How to Clean Brass Without Harsh Chemicals

 

Earlier this week I revealed the Coastal Blue Dresser with brass hardware.  When I received the dresser the drawer pulls were a very dark brown.  A little elbow grease, however, brought out the beautiful gold of the brass underneath.

Here’s how the drawer pulls looked before…

and here they are after…

 

I like to avoid harsh chemicals whenever possible.  I used two methods to clean this brass.  Both worked well individually.  In combination, they worked even better.

 

Method #1:   Line the base of your kitchen sink with a sheet of aluminum foil.  Plug the sink with a stopper and pour in about 2 cups of white vinegar and about 1/4 cup of Epsom salt.   Be sure the salt is fully disolved (or it could pit the brass) and then place the hardware on the foil.  Sprinkle in some Baking Soda.  Let soak for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the hardware and scrub it with a sponge.  You should see the black build-up wiping off.

 

Method #2:   Make a thick paste of white Flour, Epsom Salt, and white Vinegar.  First fully dissolve the salt in the vinegar and then add the flour to make the paste. Spread the paste on the hardware and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Wipe with a sponge.

After Methods #1 and #2 the brass hardware was remarkably cleaner.

 

For this particular brass, I really wanted it to shine against the navy blue dresser.  So, although it wasn’t necessary, I did take it one step further.   With gloves on I applied a chemical brass polish.

 

Simply wipe on a small amount with a white rag or old sock.  You’ll actually see the the remaining black wipe off.

Note:  I actually tried using this brass polish before cleaning the hardware with Methods #1 and #2 above and the black was not wiping off the brass.   As you can see, after pre-cleaning the brass, the black very easily wiped off.

 

Here you can see the hardware after being cleaned.  The piece on the right was before the brass polish.  The piece on the left was after the polish.

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