How to clean antique copper

If you collect old copper as an investment or you are a dealer planning to sell the item, you should never polish, and only clean if absolutely necessary. Polishing a piece of copper with original patina – what non-collectors often think of as tarnish – will destroy its value.

A simple cleaning with mild soap and water will remove the dirt and fingerprints without removing tarnish or patinas that have formed over time.

Copper oxide dissolves in water, but it usually takes a long time. The combination of vinegar (a weak solution of acetic acid), and table salt (sodium chloride) helps to dissolve the copper oxide, and also forms the blue copper(II) ion, which is soluble in water. The penny becomes shiny again!

Lemon Juice + Salt

Create a paste with lemon juice (lime or orange juice works, too) and salt at a 3:1 ratio, respectively. Make sure salt is dissolved so as not to scratch the copper. Rub a small amount of paste on the soiled copper object with a clean cloth until you start to see the grime loosen up.

For signification corrosion on the copper, make a paste of equal parts vinegar, flour and salt. Rub it all over the affected area and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes. Once the paste has sat for a while on the affected metal, wipe it clean with soapy water and dry it well.

“If you have a large copper item and you want to clean it quickly, you can boil three cups of water, add a cup of vinegar and one tablespoon or more of salt,” says Reichert. Next, you would stir until the salt is dissolved and then place the copper item in the water. “The tarnish will come right off.”

Vinegar and Salt

Rub a mixture of 1 tablespoon of table salt and 1 cup of white vinegar onto the copper with a soft cloth and rinse. Or, immerse the tarnished copper into a pot of 3 cups of water and the salt-vinegar mixture, bring to a boil and boil until the grime and tarnish comes off.

Things You‘ll Need

Restore dull copper with a dab of toothpaste. After you soak copper in water to remove loose debris, you can clean it with toothpaste and a toothbrush. This restores some of the copper’s luster and leaves behind its natural patina.

Brasso works on brass, copper, chrome, bronze, stainless steel, pewter, and aluminum.

The great thing about using Bar Keepers Friend to clean your copper is that it doesn’t even take that much effort. Our cleansers start working right away to remove the tarnish from your copper pots and pans. Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser is safe for most surfaces.

Wipe the copper dry and clean and polish it after using it or touching it, and do not place it in a dishwasher under any circumstance. Additionally, you can coat your copper object by wiping it with a light coat of baby oil, mineral oil, olive oil, WD–40, or even a thin layer of carnauba wax or beeswax.

Our Expert Agrees: Copper is a soft metal, so don’t use anything abrasive to clean it. Just wipe it down with a soft sponge or a microfiber cloth dipped in soapy water. You can also use regular or apple cider vinegar, if you prefer. Rinse and towel dry the sink after cleaning it.

Bleach also causes a corrosion of the copper surface. While copper is known to have good corrosion resistance, bleach accelerates the process and can cause damage to copper pipes and fittings.

To maintain its shine, use copper polishing creams if you want your sink doesn’t develop a patina. To remove any developing patina and maintain the bright finish of your copper kitchen or bathroom sink, buff the sink surface with a copper polishing cream. Then, lacquer or wax the sink.

Over time, you may notice a coarse white or bluish film on dishes, sink fixtures and pots and pans. Chemical cleaners are available to take off lime deposits, but you should not use these on copper. Some cleaners may actually etch or eat away the copper. Instead, get rid of lime with simple household ingredients.

Clean the toilet bowl

The fizzy drink can actually remove hard-to-clean stains on the inside of a toilet bowl. Before flushing, use a toilet brush to scrub away the stains and flush. This works very well, but only for removing grime and stains. To disinfect, you will still need to use a disinfectant cleaner.