Homemade Copper Cleaner: An Easy 3-Ingredient Recipe • Everyday Cheapskate

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Tarnished copper looks sad. Dull, brownish, a little neglected. But you don’t need a fancy polish to fix it. My homemade copper cleaner uses salt, flour and white vinegar, and you probably have all three in the kitchen right now. It’s cheap, easy and works great on bare copper. Just read the quick warning below before you start rubbing.

What is the best homemade copper cleaner?

Mix equal parts table salt and flour, then add enough white vinegar to make a paste. Rub it on with a soft cloth, rinse, and buff dry. The vinegar and salt break down the tarnish, and the flour keeps the paste where you put it.

Full instructions are just below. Read the “before you clean copper” part first, though. It’ll save you a headache.

How to make homemade copper cleaner

You’ll need:

6 tablespoons table salt
6 tablespoons flour
White vinegar (start with a few tablespoons and add as needed)

Here’s what to do:

Stir the salt and flour together in a bowl.
Add vinegar a little at a time until you have a spreadable paste, something like thick frosting.
Rub it onto the copper with a soft cloth. Go gently.
Rinse well with water.
Buff dry with a clean, soft cloth. Don’t skip the drying. Damp copper tarnishes right back.

Why this works

Tarnish is a thin layer of oxidation on the surface of the copper. Vinegar is acidic, and acid dissolves that layer. Salt boosts the vinegar’s cleaning power. Flour turns the whole thing into a paste that clings instead of running off, and it gives you a little gentle scrubbing action.

Before you clean copper

Here’s the catch. This paste is for bare, uncoated copper.

Lots of decorative copper has a clear lacquer or varnish on it, and you may not realize it. If yours does, the paste won’t do much, and rubbing could leave it cloudy or scratched. A quick check: if water beads up on the surface and the copper stays shiny underneath, it’s probably coated.

Be careful with cookware, too. The outside of an uncoated copper pot is usually fine. The inside is another matter. Many copper pots are lined with tin or stainless steel, and acid isn’t kind to tin. Leave the interior alone.

And whatever you’re cleaning, test a small, hidden spot first. I say this every time because it works. It’s how you keep a bad situation from getting worse.

The reader question that started it

This is an actual reader question, so let me share it.

Dear Mary: The copper post caps on my deck are becoming tarnished. Do you know of a natural (cheap) way to clean them without damaging the copper? I’m enclosing a picture.

–Patti

Dear Patti: Copper post caps on a deck? Love it. Thanks for the photo.

I’ve got a fix, and you already own everything in it. As long as your caps are bare copper (no varnish or shellac), the salt, flour and vinegar paste is just the thing.

Outdoors, you’re dealing with more than tarnish. Dirt, weather and the occasional gift from a passing bird all come with the territory. Wipe off the loose grime first, then go after the tarnish with the paste.

And test it on one cap, in a spot nobody will see, before you do the whole deck. Better to find a problem on one square inch than on a deck full of post caps.

Can you really clean copper with ketchup?

Believe it or not, yes. Ketchup has vinegar and salt in it, and tomatoes are acidic, which adds an extra punch.

Want proof? Find an old, dark penny and a shiny new one. Pour a little ketchup into a small bowl, dip the old penny in halfway, and hold it there for a few seconds. Rinse and look. The dipped half comes up bright. Cute, right?

But a penny experiment is one thing. Cleaning a real piece of copper is another. For that, I’d pick the paste, and not just because we run out of ketchup around here more often than we run out of salt, flour or vinegar. The paste is thicker, so it stays put, and I’m not convinced ketchup is up to the job on accumulated grime. Bird droppings on deck post caps, for instance.

Quick answers

Does vinegar damage copper?

Not on bare copper, as long as you don’t let it hang around. A short scrub with the paste, a good rinse and a thorough drying is all it needs. Leave it sitting, though, and you can end up with a greenish residue. Soaking doesn’t mean cleaning better. It just means more time for trouble. Skip it altogether on lacquered or coated copper, unless the manufacturer says it’s safe.

Can I use homemade copper cleaner on copper cookware?

The outside, yes, if it’s bare, uncoated copper. Test a hidden spot first, rub gently and rinse it away completely. Leave the inside alone. Most copper pots are lined with tin or stainless steel, and vinegar isn’t kind to tin. Handles can be a different material altogether, too. Not sure what you’ve got? Check the manufacturer’s care instructions for your pan. They know it better than I do.

How do I know if my copper is lacquered?

Sometimes it’s obvious. Lacquered copper often has a smooth, glossy, almost plasticky shine, and it doesn’t tarnish the way bare copper does. If water beads up on it, that’s another hint. Sometimes it’s not obvious at all. When in doubt, test a hidden spot. Better yet, check the manufacturer’s instructions or ask a knowledgeable dealer before you reach for anything acidic. Once a coating is damaged, cleaning the copper underneath won’t bring it back.

How often should you polish copper?

Whenever the tarnish bugs you. Seriously. Copper changes color over time, and plenty of people love that darker, aged look. If you’re one of them, no rule says your copper has to look brand-new. If you like it bright, clean it when the dullness starts to show. There’s no prize for polishing on a schedule.

Go find something tarnished and give it a try. I’d love to hear how it turns out.

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Homemade Copper Cleaner

This easy homemade copper cleaner uses salt, flour and white vinegar to remove tarnish from unfinished copper. Mix it into a paste, rub gently, rinse and buff dry.

Prep Time2

Cook Time5

Total Time7

Category: Cleaning

Yield: cup

Materials

6 tablespoons table salt
6 tablespoons flour
White vinegar as needed

Instructions

Mix the salt and flour.
Add white vinegar a little at a time until you have a thick, spreadable paste.
Test the cleaner on an inconspicuous area of unfinished copper.
Apply with a soft cloth and rub gently to remove tarnish.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Buff dry with a clean, soft cloth.

Notes

For unfinished copper only. Do not use on lacquered, varnished or otherwise coated copper unless the manufacturer recommends this cleaning method. Always test first in an inconspicuous area. Rub gently, rinse thoroughly with clean water and buff dry with a soft cloth.

Question: What’s the one thing in your house you gave up polishing and now just call “patina”? Share in the comments below.

If I can help you clean your house without buying a cabinet full of products you don’t need, I’m happy. That’s the kind of practical help I share every day in the Everyday Cheapskate newsletter… simple fixes, clever shortcuts and ways to make every dollar do more. Subscribe here and I’ll send it straight to your inbox, free.

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