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How to Polish Without Chemicals

November 30th, 2006 | Category: Eco Friendly Cleaning

Polishing any kind of cutlery, serving dishes, or jewellery can be a messy and toxic business. There are, however, eco friendly ways to clean and polish silver, copper, gold, brass, chrome, and stainless steel using non-toxic products found around your home.

Clean and Polish Silver

To polish silver without using harmful chemicals you can try any of the following methods. The method you choose may vary on the level of tarnish and the value of the object. Be gentle with expensive objects.

  1. Make a paste of baking soda and water. Apply with a soft, damp sponge. Rinse with hot water and polish using a clean cloth, or
  2. Polish silver using white toothpaste. Rub a little toothpaste on tarnished silver and polish, or
  3. Put aluminium foil in a pot and fill with water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil. Add silver pieces and boil for a couple of minutes. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth.

Clean and Polish Copper

There are a number of different ways to clean and polish copper without using chemicals. Most involve using lemon or vinegar and salt. Either of these methods will work it just depends on which you find to be the easiest or most convenient.

  1. Polish copper using a paste made from lemon and salt, or
  2. Cut a lemon in half, dip into a course salt and polish and rinse, or
  3. Place a lot of salt in a bowl with a little water. Add enough vinegar to cover the salt. Place the copper item in the bowl and rinse after 5 minutes.

Clean and Polish Gold

Be gentle when cleaning any precious items such as gold. The following method generally works well.

  1. Gold can be cleaned using white toothpaste. Only use a little and polish well with a soft cloth.

Clean and Polish Brass

Most people seem to agree that cleaning brass with tomato sauce works well but there are other options.

  1. Polish brass using tomato sauce. Rinse with water and it should be clean and shiny, or
  2. Make a lemon and baking soda solution and use to polish brass, or
  3. Make a vinegar and salt solution and use to polish with a soft cloth.
  4. Rub polished brass with a little olive oil to help prevent tarnishing.

Clean and Polish Chrome

Chrome is generally easy to clean and polish.

  1. Wipe over chrome with a soft cloth moistened with vinegar, or
  2. Clean with a mixture of baking soda and water, or
  3. Clean with baby oil.

Clean and Polish Stainless Steel

As with chrome, stainless steel is also particularly easy to clean.

  1. Clean stainless steel with undiluted vinegar and rinse.

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4 Comments so far

  1. Stephanie January 8th, 2007 5:07 pm

    I have just cleaned 97 year old brass handles that I removed off a chest of drawers. They looked rusty and heavily tarnished. I never thought anything would bring them up like new. I can verify that the vinegar and salt method works!!! I left the handles in the mixture for a few hours, then scrubbed them with an old toothbrush. Returned them to the mixture and left them for a further few hours. They look fantastic!

  2. Andrea January 8th, 2007 5:35 pm

    Thanks for the feedback Stephanie. I’ll be sure to use the vinegar and salt method next time I have to clean brass.

  3. ann January 11th, 2008 3:40 am

    thank you.this method definitely works!

  4. Dan Pullinger January 27th, 2008 7:11 am

    OK,
    I’m about to put your Copper cleaning method to the test. Have 2 very old, tarnished and grubby drip trays from an old umbrella stand (c late 1800’s early 1900’s). Will let you know how I go. I have my doubts…..
    Daniel

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