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How to Clean Copper Using Household Ingredients

Many of us still have copper fixtures, pipes, flatware, kettles and other items in our home. This is because copper was used for everything from faucets to cookware to light plates for over a century before steel became affordable enough for use in outfitting homes.

 

If you own anything that is copper you know that the main problem is that copper is constantly oxidizing and creating a green patina. Although that slightly degraded aqua touch is actual an asset in cases (for instance it is very common on old Victorian roofs and on the turrets of post-modern buildings from the eighties) it does not look that appealing on a kettle, flower vase or a fork.

 

Most of the items that can be used to remove the chalky green coating on your copper items are ordinary household ingredients:  white vinegar, salt and baking soda (or cornstarch.)

 

Copper cleans up very nicely if you immerse the item in a salt and vinegar bath. Simply mix one tablespoon of salt with three cups of water in a very big part. Take the copper item that you wish t clean and leave it in the pot.  Leave the item there until the water and vinegar and salt solution comes to a full rolling boil.  Leave the copper item like this until you can visually detect that all of the green color has left the surface of the copper.  Then take the pot off of the heat.

 

Before you remove the copper from the pot make sure it and the water has cooled completely down to room temperature.  Lift the object out of the pot and give it a quick wash with a high quality dish soap, like Dawn, to get rid of any vinegar smell that might be lingering on the item.  Be sure to wash the pot you boiled the item in thoroughly as well.

 

If the problem is small then you might want to try cutting a wedge of lemon that has been sprinkled on both sides with salt.  The salt acts like a scouring item. Scrub the green stain off of the copper item until it is gone and then wash the item with dish soap and water to get rid of any lemon debris.

 

You can also use ketchup to clean copper. Simply mix equal parts corn starch with ketchup to make a paste and then scrub the item clean. Be sure to wash and rinse the item with dish soap to eliminate any scent of ketchup.

 

How to Choose A Hardwood Floor Vacuum

If you have a hardwood floors you want to make sure you can take good care of them for ages. This means that the vacuum you by must be able to quickly remove any spills from the floor as fast as possible. You should also choose a vacuum that is powerful enough to remove dust and grit. When dust and grit is stepped on repeatedly it is ground into the hardwood and then scratches it.

 

Hardwood floor vacuums are available in both upright and canister units. It is best to look for a wet/dry floor cleaner. This comes in both canister style and upright units. Nowadays you can find these types of vacuums in light-weight versions that are very easy on the back.  It also helps to choose a light weight model that is handy to drag out and use immediately should any kind of spill happen. Try to look for a vacuum that weighs about ten pounds and you will be more encouraged to use it on a regular basis. I love Hoover vacuums. Their quality is great. If you need a Hoover promo code you can get one at Promo-Codes.com and get some savings.

 

The best vacuums are the wet/dry canisters that stack on top of each other.  The top vessel holds a mixture of hardwood-friendly cleaning solution and the bottom holds the dirty water that is sucked up from the floor.

 

The most technically sophisticated of these machines operate in two modes. You can set them to operate in dry pick up mode and use that to pick up any debris or dust that may already be settled into your hardwood floor. Avoid using any scrubbing attachments that have rotating brushes inside as the whirling of them literally beat up the finish of your floor over time. The dry attachment on a proper hardwood floor vacuum will be hollow and look like a squeegee.

 

It is easy to operate a hoover hardwood floor vacuum in wet mod. You simply fill the top canister to the brim with cleaning solution and water. Most models have caps on their canisters that also can be used as measuring cups so you know exactly how much solution to use. Many of these sophisticated machines have triggers that allow you to release and shoot an extra dose of cleaning solution on the floor tough to clean spots.  As you vacuum clean water is applied to the floor and then sucked immediately back up into the canister so you are not dealing with any mess or danger of slipping on wet floors or rugs.

 

Keep in mind that although these wet/dry hardwood floor vacuums are amazing none of them work too well on planked floors or ones that are crooked or have rough spots or edges.