How to Clean Brass Hardware (5 Ways to Easily Clean Brass)

Over time, brass can become tarnished and dirty. Here are five different ways to clean brass and bring back its natural shine.

I put five brass cleaners to the test and compared them on their ability to clean brass hardware. I’ll share with you how to make different homemade brass cleaners as well as which one does the best at cleaning old, tarnished brass.

In This post You’ll find:

brass hardware before cleaning and after with ammonia

I originally wrote this post to help others quickly and easily clean old brass hardware for furniture refinishing . However, now that I’ve learned the tricks to determine if something is solid brass and how to clean brass, I have used these cleaning methods on brass vases, brass candlesticks, brass figurines, and even a brass toilet paper holder. The steps below will work on any type of brass!

Steps to Clean Brass

tarnished brass hardware before cleaning with DIY brass cleaners

Step 1: Determine if it’s lacquered brass

Sometimes, brass can be coated with a layer of clear lacquer used as a way to extend the life of the brass and resist tarnishing. Usually this is used on larger brass items like light fixtures, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures and sometimes vases and candlesticks. I rarely see lacquer coating on brass furniture hardware, but it’s a possibility.

To check is it is lacquered brass, look for any clear coating flaking away, or any places that show a chip in a clear coating. Or, use something sharp to try to rub away a bit of the surface in an inconspicuous spot. If any clear coating can be removed, it is lacquered brass and it’s best to bring the piece to a metal refinisher. Or, you can give a DIY option a try by using lacquer remover. Note: The following cleaning methods will not work if your brass is lacquered.

Step 2: Determine is it’s solid brass or brass plated

What is plated brass?

Brass plating is a thin layer of brass coating placed over another metal (usually steel). On the other hand, a solid piece of brass or brass hardware is made only from brass.

When cleaning something that is brass plated, it’s important to be careful with the amount of time it’s left in the cleaner and the amount of pressure used to clean it. The brass plating can dissolve away leaving only the steel. I recommend putting the cleaner directly on the cloth and rubbing it on the surface to clean it. Do not allow brass plated hardware to sit in the cleaning solution.

How do you know if something is brass or plated brass?

The easiest way to check if something is solid brass is to put a magnet near it. If the magnet sticks, this tells you the object is brass plated because the magnet is sticking to the material under the plating. If the magnet doesn’t stick, it is likely made of solid brass because brass is not magnetic.

how to clean brass plated hardware use a magnet to check if something is brass

Step 3: Determine the level of tarnish

Over time, brass naturally tarnishes as the components in the metal interact with oxygen. The oils in your skin and exposure to water can cause this to occur more quickly. Depending on the history of your piece of brass, it might be possible that your brass hardware or brass object only needs a light cleaning to get it looking shiny again.

HOw to clean lightly tarnished brass

For general cleaning of brass, wipe mild dish soap and water on the brass with a cotton rag. Then, use a damp rag to rinse away any soap that remains and dry it with a dry cloth.

How to clean heavily tarnished brass

For brass that has seen better days and is grimy, dark, and tarnished, you will need a deeper clean than simply using soap and water. The rest of this post will focus on five different ways to clean brass, including three natural ways to clean brass with “ingredients” you probably already have at home!

Step 4: Choose the best brass cleaner – store bought or homemade

There are cleaners specifically made for cleaning brass and other metals. All of these work well to clean brass, but they are also more expensive than mixing up your own solution. In the test below, I used Brasso as a comparison to the DIY brass cleaners, but I’ve found the following brass cleaners to all work well and are similar in their cleaning abilities.

how to use brasso to clean brass hardware

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Store Bought BRass Cleaners

Natural homemade Brass Cleaners

  • lemon and salt
  • vinegar, salt, and flour
  • ketchup, tomato paste, or tomato sauce

Step 5: Clean the brass

Depending on the type of cleaner you choose to use, the method for cleaning will vary slightly. Continue reading below for specific steps on how to use each type of brass cleaner and the best homemade brass cleaner.

Step 6: Protect the brass from future tarnish (optional)

After cleaning (see below for full process), you can apply a coating that will slow down the oxidation process of the brass and prevent future tarnish. Of course, clear lacquer spray is one option, but I prefer not to use this as it’s much more difficult to clean the brass later. Instead, I prefer to use a furniture wax or linseed oil or mineral oil. Rub a thin layer on the brass, let it sit for about 10 minutes and then lightly buff.

5 Types of Brass Cleaner – Tested and Compared

comparison of 4 ways to clean brass hardware and how it affects the look of the brass

Lemon and Salt Paste

Mix lemon juice with salt to make a paste (no exact measurements needed here – you just are trying to make a paste that has some grit and can sit on the surface without running off). Rub the paste on the brass and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or a rag to clean the surface and remove tarnish. Rinse in warm water and dry completely.

Vinegar, Salt and Flour

Mix vinegar, salt and flour in equal amounts to form a paste. Rub the paste on the brass and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or a rag to clean the surface and remove tarnish. Rinse in warm water and dry completely.

Vinegar can also be used as a bath for larger items if you prefer this over using a paste. Fill a bowl or bucket with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. Submerge the brass item in the mixture and let it sit for one hour. Check at this point to see if the tarnish can be removed or if it needs a longer soak. After the tarnish can be rubbed away, rinse under warm water and dry completely.

Ketchup, Tomato Paste or Tomato Sauce

Ketchup and tomato paste work well for surfaces that require a paste, while tomato sauce can be used to submerge a brass item in the liquid for cleaning. For cleaning with ketchup or paste, simply rub it on the brass and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or a rag to clean the surface and remove tarnish. Rinse in warm water and dry completely.

Brasso, Bar Keeper’s Friend or Other Brass Cleaners

Follow the specific directions on these products, but basically the cleaner can be placed on the brass, allowed to sit on the surface, and then rinsed and buffed clean.

comparison of four brass cleaners including brasso, vinegar and salt, lemon and salt and ketchup

Which DIY Brass Cleaner is Best?

After trying out all of these cleaners side by side on the same set of brass hardware, I discovered a couple of observations.

  1. The ketchup method and the lemon and salt method gave a very similar level of cleaning.
  2. Brass can be left in homemade brass cleaner for too long! The vinegar/salt/flour mixture sat in the cleaner for 30 minutes, the same amount of time for all the cleaners. However, you can see that this cleaner started to remove the zinc in the brass which turned it a slight copper color!
  3. None of the cleaners completely removed all the tarnish from all the grooves. I personally don’t mind this, but it’s something to note.
  4. The Brasso cleaned it but left it without much shine. I actually went over that hardware with ketchup and it looked better after that.
  5. You can view the full video tutorial of this experiment in the video embedded in this post!

Ammonia

I try to avoid this method for cleaning brass, but it does work! This is the most heavy-duty cleaner and should be used with a watchful eye as it tends to work faster than other cleaners.

clean brass hardware with ammonia as a strong way to clean heavily tarnished brass

Mix a 50/50 combination of water and ammonia. Then, submerge the brass in the solution and let it sit. Use a toothbrush to clean it and then rinse with warm water and dry completely.

Helpful Tips When Cleaning Brass

how to clean tarnish from brass hardware with different DIY brass cleaners
use a cotton or microfiber rag to clean brass
  • Use a soft bristle toothbrush or non-abrasive sponge to clean the surface. Extra fine (0000) steel wool can also be used.
  • Don’t allow the brass to sit in the cleaner for too long. All of these cleaners (including any store bought cleaner) can actually ruin brass by removing the zinc thus leaving copper behind. This will change the color of your brass which is probably not the look you are going for. I recommend allowing the brass to sit in the cleaning paste for 15 minutes and checking it at that point. If the tarnish isn’t budging, give it more time in 15 minutes increments.
  • Rinse away extra cleaner and dry the piece right away. This discourages future tarnishing and ensures all the cleaner is removed from the brass.

The Best Cleaner for Brass Hardware (my favorite method)

Whenever I need to clean antique or vintage brass hardware, or when I find a unique brass item at a flea market or thrift store, I have a personal favorite way to clean the brass.

  1. First, I use ketchup to clean away any dirt, grime or tarnish with a toothbrush. Then I rinse it in warm water and dry it thoroughly
  2. Then, I give a final shine with a little bit of Brasso.
  3. Finally, I seal the brass with a little bit of furniture wax to protect it a little better from future tarnishing.

A few pieces with original brass hardware cleaned up!

Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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2 Comments

  1. Used your salt and lemon juice recipe on some grubby brass photo chains – worked perfectly! Thank you for sharing this tip!