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Simple Steps to Clean Altar Items and Bronze in Only 10 Minutes

At the end of the year, many people are unsure about the correct and fastest way to clean altar items and bronze objects.

Administrator

6 February, 2024

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With the Lunar New Year approaching, every family is focusing their attention on cleaning and creating a fresh atmosphere for the new year, hoping to bring joy and luck.

However, a common challenge is cleaning the altar and sacred items. For these special items, applying common methods not only proves ineffective but also presents difficulties in avoiding disrespecting the holy spirits. Therefore, the process of cleaning the altar and worship items requires a special and careful method.

Here is an effective method to clean bronze incense burners that you should consider:

Step 1: Begin by cleaning the dried and stuck wax on the base, body of the bronze incense burner or other copper items. Use a hairdryer to heat the wax, making it liquid. Then, use a cloth to wipe and clean.

Step 2: To polish the copper items, you can use cigarette silver paper or sawdust and mix them with salt. Dip a cloth into this mixture and rub it onto the copper items to make them shiny. If needed, you can replace this mixture with kitchen ash and add a little water to quickly make the copper items shiny.

For green rust stains on copper items, you can mix lemon juice with salt, then use a cloth to rub on the affected areas, making the stains disappear.

If the copper items have a heavier tarnish, you can soak them in a diluted vinegar bath overnight, then rinse with hot water and use a soft cloth to clean, effectively restoring the copper items to their original shine.

Step 3: Finally, apply honey to the polished copper items and then clean off the honey with a soft cloth. To maintain the brightness of the copper, you can also apply arrowroot powder to the entire surface of the copper items, then wipe off the powder to prolong the shine.

During the process of cleaning brass and altar items, there may be various different scenarios. If the above steps do not yield the best results, you can refer to other tips to deal with specific situations.

For pure copper items:

For copper items that have lost their polished coating, you need to use a strong mixture to clean. Mix salt with enough vinegar to create a paste-like mixture. Then, use a soft cloth to rub this mixture onto the surface of the copper items. Let the mixture soak in for a few minutes, then polish again with a clean cloth.

For polished copper items:

If the surface of your copper items has a shiny finish, wipe them with a soft cloth dipped in a solution of soapy water. Once the dirt is removed, rinse with water using a damp cloth. Then, use a dry cloth to wipe clean and ensure that all water droplets are removed from the surface.

For stubborn stains:

Cut a lemon in half and dip it in salt, then place it directly on the stain and start scrubbing. For more delicate copper items, add salt to the lemon juice to create a mixture. Then, use a soft cloth to gently rub in circular motions, removing the stains. For hard-to-reach areas and deep stains, scrub longer.

Use heat if necessary:

If the copper surface is not shiny, you may need assistance from heat. Mix one cup of vinegar, one tablespoon of salt, and three cups of water in a sufficiently large pot. Place the copper items in the pot, bring to a boil, and wait until the tarnish begins to fall off the copper.

Allow the copper to cool before removing it from the pot to avoid burns. Although you still need to scrub the copper items after it cools, this process will be easier and help the copper become shiny.

Using lemon juice and baking soda:

Combine lemon juice (or vinegar) with baking soda until the mixture is fully dissolved. Apply it to the surface of the utensils and polish in a circular motion with a soft cloth. Rinse with water and dry to complete the cleaning process.

Using fresh lemon and table salt:

To create a homemade copper polishing solution, all you need is half a lemon and a little regular salt (coarse salt is preferable). Salt helps with abrasion and removing dirt, while lemon juice has a mild acid that helps clean most surfaces. This mixture is much more effective in removing stubborn stains on copper items compared to other traditional methods.

Just sprinkle some salt on a plate, then cut a fresh lemon in half. Dip the lemon into the salt and use the salt side of the lemon to scrub the dirt on the copper items. Finally, rinse with warm soapy water, clean water, and completely dry.

Use a soft cloth to rub a mixture of 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 cup of white vinegar onto the surface of the copper items, then rinse clean. Alternatively, immerse the tarnished copper items in a pot with 3 cups of water and the salt-vinegar mixture, boil until all stains and tarnish are completely removed. After the copper has cooled, rinse with soap, water, and wipe dry with a soft cloth.