DIY Natural Brass Cleaner: Make Flea Market Finds Look Brand New

Midcentury Dresser DIY Makeover: Brass Hardware

I needed to find a DIY natural brass cleaner for this amazing midcentury modern dresser I picked up for FREE in my local buy-sell trade Facebook group! I tested out a few DIY & natural brass cleaner recipes and here is what I found out!  This post and idea was a perfect fit as part of a pin challenge hosted by Arlene at MyPinadventures. For my March challenge, we are supposed to find a pin that inspires us and try it out. I needed to research homemade brass cleaners, so it was a perfect fit!  

For the February Pin Challenge, I shared about my DIY Painted Accent Walls.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read full privacy policy here. 

Recipes for DIY Natural Brass Cleaner

I absolutely loved this dresser and couldn’t believe that we were able to pick it up for FREE! If you love DIY furniture makeovers, you may also want to see how we redid an old metal desk for my home office.  For my home office project, I ended up having to buy new hardware. However, I LOVED the hardware on this midcentury modern dresser and I really wanted to keep it. You cannot buy hardware like this anymore. I had one HUGE problem because the hardware looked pretty beat up. I wanted to try my best to not have to paint it. Where does one go when they need a simple DIY and natural brass cleaner? Pinterest, of course! Here is the link to the pin from Salvaged Inspiration that started this whole brass cleaning journey! 

Test Brass Hardware

To make sure that you are solid brass, take a magnet to your hardware. The magnet will not stick to solid brass. Therefore, if it doesn’t stick, you will be ready to start making your DIY natural brass cleaner!

Vinegar and Salt Brass Cleaner and Polisher

-In a plastic container, mix 2 cups white vinegar with 10 tablespoons salt. 

-Using an old toothbrush, rub the mixture around on the brass.

-Allow the brass to soak for around 45 minutes. Don’t rush this. I am always impatient, however you end up having to work harder. Just let the brass hardware soak!

I attempted this mixture a few ways. As you can see, the hardware is soaking, however, I also felt that I needed something else to help the solution get around the ends of the handles.

Mix flour with the DIY brass cleaner to make a brass cleaning paste

I decided to mix flour with my brass cleaner solution to create a paste. It really seemed to help get some of the areas that didn’t want to be cleaned by only the solution. After my handles were done soaking in the DIY natural brass cleaner, I used the toothbrush to clean them as well as a sponge. BE CAREFUL when do this as you may end up scratching your hardware. I cleaned the hardware in one motion so that any scratches or lines would look intentional.

Other DIY Brass Cleaners

I was very happy with the outcome of my DIY natural brass cleaner. During my research I did see some other ways you may want to try. As weird as it sounds, ketchup might be your answer!

As a child, I remember being in awe when I put a dirty penny in ketchup because it came out completely clean after soaking it. So if you are up for, slather some ketchup on your hardware and let me know how it goes.  Another brass cleaner would be to try a lemon and baking soda mixture. I would love to hear what your homemade and natural brass cleaning remedies are? What worked the best for you?

Be sure to check back here for how the whole midcentury modern dresser DIY makeover went!

NOW LET’S SEE WHAT OTHER THINGS PINTEREST INSPIRED! HEAD OVER AND VISIT THE OTHER HOSTS TO SEE WHAT THEY CRAFTED, COOKED, BUILT, OR TRIED!

To join next month’s #pinterestchallenge, click here to sign-up ⇒ April Pinterest Challenge

Let’s meet this month’s Pinterest Challenge hosts!

Erlene – My Pinterventures  •  Jenny – Cookies Coffee and Crafts
Debbee – Debbee’s Buzz  •  Lynne – My Family Thyme  •  Pili – My Sweet Things
Bri – Halfpint Design  •  Julie – Sum of their Stories
Erin – The DIY Nuts  •  T’onna – Sew Crafty Crochet
Beverly – Across the Boulevard •  Kristie – Love My Little Cottage
Roseann – This Autoimmune Life  •  Terri – Our Good Life
Ali – Home Crafts by Ali  •  Cherryl – Farm Girl Reformed
Leslie – Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After •  Kelli – K’s Olympic Nest
Lauren – Mom Home Guide  •  Joanne – Our Unschooling Journey
Shirley – Intelligent Domestications  •  Gail – Purple Hues and Me
Audra –  Renewed Projects  •  Habiba – Craftify My Love
Kristie – Teadoddles •  Marie – The Inspiration Vault  •  Susan – Suzerspace
Lydia – Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen •  Maria – Simple Nature Decor
Sam – Raggedy Bits  •  Emily – Domestic Deadline •  Marci – Stone Cottage Adeventures
Alexandra – Eye Love Knots  •  Alayna – Alayna’s Creations
Terrie – Decorate and More with Tip

Find the hosts’ Pinterest Challenge Inspired Projects below ⇓⇓

An InLinkz Link-up