7 Tips to clean your Bronze

Bronze is one of the oldest metals in human history and widely used in jewelry, hardware, vases, and candlesticks. Over time they acquire a dark greenish tone, called patina that imparts an air of antiquity. While some appreciate patina, most prefer to restore the bronze to its original shine. Here you will found 7 tips to clean your bronze.

To achieve this result we have options with elements that we can find at home and those options we will recommend first. Then we will mention more chemical options. 

But first, look at some tips before starting your work.

General tips before you start cleaning

Prevention

Whatever method you choose always protect your hands with gloves. Those that are more adherent to the hands are the most recommended. That is because it allows you to better manipulate work items and your movements. The use of gloves allows to protect the hands from the corrosive agents of the products and on the other hand to protect from the stains that can mark your very unpleasant hands.

If it is a large object that you need to use a brush, it would be positive to wear protective glasses, everything used to clean the bronze is aggressive to the eyes.

Elements

Keep the following elements on hand before starting the cleaning work: 

1- several soft and clean rags. It can be an old white cotton T-shirt, cut into squares. 

2 – a brush or several of different sizes. That is because most bronze objects have recesses or ornate trimmings. The brush helps the product reach those areas are harder to reach and usually are more stained than the rest.

Before starting

Keep in mind that the piece must always be dried with a soft, clean cloth after rinsing. Moisture accelerates the appearance of patina.

Some methods recommend you immerse the piece in a tub or basin. So it’s good to have already thought about what is going to be used. 

Recommendations

Never use metal containers. This is to ensure that your items do not react with the container. Glass, plastic, porcelain or enameled containers are recommended. 

Remember that the result depends a lot on the condition of the piece and how much patina there is. It may be necessary to repeat the procedure several times to reach an optimal result. This process, although relatively simple, requires time and patience, since the greenish patina can be quite stubborn.

Once you do it, you will save a lot of work if regular maintenance programs, that is to repeat the process more often. You will see that you will achieve an excellent appearance with much less effort!  

Well, once you consider those details we are going to what interests you most are the processes or tips you can use to clean your bronze.

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Homemade methods to clean Bronze

1st Tip- Clean your Bronze using baking soda and lemmon

Materials:

• Small non-metallic bowl 
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• Lemon juice (required amount)
• Olive oil (2 or 3 drops)

Steps to follow:

1. Rinse your jewel or bronze object to remove dust
2. – pour into the small bowl 2 tablespoons of baking soda with the amount of lemon juice, enough to moisten the baking soda and transform into a paste. It should have the consistency similar to toothpaste. Don’t worry if you see some bubbles. That is normal.
3. Pass the paste across the object with a rag making small circular movements with more force in the darkest places and if necessary use the brush for cracks.
4. Let stand for approximately 30 minutes.
5.  Rinse the bronze with warm water by removing all the paste from the piece.
6. Dry thoroughly with a soft cloth
7. If the result is satisfactory, rub the piece with 2 or 3 drops of olive oil in a very soft cloth to highlight its shine.

2nd Tip: The Salt and Vinegar formula for your bronze

Materials:

• Small bowl
• Table salt – 2 tablespoons
• White flour – 2 tablespoons
• White vinegar – the amount needed
• Olive oil 2 or 3 drops

Steps to follow:

1. Rinse your jewel or bronze object to remove the dust
2. Pour and mix in the small bowl the Table salt and flour. Slowly spill the amount of vinegar, enough to moisten and transform it into a paste. It should have the consistency similar to toothpaste. 
3. Pass the paste across the object with a rag making small circular movements with more force in the darkest places and if necessary use the brush for cracks.
4. Let the object rest with the paste for 1 hour or more.
5. Rinse the bronze with warm water by rubbing and removing all the paste from the piece.
6. Dry well with a soft cloth.
7. If the result is satisfactory, rub the piece hard with 2 or 3 drops of olive oil in a very soft cloth to highlight its shine.

3rd Tip: Cleaning the bronze with Water and neutral soap

This is only recommended for small items such as medals or coins.

Materials:

•  A pot with boiling water
• Water and neutral soap
• a flannel cloth
• a chamois

Steps to follow:

1. Boil water in a pot and then put the bronze object in the water and leave it for a moment.
2. Remove the object with the help of a clamp because it will surely be hot and place it on a flannel wet with soap and water and with a lot of foam. 
3. Rub the bronze thoroughly to clean it and then dry it.
4. Finally, rub with suede to get more shine.

Obs. Do not use soaps that contain ammonia or any abrasive product. Only neutral soap.

4th Tip :Ketchup, Lemmon and Vinegar will make your bronze shine

Materials:

• Small bowl
• Ketchup
• Lemon juice
• White vinegar

Steps to follow:

1. After rinsing it to dust and dry it well, place it in the bowl and cover it with ketchup certifying that it is covered on both sides of ketchup. 
2. Leave it for 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly.  
3. Using the same bowl and clean, cover the bronze piece with lemon juice for 20 minutes. 
4. Rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly. 
5. Stop soaking again using the clean bowl now using equal portions of white vinegar and water. 
6. Leave submerged overnight. 
7. The next morning, rinse your article with warm water and dry it with a soft cloth.

5th Tip: Renovate your bronze with Aluminum foil, Baking Soda, salt and water

Materials

• Container nonmetallic
• Aluminum foil sheet
• Baking Soda – 1 tablespoon
• salt – 1 tablespoon
• hot water – 300 ml

Optional:

• WhiteVinegar
• Soap dishwashing detergent

Steps to follow:

1. in the container Enter a sheet of foil ` plate-shaped
2. Support the bronze object to be cleaned. 
3. Prepare a mixture with baking soda and salt with hot water and cover everything with it. Look at the proportions and double if necessary.
4. Wait for the cleaning process.
5. Rinse with warm water and dry it well.

The process can take between a few minutes to a few hours. It all depends on the condition of the piece. In the case of pieces that in addition to the patina is embedded in the carbonate layers of marine organisms and other forms of dirt, this type of cleaning requires some extra juice. 

In those cases, white vinegar and detergent are added to the same mixture. Leave it for a few hours and it will have a very good result.

6th Tip: Clean your bronze with just white wine

Insert your bronze object in a bowl of hot white wine.

You will see as clean of all Dirty.

7th Tip: Use prepared chemicals in your bronze

There are many chemicals that can be purchased to clean.
Here we mention some:

1. Wright’s Brass and Copper Polish and Cleaner – 8 Ounce – Gently Cleans and Removes Tarnish Without Scratching
2. Rolite Metal Polish Paste (1lb) for Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Chrome, Copper, Gold, Nickel and Stainless Steel
3. Wright’s Copper and Brass Cream Cleaner – 8 Ounce – Gently Cleans and Removes Tarnish Without Scratching
4. Miracle All Purpose Polishing Cloth 9 x12 (2 Pack)
5. Wright’s Brass Polish and Cleaner – 60 Ounce – Gently Clean and Remove Tarnish Without Scratching
6. Howard CB0008 Pine-Ola Copper and Brass Polish, 8-Ounce
7. Brasso Metal Polish, 8 oz Bottle for Brass, Copper, Stainless, Chrome, Aluminum, Pewter & Bronze, 8 oz (Pack of 2)
8. Noxon 7 Metal Polish Cleaner 12 Oz, 2 Pack

Each of those products comes with instructions on how to use it to clean.

Why do bronze change color?

The bronze is stained because the metal reacts with compounds that are in the environment it is. This can be oxygen, sulfur compounds, carbon compounds or chlorides. The fogging or patina preserves the metal below when sealed so that it cannot react more with the environment. This is the effect that protects the statues and the roof covering that are exposed to the elements for centuries. Sometimes, however, you want to remove these spots.

Bronze disease

While some types of corrosion are desirable, others are not. If you see light green, dusty green or brown spots or “growths” on your bronze, this is a sign of a condition known as “bronze disease.” These spots easily peel off when touched. The bronze disease is active corrosion, which means that your bronze item is not protected and is constantly corroding. This can cause serious damage to your bronze items. The bronze disease usually occurs in areas with salts in the air, ammonia contamination or continuous high humidity.The bronze disease can also be the result of improper handling and cleaning.

Bronze Disease Treatment

The disease requires some chemistry and a lot of time. First, gently rub your bronze item with a toothbrush, removing all stains. Then immerse the piece in a solution of sodium sesquicarbonate at 5 percent or less. Change the solution weekly. When the solution has a neutral pH, the bronze disease has been treated. Only use distilled water to clean and rinse. This method may not be practical for large items. If your article is large or valuable, you should consult a professional for advice.

Daily care to keep your bronze in better condition

After following any of the steps to clean the bronze, you can maintain its shine by following these tips:

• Regularly remove the dust from the bronze statues and decoration. Also if the dust is thick, rinse the piece with warm water to remove it and then dry the metal completely with a soft cloth.

•Store your bronze jewelry, coins, and valuables, which are not displayed, in airtight plastic bags to reduce oxygen exposure. 

•Apply moisturizer, sunscreen, makeup, and other skincare products before putting on bronze jewelry.

•Rub your bronze jewelry with a soft cloth after each use to remove body oils.

• Never wear your bronze jewelry in a pool, as chlorine wears out of metal.

There are processes of covering the bronze with lacquers or waxes so that they do not come into contact with oxygen. But those processes we will leave for another article.

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