Learn How To Clean Copper With These Easy Tips
Keep your copper bright and shiny with our list of easy tips.
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With the renaissance of the maximalist, almost shabby-chic aesthetic, copper goods are everywhere. Planters, sconces, bathroom and kitchen hardware (including sinks!), jewelry, goblets, and serveware are all making an appearance with a special copper touch. With these fashionable products comes the challenge of keeping copper items stain and tarnish-free, which is no small task.
Much like brass, copper wear-and-tear happens due to oxidization. The oxygen in our air slowly reacts with the alloys in copper to layer on a green coating most often referred to as “patina.” One of the most famous examples of copper’s corrosion is the Statue of Liberty which, when gifted to the United States in 1885, arrived as a shining, shimmering, amber structure. Within five years, the patina had set in, and within a decade, the formerly glossy, reddish statue had transformed into the matte, soft jade color we see today. Thankfully, your products at home will be much simpler to restore than Lady Liberty.
Noticing your copper looking a little less than lively? Walk with us as we take it one step at a time, using the advice of our amazing comrade Sarah McAllister (founder of the Instagram sensation @gocleanco) as a guide.
Determine Your Copper Type
The type of copper you’ve got will help dictate the proper course of treatment. Copper can be sealed or left raw, and it’s important to know which kind you’ve got before moving forward. Sealed, or lacquered, copper will present as much shinier than raw, or natural, copper—and it's also much easier to clean (tackle sealed copper with a warm, wet dishcloth and dish soap).
If copper is tarnishing, however, that likely means the seal has been stripped, or that the item was left in its natural form intentionally. You can always have it professionally re-sealed to achieve that old luster, but accidentally using a harsh chemical cleaner on a sealed piece can strip the seal off completely.
How do you know what you’ve got? “A copper sink is usually unsealed because it’s constantly in contact with water," says Sarah. "A copper pot, on the other hand, is usually shiny and sealed.” Checking for shine is the easiest way to check for a seal.
Multiple Polishes To Boost Shine
“Our favorite thing to use on brass is Bar Keeper’s Friend,” says Sarah. “We prefer the liquid form—so easy to use, and works on a wide variety of surfaces: stainless steel, brass, copper, porcelain.” For smaller items that need polishing, you’ll need a paste to apply to the item. Whether it be a household cleaner that is a favorite, or a formula that is a DIY recipe, your copper will come out with a satisfying shine.
How To Clean Copper With Lemon Juice
For smaller copper pieces, it's easy to create a paste that will help you address the nooks and crannies. With the aid of a toothbrush, you are on the right track.
Create a paste the consistency of toothpaste using lemon juice and cream of tartar. Spread over the area of the copper piece and let sit for twenty minutes. Scrub clean with your toothbrush and warm water.
Another option for a lemon-based paste is combining lemon juice, salt and corn meal. The corn meal helps make it easer to spread on an item, and the lemon juice and salt do the heavy lifting.
How To Clean Copper With Tomato Acid
If you’d prefer to keep it more natural, grab a bottle of your best ally—acid. Nearly any will do. Even ketchup, tomato juice, or spaghetti sauce can do the trick in polishing copper. This is yet another approach that requires coating the copper. Once it is let to sit for 20-30 minutes, clean it off with warm water and soft cloth.
Using Your Polish Effectively
No matter your choice in formula to get your copper clean, it's about waiting for that solution to work, wiping it down, and drying it properly. Take a look at our steps to cleaning success, and put your copper cleaning project on the front burner.
What You'll Need To Polish Smaller Pieces
The recipe you choose for polishing, or an effective product such as Bar Keeper's Friend
1 sponge
2 dry, lint-free cloths (one for wiping and one for drying)
Access to warm water
How To Test, Clean, And Dry Properly
Test A Spot
Sarah suggests starting by buffing a small, out-of-sight area with Bar Keeper’s Friend (or your homemade acid solution) to ensure it’s safe to use, then scrubbing the whole piece once you’ve gotten some proven success.Scrub And Rinse
Using circular motions, use your sponge to scrub the product (whether chemical or natural) into the copper and watch as the patina falls away. Keep at it until the copper is restored. Within about a minute of completing your scrubbing, move to a rinse—either by soaking one of your cloths in warm water and wiping the product down, or (if you’re able) by dunking your item directly into warm water. The most important thing here is removing all of the cleaning product before you move to drying.Dry
Ensure that your copper product has dried completely by using your second dry, lint-free cloth to remove any remaining moisture you see. Water is the enemy of copper, and leaving even a drop unattended will result in eventual corrosion (and unsightly water spots). Sarah even suggests drying until the next day to apply an oil if possible.Add A Mineral Oil
For an added touch and a little extra TLC, you can finish polishing your copper by using mineral oil. Again, Sarah is careful to warn her clients that a piece must be “bone dry” before moving to this step. “You have to give your metals a full ten minutes, at a minimum, to dry before adding mineral oil. Allowing for the piece to fully dry prevents the oil from mixing with any water residue that may still be living on a surface from your wipe-down. Imagine that the metal is drinking up the oil—it needs that time to dry in order to drink well.” The mineral oil will actually help protect the copper from oxidation by creating another layer the oxygen will have to work through to get to the copper itself.
Cleaning Large, Free-Standing Copper Pieces
Using vinegar to address larger surface areas is a cinch. Take the below into consideration if vinegar might be all you have on hand, or if you only have time for a few extra cleaning strokes that will make all the difference.
If your copper stains are particularly tough, it is possible you might have to put that item on a high boil. Read on to discover how even the toughest patina can be addressed.
How To Clean Copper With Vinegar
When considering household acids that are easily accessible, vinegar is high on our list. There are a few ways to apply vinegar when you are attempting to keep your copper in shape. One of these suggestions is to mix one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon flour and enough vinegar to make a thick paste. Rub paste on surface and let dry completely. Rinse in warm soapy water, buff with a clean soft cloth.
For larger items that need a quick fix, fill a spray bottle with a pint of vinegar and three tablespoons of salt. Spray liberally on the surface of your copper pot, let the item sit for half an hour. Rub the surface clean with a dry, soft cloth.
Use Lemons And Salt To Clean Copper
There are a couple of methods that bring citrus into play, specifically with lemons and salt. To remove tarnish, rub the surface of your pots with lemon halves dipped in salt. Otherwise, sprinkle the surface with lemon juice, shake salt all over it, then rub with a soft sponge.
What You Need To Boil Copper Clean
There are certain situations that call for a more aggressive approach, and while you are still using vinegar, the use of boiling water ups the ante to ensure that your favorite kitchen item comes away sparkling. Gather together the below:
1 large stainless steel pot
Cleaning solution: 3 parts water, 1 part vinegar
1-3 T salt
Make Your Solution And Fill Your Pot
Sarah advises that the pot must be stainless steel, citing that this particular metal protects copper in the cleaning process. Once you’ve determined how much cleaning solution you’ll need, fill your pot (“Enough to submerge the item,” Sarah says), drop in your copper product, and bring the liquid to a boil.Watch Carefully
“The tarnish will start to lift right away, and that’s when you want to remove it from heat and let the item cool,” Sarah says. Over-boiling can cause copper products to slightly warp, so taking them away from a heat source and allowing them to cool once the patina has broken away is crucial in keeping them shapely.Dry And Add Mineral Oil
Just as you did for smaller copper items, follow the same instructions above to completely dry and polish your piece.
Preserve That Shine With Cling Wrap
Among Sarah’s many pieces of wisdom, she shared this with Southern Living readers:
If you have a copper product that isn’t displayed—servingware or seasonal copper mint julep cups—wrap them. “One of my staff had a polishing party recently, and since she doesn’t use these items regularly, she wrapped them in Saran Wrap to tuck away, out of sight, until their next use,” explains Sarah. Though it’s not particularly aesthetic, keeping metals that will oxidize sealed in cling wrap prevents oxygen from getting to the metal, thereby acting as a barrier and preserving the lustrous shine you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Get more enjoyment out of your pieces by caring for them often, and before you know it, you’ll be trotting out those freshly-polished copper pieces with pride.
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