloration. Brass polish comes in spray, cream, and liquid form. Creams usually need to be rubbed into a brass, while sprays are designed for spot cleaning and sensitive materials. Liquid brass cleaners are applied with a cloth. There are also liquid cleaners that allow you to submerge the brass entirely in the cleaner.^{[9]
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- Creams tend to better for thicker brass items since you can rub it in to the brass without worrying about damaging your item.
- Sprays are good for hard-to-reach or delicate brass items.
- Liquid cleaners tend to be good for brass statues or decorative items that may be hard to cover in a cream but require heavy cleaning.
- A lacquer-polish will leave a protective coating on your brass by covering it with oil.
Warning: Wear rubber gloves when working with a brass polish. It isn’t toxic, but it can be hard to get off of your hands and will make the cleaning process easier.
2
Apply the polish according to the container’s instructions. Read your polish’s instructions to determine how you apply it. The way you apply a brass polish depends upon whether you have a cream, spray, or liquid. Creams are generally applied by hand and rubbed in, while you typically mist a brass item with a spray and let it sit. Liquids can be applied with a cotton or microfiber cloth unless it is designed to be submerged in the liquid.^{[10]
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- When in doubt, apply the polish with a soft, cotton cloth. Pour a small amount of polish on to your cloth and lightly rub your brass item.
3
Rub discolored areas lightly before using stiffer strokes. After you’ve let your polish settle into the brass, clean especially dirty areas by hand. If you’re using a cream or liquid, start off by rubbing it in with a microfiber cloth. Rub the cloth into the dirty areas using soft, light circular strokes. If the brass isn’t becoming cleaner, use a stiffer stroke. Continue rubbing the brass until any tarnish or dirt is lifted.^{[11]
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- Sprays typically need to be rinsed off after they’ve been applied.
- For thicker brasses with serious tarnish, you can use a softer steel wool. Never use a grade thicker than 00, or you’ll risk scratching the brass.
4
Rinse your brass under warm water unless the polish instructs otherwise. Turn the water in your sink on and set it to a warmer temperature. Hold your polished brass under warm water and rub it lightly to remove any excess polish.^{[12]
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- Some lacquer-polishes are not designed to be washed off after they’re applied. These polishes are an excellent choice if you’re trying to apply a protective coating to your brass instead of just clean it.
5
Dry the brass with a soft, cotton cloth. Place your wet brass on a dry cloth and rub each surface lightly with the cloth so that you remove most of the moisture. Continue rubbing your brass until every section of your piece is dry.^{[13]
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- If you don’t dry your brass, you may end up leaving water spots all over the place.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Removing Tough Stains with a Vinegar Paste

1
Dissolve 1 teaspoon (6 g) of salt into ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of vinegar. Measure your ingredients with a measuring cup and measuring spoon. Pour your vinegar into a large bowl and add your teaspoon of salt. Give your vinegar a few swirls with a spoon to fully dissolve the salt.^{[14]
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Warning: This method will destroy any brass-plated items. Only use a salt or vinegar cleaner on solid brass items.
2
Add flour to your vinegar until it becomes a thick paste. Start by using a measuring spoon or scale to add 1 tablespoon of flour (8-9 g). Continue adding flour in 1-tablespoon increments, mixing the entire mixture with your spoon after each addition to check the consistency and fully combine your ingredients. Stop once the vinegar and flour have become thick and moldable.^{[15]
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- The consistency should look and feel like a thick hair mousse or pile of sand depending on how much flour you’ve added.
3
Rub the paste into your brass by hand. Put on some rubber gloves if you want to keep your hands clean. Pick up a chunk of your vinegar paste and massage it into the dirty portion of your brass. If you cannot get the paste to stay attached, you can rotate your brass item so that the paste is on top of your brass or use a smaller amount of the paste on the stain.^{[16]
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4
Let your brass sit for 10 minutes and then rinse it with warm water. Wait 10 minutes for the paste to work on the stain. After 10 minutes, rinse your brass with warm water. Buff it with a microfiber cloth and then dry it with a cotton cloth.^{[17]
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- You can repeat this process if your brass is still dirty.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Does ketchup really work with brass?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Yes! I know it sounds kind of crazy, but ketchup will make brass shine like new. You just have to make sure that you're actually working with legitimate, 100% pure brass. Lacquered, plated, or fake brass will be ruined if you smear ketchup all over it.

Warnings

Always check to see if brass is plated or solid before you clean it.

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Never use any tomato products with sugar in it to clean your brass. It can eat into lacquers and make your brass sticky.

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