My sister just moved into an older house and is trying to fix some things up. She has a vent hood that is made out of copper but it is sooo tarnished that it is black. She has tried "Brasso" and "Maas" as well as some other suggestions like ketchup. None of them seem to work on this extent of tarnishing. Does anyone have any suggestions or products they have tried that work? Thanks so much.
I just read something about that. Take a lemon, slice it in half, rub the lemon with the cut side in some baking soda, use that to rub over the copper and you should see the tarnish disappear. Wipe with a soft cloth after.
Haven't tried it myself, saw it in a magazine.
TarnX -- hands down.....
You can get it at Walgreens, and it comes in a plastic brownish bottle.
I think I've seen it at HEB, too (and other grocery stores).
Try it once and you'll swear by it. No scrubbing, tarnish comes off like magic with just a swipe.
S.,
I had this problem once and had to keep at it for DAYS with Brasso but it finally did work. The other thing you can do, and I'm saying this not knowing where you live, you can take it into a jewelry store and have them buff it out to perfection. They shouldn't charge much and it shouldn't take too long. If your sister is in Houston, my recommendation is to take it to Shannon Fine Jewelry at 4950 FM 1960 West. You can call first to make sure...the number is ###-###-####. I have worked in jewelry for a lot of years and wish I had thought of this for my copper vent. People bring in the strangest things to have referbished so don't feel embarrassed!
Good luck with this. If your sister is close to this area (1960) I would be happy to come look at the vent and take it in with her - I do personal shopping for Shannon's so I can definately help. Write me back if you want some help.
D.
Lemon Juice and salt...no foolin!. Use it warm, and I know it will be hard but try to get the hood vent warm... If it won't clean because off grease build up then clean first with a
de-greaser first then the lemon juice and salt...
try toothpaste. let is sit for a few minutes first then wipe with a old cotton t-shirt.
good luck
try lemon and salt mixture
Try Bon Ami, I know a lot of people who use it on their copper pots. If that doesn't work, call or go to Sur la Table, and ask them what they suggest for cleaning copper. Whatever you try may take several times before you see an improvement. Good luck to your sister, once she gets it clean it's going to be beautiful!
Email Martha Stewart. Seriously. The respond to questions. Good luck.
lemon and course salt
http://www.thecleanteam.com/FAQ_results.cfm?cfid=1885928&...
Check out the Clean Team. They have wonderful products!
Hi S.,
try a white paste tooth paste and a scrub brush, if that doent work have you thought of spray painting it with the heat resistant paints they come in all colors now with easy to use sprayers on them
good luck L.
Has she tried toothpaste?
I know that toothpaste works on silver tarnish, but I don't know about copper.
Did she try baking soda, maybe with some vinegar. That's a good cleaner, but I'm not sure about for tarnish.
use table salt and add enough white vinegar to make it into a paste. Rub it on and result should be immediate. I used this when something copper was tarnished green. Hope it works for your sister!
Please be careful not to use anything abrasive as the copper can be scratched. The one thing that will interfere with the shine your sister wants will be scratches in the surface.
TarnX has worked wonders for me and is not abrasive. I think several before me suggested it as well.
have her try slightly damp mr clean magic eraser. Don't scrub too hard, it can scratch. Also make sure she is letting tarnish remover sit for a while. There is a way to remove tarnish using water softener, am travelling of I would google it for you.
Taco Bell hot sauce will eat anything off a hard surface!!!
Maybe try that!
Good luck!
I ditto on the Bar Keepers Friend. We've always used it on the old revere wear pots and pans that come with copper bottoms. It gets the black off. If it's really bad dampen the surface. Put the bar Keepers on it and let it siot for a bit. Then go back over it to clean it off. It sounds like it may take a scrubbing sponge, and a couple of treatments. But I promise results!
If your sister hasn't already tried it, I would suggest a product called Bar Keeper's Friend. It comes in powder form in container like Comet cleanser - with gold labeling. I find it in most major grocery stores with other cleanser products. My parents had old rental properties that suffered from "hard living" and I never saw a problem it wouldn't solve and make things look new again.
TarnX works wonders for any tarnished metals.
Some of the previous owners may have had it varnished so make sure it is not, so some thinner or paint stripper in the first place should come in handy.
afterwards; Bicarbonate (baking soda) or Salt, kitchen kind, coarse, first and then table salt and lemon juice works wonders, before trying anything though wash it with a dishwashing liquid that will remove all the accumulated cooking grease.
