CLEANING & ORGANIZING

Day 11: Shine the brass/copper/silver

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A big part of Diwali festivities is the copper, silver and brassware that comes out on display. In many homes, this has been passed down generations. For me, they hold a special significance as these were given by my parents during our wedding. For years, I kept them tucked away in a loft. Now they are on display adorning corners and console tables in the house; in many ways, it’s a remainder for me from where we come and a reminiscent of the past.

Things you’ll need:

  1. Tamarind or lemon or vinegar. I use tamarind.
  2. Salt
  3. A chrome polish of your choice. I use Autosol metal polish (furtively, of course) that my husband uses for his bike.
  4. Gloves, if you are using commercial cleaner.
  5. Microfiber cloths

Dust all the items of any dust before you begin the cleaning process.

How to shine copper the easy way:

  • There are two copper glasses and a copper jug that is part of our daily kitchen ware.
  • I rub it with a bit of tamarind and salt and leave it aside for 2 minutes. Then, rinse it with water. It is as good as new.
  • Wipe them dry.

How to shine brass:

  • I usually don’t use the commercial cleaners as they are harsh on the skin.
  • If the brass hasn’t been polished in many days/years, then commercial cleaners work best. Wear gloves and just follow the directions to get the shine back on the brass.
  • Wipe them dry.

How to shine silver:

  • This is the first time I have used autosol for silver.
  • Using a dish soap, I cleaned the oil off the lamp.
  • With a microfiber cloth, I rubbed the autosol polish on the lamp. Voila! the shine is back. This took less than 5 minutes.

 

 

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3 Comments

  1. Miss Frangipani

    What do you use for brass regularly, if not commercial cleaners? I use lemon and salt and it seems to work ok.

  2. laksh

    Tamarind and salt, Miss Frangipani.

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