I saw somewhere online that you can clean brass by soaking it in vinegar, salt, and water. When I painted the windows in the kitchen I took off the metal pulls (I thought they were brass) and never put them back on. I also have brass hardware on this dresser in the bathroom.
Here’s the before:
I soaked them in a 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt and just filled the water to cover the items.
When I took them out, I used a scrub pad to clean them. I had an unexpected result. One of the handles from the vanity completely peeled, revealing a silver looking base metal. That was strange because the other handle didn’t do the same thing and appeared to shine up well.
The window pulls looked like they would clean up well but I decided I didn’t like their metal finish even once cleaned up so I got out the ORB (oil-rubbed bronze) spray paint and sprayed them!
So much better now!
I have to figure out what to do about the dresser hardware pulls since one is so clearly different from the others now! Have you tried any other homemade metal cleaning solutions?
-J
Sweet! I love a good hardware makeover. And your black door looks fabulous, too!
Thanks! I think all my doors need to go black.