Have you been starring at your bronze collection, wondering how to clean it properly? You could have bronze jewelry or your kitchen appliances could be bronze. It’s a gorgeous color and material that you want to last a long time. With anything, there is a degree of maintenance that must be upheld on your part. This is why it’s important to know how to properly take care of your bronze so it can last for many years to come.
That is why this article is going to go over the ways to clean your bronze materials. Plenty of antiques are made out of bronze and antiques should always be properly maintained. Luckily, bronze is very durable and resistant to water corrosion. This doesn’t mean that time is exactly kind to bronze. Over time, bronze could start developing a green patina. Here’s a fun fact for those who don’t know – the Statue of Liberty was originally bronze. It’s turned green over years of being exposed to the rain and not properly clean.
There was one time that the Statue of Liberty was cleaned and restored back to its bronze color. But, Lady Liberty turned green again and it was decided that she would remain green. You didn’t expect a history lesson here, did you? Well, the more you know!
Speaking of which, continue reading to find out how to clean bronze statues as well as you keep on reading!
Clean Bronze With Lemon
The first way we would suggest cleaning bronze is with some lemon. For this method, you are going to need:
- Soft rags
- A small bowl
- Baking soda
- Lemon juice
- Rubber gloves
- A toothbrush
You are going to want to rinse the bronze material in a bowl of warm water to take off the dust on the item. Then wipe the metal down with a dry rag or cloth. Then, pour two tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl. Combine lemon juice in the bowl – slowly. Create a paste this way. It’s important to note that if you see any fizzling or sizzling, this is normal.
While wearing gloves, rub the paste over the bronze item. You can use the toothbrush to get into tiny places that you can’t with your hands. Keep the paste on the bronze for about a half hour. Then rinse the paste in warm water – using your fingers to rub off the paste. Gently dry with a dry cloth. Then, apply about one or two drops of olive oil to the cloth and rub your bronze with it. This will give it a nice, shiny look that will make your jewelry look brand new!
Clean Your Bronze With Salt
Whether you are looking up how to clean bronze status and how to clean antique bronze, you can go the way of using salt. Here is what you are going to need in order to take this step:
- Soft rags
- Small bowl
- Table salt
- White flour
- White vinegar
- Rubber gloves
- Olive oil
Just like with the other step previously mentioned, you start this process with rinsing the bronze item with warm water. This is to get rid of the dust that has built up on the bronze statue. You will then want to dry it with a dry cloth before any other step is taken.
Then in a bowl, combine two tablespoons of table salt and two tablespoons of white flour. You will then want to drop in some white vinegar to this bowl, because you’re making a paste – just as you would in the previous method. Just as you did with the previous method, you’re going to want to rub the paste all over the bronze items – getting into all the small crevices that you can.
Now, you are going to want to let the paste sit on the item for an hour or more. Use warm water to wash away all of the paste concoction from the bronze item. Dry the item with a dry towel and add two drops of olive oil before rubbing it on the item to give it a great shine.
How to Maintain Your Bronze In Between Cleaning It
By following these two steps, you can ensure that your bronze will last for a long time. Now, you’ve learned how to clean your bronze, but there are steps you should take in between to ensure that you don’t have to clean as often and so that you don’t have to work as hard while cleaning. Below a
- You will want to dust your bronze frequently to prevent dust build-up that will only damage your bronze in the long-run.
- If you have bronze that isn’t on display, store these items [such as statues, jewelry, and trinkets] in airtight plastic. Oxygen causes the greenish patina to build-up, so by storing your items away, you are preventing this from happening.
- Before putting on bronze jewelry, you can apply moisturizer, sunscreen, and other skincare products on.
- Do not wear any bronze jewelry when you take a dip in the pool as the chlorine in pools wears down the jewelry.
Keep Your Bronze Beautiful Forever
Now that we have gone through the ways to maintain your bronze, we want to leave you with some last-minute advice. Take care of your bronze – it’s a beautiful material that will impress anyone who comes sees you. You don’t want dust to build up and you don’t want to not take care of your items, as cleaning it will take longer and more effort. Instead, be sure to take the necessary steps to keep your bronze undamaged in between cleaning sessions. Just like anything worth having, you have to take care of it. And anything that is needed to clean bronze can be found in your home. We love DIY projects and what better is a DIY project than taking the afternoon to clean some bronze?
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