How to Clean Brass

I started decorating for the holidays and found these adorable brass reindeer stocking holders at Goodwill. Brass has made a popular come back in home décor, and it’s easy to find in Goodwill stores too!

I have an obsession with vintage brass, but it’s often dirty and needs a thorough cleaning. Once I brought these home, I realized that I had a lot of brass treasures that all needed to be cleaned.

Here’s how I cleaned my brass finds:

Check that it’s actually brass by holding a magnet to it. If the magnet sticks, it might not be brass. If it doesn’t, then continue with my tutorial.
I tried 2 different methods:
1. Made a paste of half of a lemon and baking soda, and then rubbed it all over the brass with a soft cloth
2. Cut a lemon in half and pour some table salt on it. Use the lemon as a scouring pad to scrub the brass.
Wash it off and repeat as necessary.
Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy… almost literally.

Both methods were successful, although I preferred Method 2 due to how easy it was. I was able to clean my (new-to-me) brass reindeer, as well as a plethora of other Goodwill treasures.