Just like any other metal, brass and gold also tend to become tarnished and dull over time. However, you can easily clean and polish brass lamps to let them shine as bright as they can and make them look as good as new using the right brass cleaner and brass polish. Cleaning and polishing gold and brass lamps or other items is not difficult and you can do it with things that are commonly found in homes.
Before you begin with to clean brass items, you should find out whether the items are pure gold and brass or there is a mixture of other metals in it as well. An easy way to find it out is using a magnet. If the magnet sticks to the surface, it means there are other metals in it as magnets do not get attracted to solid brass and gold. If the items are plated, you can clean them with hot soapy water. However, polishing or rubbing them too vigorously with brass cleaner will remove their plating and can make them appear dull. Therefore, proceed with caution.
Things you will need:
- Brass cleaner (optional)
- Brass polish (optional)
- Warm soapy water and cloth
- Old toothbrush/cleaning brush to reach crevices
- Clean cloth to dry with
- WD-40 Multi-Use-Product
Clean the brass lamp
Take a bowl and put some hot water in it. Now add liquid soap to the water and mix it well to get a fine solution. Take a cleaning cloth and rub all the surfaces thoroughly. You can also use an old toothbrush to clean the crevices of the lamp. If there are some tough stains, dirt or tarnish on the gold and brass lamps, you can use a Brass cleaning product.
Many brass lamps come with a lacquer finish. Therefore, it should not be cleaned using hot soapy water. If such gold and brass lamps are heavily tarnished, you need to use a varnish or paint remover to first remove the lacquer (please follow manufacturers advice if you are unsure).
Dry the brass lamp
It’s important to ensure the lamp is thoroughly dry to avoid any rust of water marks left behind. So take a clean dry cloth and rub the lamp down.
Buff the lamp
To give it a shine, spray a little WD-40 Multi-Use-product in your cloth. Then using circular motions buff your lamp. This will give it a nice shine, plus protect it from dust and any corrosion. You could also use a brass polish product for this step.
Your gold and brass lamps will keep shining for long if your clean and polish them regularly. It is important to avoid accumulation of dust, dirt and tarnish on objects made from gold and brass to keep them lustrous, bright and shiny.
Some Precautions to take
Here are some precautions you should keep in mind when you clean and polish brass lamps:
- Do not use scrubbing cloths that are highly abrasive. Similarly, avoid using steel wool or metal bristled brushes as they will leave scratches on the surface of the lamp.
- A thin coating of mineral oil or linseed oil or WD-40 Multi-Use-Product can be effective in preventing tarnishing.
- Try avoid touching gold and brass items too much. Oil from your hands can hasten the tarnishing process and reduce the life of your gold and brass objects.
With the above mentioned tips and tricks, you can clean and polish all your gold and brass objects and not just lamps and make them look as good and shining as new.
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