How To Polish Copper? 10 Best Ways To Let It Shine Again!

How to polish copper? Anyone who owns any copper objects, such as a candlestick, copper kettle, copper pots, a copper vase, copper jewelry, or copper coins, knows that copper loses its luster over time, tarnishes darkly, and turns greenish.

They are colloquially known as verdigris. The cause of the discoloration is the oxidation of copper with oxygen, but this is entirely normal and belongs to the properties of copper.

10 Suitable household remedies for polishing and cleaning copper

If you want to clean copper and bring it to a high shine, you can use various household remedies or special cleaners. You should be somewhat careful with chemical agents, mainly if you clean copper pots or pans used again for cooking.

In the case of outdoor copper pieces, such as a copper gutter or a chimney lining made of copper sheet, the dark green patina serves as self-protection against the weather.

Since verdigris on copper objects is poisonous, you should generally wear rubber gloves to clean copper, no matter what household remedy or chemical cleaning agent you use to remove the patina.

Below are listed the ten best household remedies to polishing cooper:

1. Vinegar or vinegar essence and salt to polish copper

Mix about 600 ml of warm water with 100 ml of vinegar essence and a tablespoon of salt.
Then take a soft clean rag, rub the copper object with the solution, and let it work for about half an hour.
To loosen the patina in hard-to-reach corners and cracks, you can make a thick paste of vinegar and salt, apply it to the tight spots with a toothbrush or bristle brush and let it work in well as well.
Afterward, it would help if you rinse the cleaning agent with plenty of warm water.
Then rub the piece dry with a lint-free cloth and polish it to shine in its full glory again.

2. Polish copper jewelry or coins

Polish copper jewelry or copper coins / Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Put them directly into the vinegar-salt-water solution.
First, heat the liquid on the stove and bring it to a boil.
Then place the objects in the pot and leave them in the boiling vinegar-salt-water for a few minutes.
After taking them out, rinse them thoroughly with clear warm water, dry them, and polish them again.

3. Using lemon and salt to polish copper

You can easily remove verdigris from large copper pieces with lemon and salt.
Cut a lemon in half, spatter the cut surface of one half of the lemon with salt or dip it in salt, and rub the copper surface.
Once the patina has dissolved after a short time, rinse the object carefully with warm water, pat dry, and polish.

4. Using buttermilk and salt to polish copper

A mixture of buttermilk and salt is particularly suitable for cleaning small copper objects. However, there is nothing to prevent you from cleaning slightly larger copper objects with the buttermilk-salt mixture.
To do this, mix buttermilk and salt in equal parts and stir well.
You only need to soak small copper pieces entirely in the cleansing milk, let the agent work and wait until the patina has dissolved.
The reaction time for the buttermilk-salt mixture is about one hour so that the verdigris on the copper is getting dissolved.
Larger copper objects should be rubbed with the mixture and also let it work well.
Then wipe the piece with a cloth and polish it.

5. Using wood ash to polish copper

You can also polish with wood ash. Especially to clean copper pans and copper pots and get them shiny clean; ash is beneficial.
You only need to put the wood ash on a soft cloth and rub the copper objects with it.

6. Using ketchup to polish copper

Ketchup is also helpful for copper cleaning.
You should apply the ketchup directly and thickly on the copper surface, either with your fingers or with a paper towel.
Then let the tomato ketchup work for several minutes.
Then rinse the object with clear warm water, wipe the tarnish layer with a cloth or sponge, rub dry, and polish again.

7. Using toothpaste to polish copper

Toothpaste is suitable not only for brushing teeth but also for cleaning silver and copper.
Apply a thick layer of toothpaste to the copper and let it dry.
Once the toothpaste is dry and has taken effect, you should wash it off thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Finally, rub the object dry and polish it.

8. Using ammonia and salt to polish copper

Run a tablespoon of salt in a cup of ammonia and rub the copper piece with it.
Then let the solution soak in for about one hour, then wipe off with a cloth and polish again.

If you prefer a chemical cleaning agent for copper, you should always use it according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging.

9. Clean and polish copper tarnished with sauerkraut juice

Fans of sauerkraut can also use their favorite dish juice to clean copper.

Mix 100 milliliters of the sauerkraut juice with 600 milliliters of water, add a tablespoon of salt and rub the mixture with a soft cloth on your copper object.
After half an hour, clean it with warm water and polish it with a lint-free cloth.

10. Polishing copper with newsprint

Wrinkled newsprint is often getting recommended for various applications. However, the process is relatively laborious and only works on smooth copper surfaces. You will have to scrub your object’s ink and later polish it out.

Conclusion

Polish the copper surface to a metallic soft light red; contact with air or oxygen has an immediate effect.

The passivation layer proliferates, and this is nothing more than oxidizing the copper surface, which further protects the metal against corrosion.

To prevent this layer from forming, you need to seal the copper surface. Note, however, that the service life is relatively short, and we must regularly reapply a varnish.

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Last Updated on 23/03/2022 by Buzz This Viral

How To Polish Copper? 10 Best Ways To Let It Shine Again!

10 Suitable household remedies for polishing and cleaning copper