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These 3 Simple Ingredients Will Remove Copper Tarnish From Your Life (In 1 Hour Or Less!)

Our Hands· Our Kitchen

20 Dec
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Are you struggling to remove copper tarnish? Don’t let the stink of Brasso and the bad reputation of copper tarnish stop you from owing gorgeous natural copper pots and pans. Give the elbow grease and the chemicals the shove, and get your copper gleaming in less than an hour with this easy, cheap and effective 3 ingredient paste. You will be amazed!!

copper pot with tarnish removed

 

The lure of copper, and the fear of tarnish

Like many, I have always loved the look of copper pots and pans hanging in a cottage kitchen. They are one of those special items that contribute equally to beauty and function, which helps remove some of the guilt about the cost! I am yet to commit to copper pots or pans for my own kitchen, but would love to in the future. 

One thing that makes some homeowners apprehensive about copper, is its reputation for being high maintenance. The expectation that one will be constantly polishing to keep the lovely shine, lest the tarnish will set in and ruin the item forever! 

This is so untrue though! Copper is so easy to maintain, and for a very small amount of effort you get such a special, natural warmth that is impossible to fake.

My solid copper Fowler’s Preserving Unit

For a long time, I have coveted the old solid copper Fowler’s preserving pots. I have seen many times that people have stripped back the paint and polished the copper. They are divine! I have owned one for a while, one that I purchased with the intention of stripping and polishing. But I just have not had the heart to do it. Even though they are relatively common, and the polished copper would be so beautiful, I just couldn’t do it – I would be essentially destroying an antique. I came up with the idea of offering my unit up for a swap, my very good original condition unit, for a similar unit in very bad condition. My theory being that stripping back a unit that is already “destroyed” would be much more like a restoration! 

After searching for a few weeks, I got incredibly lucky and was able to make a swap with a local collector. She had a solid copper unit identical to mine, with almost no paint left on it, and did not have the unit that I had in her collection. So I got my copper unit to polish up, and she added a good quality original to her collection. It was an amazing win-win. 

The unit had been hanging about in a shed for many years, so was very tarnished. But as I said above, this is such an easy fix! In less than an hour, the unit was gleaming and so so beautiful!! 

copper pot with tarnish
Before!

3 ingredients and half an hour to gleaming perfection

The most common product most people go to when looking to remove copper tarnish is good old Brasso. But there is a much, much better product you can use! And you likely have it already in your pantry. 

So what’s the secret?  

  1. Vinegar, 
  1. Salt 
  1. Flour. 

That’s it! You will not believe how effective such an innocent combination is!  

  • Mix about a cup of vinegar, two handfuls of salt, and enough flour to make it a paste – about toothpaste consistency is perfect. 
  • Smear that onto the copper and let it sit for a minute or five. 
  • Scrape it off and watch the tarnish go with it. It almost feels like magic! 
  • Give it a wipe with a cloth and redo any stubborn patches if necessary, then go ahead and give it a polish.  

You can use Brasso for the polish if you like, but another great natural pantry staple that will do a great job is Tomato Sauce (ketchup). Give it a try – the acidity in the sauce is fantastic for the copper and polishes it up as well as any commercial alternative. 

it’s so easy to remove copper tarnish!

If you have some copper to clean up, and you don’t want to stink your house out with Brasso or spend hours rubbing and buffing, try this. I promise you will be amazed at how easy it is, and how absolutely stunning the results will be. 

Let me know if you try this – I would love to hear your success story! 

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I was thrilled to receive these pics and feedback I was thrilled to receive these pics and feedback from my very first Sourdough Workshop. I can’t wait for my next one 31/7 at @studio_on_sunshine
Still 2 spots left!

“Hi Alison. Here is a picture of my first sourdough loaf. I’m really thrilled with it. I have already made a really lovely focaccia bread and I’m preparing to make a couple of sourdough pizzas. Thank you so much for your workshop. I had an amazing time.”
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Ok, I feel like I’m getting closer to figuring t Ok, I feel like I’m getting closer to figuring this out! Now I just have to remember every step I took to get to this point and repeat it perfectly every time 😂

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Well it’s in!!! We finally have our gorgeous old Well it’s in!!! We finally have our gorgeous old Metters installed in the kitchen. Here she is, a bit rough looking yes - can’t wait to finish the tiling and the mantle! 
We are already LOVING our kitchen being so warm, and a kettle that’s always hot ❤️
We are still learning how to control the temp - so brace yourselves for some burnt, undercooked, flat or oddly shaped sourdough pics 😂 

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This sweet girl, drowning in rocket! I think she m This sweet girl, drowning in rocket! I think she may be in chicken paradise 🤤

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Two spots left in my Sourdough Starter to Scoring Two spots left in my Sourdough Starter to Scoring Workshop - Sunday 22nd May 🌾 

Message to book if you would like a spot!
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These are definitely among the last of the gorgeou These are definitely among the last of the gorgeous tomatoes coming out of our garden this season 😭 Bye home grown tomatoes, next stop Zucchini Relish town! 

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Very excited to have some of my beeswax & sourdoug Very excited to have some of my beeswax & sourdough goodies available at Studio on Sunshine again! ❤️❤️❤️

Kids going a little stir crazy this bit of school holidays?🤪🤪

We have 2 🐝BEESWAX making kits. $25 each each kit

We also have "sourdough" starters for $20.

And 1 whole SOURDOUGH STARTER KIT $94.95 even includes the bowl!

Why not teach the kids a little something, learn a little something about making your own sourdough🥣🥖 

All popped together by talented local sourdough maker  Alison  of @the_grand_ole_apiary 🙌🏻

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I just adore how much kids love chooks - and their I just adore how much kids love chooks - and their Grandmas!

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Always happy to@see my bread going to a loving hom Always happy to@see my bread going to a loving home 😂❤️ @acwoodworkss 

AC Woodwork made chopping board, AC Woodwork made knife and @the_grand_ole_apiary made sourdough. Nice surprise delivery this morning! 
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Haven’t posted a sourdough for a while! Can’t Haven’t posted a sourdough for a while!  Can’t wait to tuck into this one 🤤🐝🌾

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How gorgeous are these Zucchini flowers? A boy and How gorgeous are these Zucchini flowers? A boy and a girl right next to each other. The bees will find these this morning, *cue Barry White* and a baby zucchini will be along in a few weeks. Ain’t love grand?

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This perennial leek was almost too pretty to pick! This perennial leek was almost too pretty to pick! I just love leek and garlic flowers, it’s worth growing them just for that! They make great additions to the flower garden too!

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We have a few Frankentrees here at the Apiary, but We have a few Frankentrees here at the Apiary, but this new graft is the one I’m most excited about! I have been trying to get Cox’s Orange Pippin scions to take for the last 3 seasons with no luck… 😩 I purchased two scions from @la_petite_pomme_orchard and guess who has a successful graft???? 🙋‍♀️Me!!! I am pathetically excited about this scraggly looking twig!🍎🍎🍎

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BEFORE & AFTER I am so in love with my gorgeous co BEFORE & AFTER
I am so in love with my gorgeous copper #fowlersvacola preserver! I gave it a quick strip and polish to clean up the tarnish and OMG 😍😍😍😍😍

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This little apiary was feeling pretty naked today! This little apiary was feeling pretty naked today! I feel very guilty removing any original part of this old beauty 😟 But when the rain starts threatening the pressed metal ceilings, it’s tough decision time. I hope this new roof will protect our home for many, many years to come! One century under her belt, I reckon she can do another century…

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So many swarms this season, the old Bob Ross bee b So many swarms this season, the old Bob Ross bee box has been put to work! 🐝

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That’s it ladies, in you go 🐝🐝🐝 #beeke That’s it ladies, in you go 🐝🐝🐝

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