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How to clean copper vases and ornaments
December 16, 2009 | Filed under Cleaning hints and tips
If your copper vases and ornaments are still bright and shiny, simply rub them with a cloth dipped in white vinegar. Rinse and dry.
If you haven’t cleaned your copper vases and ornaments for a while, they will probably need the salt and vinegar treatment.
Make a paste of salt and vinegar, rub it on the ornament with a cloth and keep rubbing till the ornament is bright and shiny.
If the staining is really bad you may have to use a pot scrub for the bits that are hardest to shift.
Rinse and dry the ornament or vase and put back on display. You’ll love how bright and shiny it is
I have a copper vase that has some red and green on it. How do I clean without removing the color
We believe that the salt and vinegar recipe will work for your vase but none of us has tried it on a vase with different colours.
So I strongly suggest you just use white vinegar first. This will bring a shine to the copper and shouldn’t damage the coloured parts.
However like anything where there is a risk, try the remedy on a small corner, preferably where it can’t be seen (probably not easy on a vase).
Leave it for a few hours and check the result before you carry on.
If there are stains on the copper that are well away from the colours, then you can use the salt and vinegar recipe – the salt acts as an abrasive while the vinegar puts on the shine.