A lot of Indian households display brass idols, mostly God brass idols reflecting their beliefs. While some like to keep them in glass cupboards as showpieces, others place them in pooja rooms that are exposed to dirt and smoke with time. Whether it is a Hanuman brass idol or a Krishna brass idol, the intricate design and details on the idols make it hard to clean them just by usual methods.
Here are three tips for cleaning your brass idols at home.
1: Brass Polish
Brass items get discoloured with time, and there are polish on the market specifically designed to clean brass items for the restoration of the shine. You might find this polish in a bottle, and you will receive instructions on how to apply and use it to polish your brass idols.
The best way to do it is to clean and wash your brass idol before applying the polish. To wash your brass items, you can use a soft cloth and make a solution of soapy water. This should clean all the residue or dirt accumulated in various parts of the idols. After cleaning, you can use a soft cloth to apply the polish, following the instructions.
2: Salt and Vinegar
Available in almost all Indian households, salt and vinegar are perfect brass cleaning recipes. You may think that this inexpensive process must have some side effects, while cleaning brass with commercial cleaners is not this cheap. But thankfully, your brass items are safe from both of these ingredients.
Use some salt mixed with vinegar to rub it over the brass surfaces, and make sure you clean them with warm water to get rid of all the grimes from the material.
3: Lemon and Baking Soda
Lemon and baking soda together work as a homemade cleaning solution, just like brass polish. If you are taking a teaspoon of baking soda, you will need the juice of half a lemon to make an effective paste. After applying this paste and cleaning your brass item, clean the item with warm water, and make sure all the grimes and dirt are gone, and the item has restored some shiny properties. You can repeat this step, but make sure to dry your item afterwards.
Conclusion:
Sometimes ‘brass items’ are not made of brass, but rather brass plated. In such a case, polishing the objects is not necessary. All they need is cleaning with just some soap and water. Here’s a simple way to tell that your brass items are made of brass – a magnet will never stick to a brass item, while brass plated items will easily attract the magnet.
Another way to ensure brass items are actually brass? Purchase your brass idols from Indian Artisans, which deal with various brass idols, including many Hindu gods and goddesses.
