Brass is here to stay regardless how quite a few influencers or bloggers said it is going to tone down for the home furnishing market in the year of 2020. First of all, not all brass products create equal. Second of all, brass is here to stay after we went to visited Las Vegas Market earlier this year and were invited over to many many trend reports for the past 5 months. Third, just as the design has been always evolving, this is the same for brass decor objects. We have been seeing a lot of brass applications in modern design in lighting fixtures, furniture, decorative plumbings, tiles, tabletops. Also, brass can be a very timeless decor piece and it all depends on how you pair them with other materials and objects. We love to use brass for our design projects since it always adds a touch of luxury to any space.
Aren’t these brass products amazing? Brass is really cool for household furniture and accessories. Over time, though, brass tarnishes and loses its warm gleam.I f you are like one of our clients who kind of concerns how to polish brass to make it shiny and bright again, we have some pro tips here:
1. Before cleaning, check to see if your item is solid brass, or brass-plated. Do this by grabbing a refrigerator magnet and placing it on the piece. Magnets don’t stick to solid brass, so if the magnet sticks, your item is brass-plated. This distinction is important because if you scrub a brass-plated item too hard you can remove the plating. How do you clean brass items if they’re plated? Wipe with hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly.
How to clean brass depends on how dirty or tarnished it is. For light cleaning, hot, soapy water and a soft cleaning cloth may be all you need. Wipe down the surfaces with the cloth. Use a toothbrush to scrub in crevices. Rinse the item with clean, warm water and dry thoroughly.
2. Determine whether the brass has been lacqueredThere’s a surprisingly easy way to determine the lacquer-related status of your brass: If there is already tarnish on the brass, it probably has not been lacquered. Chances are it hasn’t, because the point of lacquer is to prevent tarnishing. But if there’s a thin, shiny coating that is coming off in places, then the piece has been lacquered and the only real option is to take it to a metal refinisher.
3. The first natural cleaner for brass is ketchup. The mild acid in tomatoes removes tarnish and dirt from brass. Rub ketchup onto item with a soft cloth, rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly. You can also soak small brass items in a bowl of tomato juice to clean them. Put them in the juice and let them sit for five minutes (longer, if they’re really dirty.) Pull them out, rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly.
4. Lemon juice also contains a mild acid that will clean brass. There are two lemon-based cleaners you can make that will leave your brass shiny and bright. For light tarnish, cut a lemon in half and sprinkle it with table salt. Rub the salted lemon over the surface of the brass. Once you’ve covered the surface with the lemon juice and salt mixture, wipe with a soft cloth and buff till the piece shines. For heavy tarnish, make a paste using two parts cream of tartar to one part lemon juice. Apply the paste to the item and let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. Rinse the item thoroughly with warm water, then buff with a dry cloth.
5.Lemon and Baking Soda Polish
Combine the juice of half a lemon with a teaspoon of baking soda and stir until it becomes a paste. Apply the paste with a soft cloth. If the tarnish is heavy, let the piece sit with the paste on it for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry. Repeat if necessary.6.Flour, Salt, and White VinegarVinegar, Salt and Flour: These versatile home staples can be combined to make a paste to clean tarnished brass. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into one-half cup of vinegar, and add flour until the mixture becomes a paste. Rub into the brass, leave for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and buff dry7.To prevent your newly clean brass from tarnishing, rub it with a thin coat of mineral or linseed oil. Also, avoid touching brass items as much as possible because the oil on your hands will hasten tarnishing.
8.Enlist an Expert for Certain Items
For functional elements, such as locks, hinges, hardware, or light fixtures, Sorenson suggests seeking the help of a professional.
9. Consider letting the brass age gracefully, and not polishing it at all.
Sometimes the beauty of an antique brass object is its tarnish, in which case it will be a good idea to leave it alone. And sometimes polishing antiques could significantly reduce their value.
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Raffi Glass Raffi Glass”Chain” Nero Marquina Marble + Brass Inlay Tile
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