We've been doing some spring cleaning. As we were going through our old stock, we found these lovely hand-pierced tree necklaces. And let me tell you--they weren't this shiny after they had been sitting in the closet for 2 years or so, exposed to the open air. In some cases, an oxidized, antique look is really nice on a brass piece. But in this case, I really wanted these necklaces to look new and shiny.

This inspired me to find out--how do you clean brass? Lucky for me, I live in a jewellery studio (literally), so I just threw the pieces in the pickle (a funny name for the acid that cleans off oxidation) and re-polished them. Most people I know, however, don't have access to these tools and chemicals, so I decided to look into easy ways to clean brass at home.

• KETCHUP
   Sounds strange, but ketchup is great for cleaning brass. Just put a little on a cloth or paper towel or cloth, rub the surface of the brass, rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth. (This method is my favourite.)
• VINEGAR, SALT & FLOUR
  Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into one-half cup of vinegar, and add flour until the mixture becomes a paste. Rub onto the surface of the brass, leave for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth.

• WATER, SALT & VINEGAR
  Heat 2 cups of water, and add 2 tablespoons each of salt and white vinegar to create another natural recipe for polishing tarnished brass. Use a cloth to apply the mixture to the surface of the piece you wish to clean, rinse and then dry with a soft cloth.
• LEMON JUICE
  It's as easy as it sounds--use straight lemon juice on the surface of the brass to clean it. You can rinse it with water and dry with a soft cloth.

If you try any of these out, I would love to see a before and after picture to see how well these methods work! And next time I need to clean a tarnished brass piece of jewellery, I will be sure to try one of these out and let you know how it goes!

If you are looking to clean silver jewellery using household items, check out this post.