Special items : Copper

Keeping your copper shiny and clean is a task that you might have to do every month if you are displaying your copper in the kitchen where grease and grime are more likely to land on your copper items. You can use these cleaning ideas on your copper pots and pans that you use for cooking in the kitchen as well as other types of display items in your home.

►You can clean copper by using half a lemon and sprinkling salt over the lemon and then rubbing the copper along the grain. Rubbing in circles or in any other pattern besides along the grain will leave scratch marks.

►Cleaning your copper pans and pots is easy using full strength vinegar and a soft cloth. Rubbing the vinegar on will cut grease and grime quickly. Be sure to dry completely with another soft cloth.

►You can clean your copper treasures using a half-cup of ammonia and a cup of water. Rubbing the ammonia mixture on with a clean soft cloth and the drying will make your copper shine clean.

►You can get stubborn stains out of your copper pots and pans by using a cup of hot vinegar and a tablespoon of salt. If this doesn’t take the stain off, increase the amount of salt to make the mixture thicker a little more pasty as you scrub.

►Using one cup of flour, one cup of vinegar and one cup of salt makes a great copper polishing solution. Mixing these items together to make a thick paste you can rub roughly over the copper piece and then let it sit until completely dry. Or you can let it sit overnight, and then buff out in the morning with a clean dry rag for a great shine. Use this paste in a similar manner as if you were waxing your car, on and off again.