Housekeeping Channel - For the Home You Keep. The Resource for Better, Faster, Healthier Housekeeping.
Forgot your password?
My House USER NAME
PASSWORD
REMEMBER ME

Follow us on Twitter

 

Article
Antiques

Caring for Wood, Silver, Copper and Brass Antiques

By HC Staff

Categories: Furnishings & Dusting
Tagged: Antiques, Brass, Cleaning Product Recommendations, Cleaning Strategy, Copper, Heirlooms, House Cleaning Tips, Silver, Wood

Antiques, heirlooms and collectibles can be found in many homes, and are often prized for their rarity, craftsmanship and uniqueness. Following are tips to clean, protect and prolong the life of antique surfaces in and around your home.

 

article continues below ↓

 

 

Wood Antiques (tables, chairs, desks, dressers, etc.)

  • If wood antiques are in direct or indirect sunlight, treat the surface with a product that contains UV sunscreen to prevent drying and discoloration.
  • To hide scratches, apply a wax crayon, shoe polish paste or touch-up pen that matches the color of the wood and buff area with clean soft cloth.

Silver Antiques (jewelry, dishes, candle holders, mirrors, etc.)

  • To extend tarnish protection, dust silver regularly.
  • To avoid tarnish build-up, use a quality silver cream or an anti-tarnish polish when a light gold film begins to form on silver.
  • Discontinue cleaning silver once it looks clean and shiny, even if the cloth is blackish; there will always be a slight residue transfer from the silver to the cloth.
Copper Antiques (pots, tea kettles, jewelry, ceiling fans, ceiling tiles, door knobs, etc.)
  • Copper does not rust, but it will stain and accumulate tarnish so it must be cleaned.
  • On heavily tarnished copper not easily cleaned by vigorous polishing, use a very fine steel wool (grade 000 or finer); though it may leave tiny scratches, they should disappear with use.
  • If copper remains bright and shiny over time, it is probably lacquered (lacquer is a clear coating applied to some copper items to minimize upkeep) and only requires cleaning with a damp cloth; if the piece darkens over time, it probably is not lacquered and can be polished.

Brass Antiques (door knobs, cabinet hardware, musical instruments, etc.)

  • Regular washing and polishing with a quality brass polish helps protect from pitting, etching and other deterioration caused by salts and other corrosive elements.
  • Brass may also have a lacquered coating, so if surfaces remains bright and shiny over time, it probably only requires cleaning with a damp cloth; if the piece darkens over time, it can be polished.
Caring for Wood, Silver, Copper and Brass Antiques:  Created on April 7th, 2008.  Last Modified on January 21st, 2014