Cleaning Stainless Steel

When cleaning objects made of stainless steel, there are some important things you need to know. Stainless steel has an excellent reputation thanks to its ability to resist rust and staining. However, over time, if some basic rules regarding stainless steel maintenance are not followed, your stainless steel objects may be spotted will not look or feel as attractive as they were when you bought them. Here are some care tips and rules regarding stainless steel. 

Firstly, when cleaning stainless steel, be aware that if you leave damp or wet steel to dry, you run the risk of accumulating water stains. This is all the more important given that the simple use of water and a cloth may be sufficient to clean many such objects. Just make sure that they are completely dry to avoid water stains.

Secondly, there are some occasions during which you will really need to use a cleaner. For instance, the object may have been used to serve or eat food, or it may have gotten stained through any other sort of usage. For general light cleaning, you may try to use a very mild detergent solution. To deal with streaks, try using club soda or olive oil. White or cider vinegar can be excellent for general cleaning as well, a natural alternative to detergent. And ammonia or glass cleaning solutions can be used to remove fingerprints. Whatever you use, remember the first point - make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any residue, and wipe very well to stave off water stains. 

Some more tips regarding cleaning stainless steel - watch out for those nicks and dings! Remember to use matting when you wash your utensils or flatware in the sink. If you are going to put your utensils in a dishwasher, be mindful of the fact that mixing flatware and utensils can result in both getting scratched, so make sure to keep them separate when you clean them. 

Lastly, a stainless steel cleaner can help you manage those objects that are cleaned but have been scratched, or have been stained so badly that the stain refuses to come out no matter what you try. They can help you reduce the chances of scratching your objects, and can even help polish them somewhat. If you’d like to be certain that what you use will really work, you might as well consider using a stainless steel cleaner.

Stainless steel is known for its ability to be a clean surface that resists corrosion and rust. Dirt, dust and grime, however, put stainless steel at risk for corrosion and rust. Luckily, stainless steel responds well to cleaning, never wearing out from excessive cleaning, as long as certain rules are followed.

Cleaning Copper

When cleaning copper items, whether these are decorative or practical (such as those used for cooking or eating food - copper pots, utensils, plates and the like), there are several important things to take note of to make sure that your copper items are kept in top shape even though you may use them rather often, and for years to come as well.

Firstly, you have to realize that copper is sensitive to some of the components of air itself. It reacts to many of them - pure copper tarnishes, or oxidizes, when it comes into contact with oxygen. When the air in the vicinity is moist, tarnishing of copper items can take place at an even faster rate than when the air is of normal humidity or dry. This means that your copper items must not be stored in damp places; you have to ensure that these items are kept away from moist air in order to reduce the chance that they will tarnish. 

If you are cleaning copper items, you need to know that copper’s tendency to oxidize means that many copper items are initially shipped protected by a certain lacquer. While decorative objects will not need any attention apart from slight dusting and very occasional washing thanks to this lacquer, cooking utensils must be stripped of the lacquer before they are used. You may do so by rubbing them first with cloth that has been soaked in alcohol or acetone. 

Ideally, to prevent tarnishing, copper pots and pans should be cleaned every time they are used. But if despite all your care, your copper items have tarnished, they can still be restored. You can clean and strip your copper items of tarnish by making use of a few ingredients commonly found around the house.

You can try rubbing the tarnished items with lemon halves that have themselves been rubbed in salt. You could also try using either tomato paste or ketchup; a mixture of vinegar and salt; or equal parts of vinegar, salt and flour. For each of these combinations, you will need to thoroughly, slowly and gently rub them into your copper piece using a damp cloth. Pay special attention to the areas which have been stained or tarnished. After having treated your copper piece this way, you will need to rinse it very thoroughly. Lastly, you will need to dry it with a good soft cloth. 

Two final things to take into consideration when cleaning copper items using any of these methods. Firstly, test your treatment of choice on an area that is not very obvious before you try any of these methods out. Secondly, if you are working with items that are of high value, it may be best to consult professional cleaners instead of undertaking any sort of cleaning activity yourself.

Jewelry Cleaning Tips

I love sparkling jewelry whether it’s on me or someone else. Every piece of jewelry is like a work of art waiting to be admired.  Therefore it is very important to take proper care of your jewelry to ensure that it lasts forever.  Even art can look dull if not taken care of properly. Each piece of jewelry requires a different method and different tools to clean it and keep it sparkling for years of admiration.

Many jewelry cleaning tips can be found in books and magazines.  You can even hire a professional cleaner if need be. However, why hire someone to clean your jewelry when you can do it yourself right in your own house.

The market offers a variety of jewelry cleaning solutions and tools you can use to clean your precious jewelry. Basic jewelry cleaning products and tools include the following:c mild detergent, ammonia, a used toothbrush, clean lint-free cloth/ tissue paper, isopropyl alcohol, olive oil, and toothpaste.

You must always know how to treat your jewelry with proper care.  For example: when you remove your jewelry, always put it back in your jewelry box.  This will prevent dust from settling and possibly scratching it.  The more air that gets to jewelry, the faster some jewelry will tarnish as well.

Even if you do take good care of your jewelry, proper cleaning should be applied. The aforementioned tools always come in handy especially when you opt to do the cleaning yourself.

Basically, a general rule when cleaning your jewelry is to not over scrub.  The last thing you want to do is wear down the metal, enamel or precious stones on your jewelry. Rubbing it too hard can in fact, scratch any type of jewelry you have.

What you need to do is just lightly scrub your jewelry with the right cleaning solution, either with a mild detergent or ammonia solution which works for gold, silver and even diamonds. Run it under warm tap water and tap dry with lint free cloth or even a tissue. With pearls however, do not use any harsh or abrasive cleaners since they will damage those elegant sea gems. Instead, polish your pearls with a clean cloth and a drop of olive oil. As with other jewelry, always rinse well and tap dry using a clean cloth.  

Remember to be gentle with your jewelry.  With proper, regular cleaning your jewelry will be sparkling for years to come.

Penny Cleaning Science

The circulation of money from one hand to another causes the sparkling appearance of coins to eventually fade. So if you have dull and dark pennies and you want to clean them to give you a particular level of satisfaction, there are several easy steps that need to be followed. This process is a cheap and amusing way to revive the shiny layer of your pennies.

This simple process will require you to prepare your kitchen.  First, get some lemon juice and salt. Then, dissolve one tablespoon of salt on two tablespoon of lemon juice. When the mixture of salt and lemon juice is ready, put the penny in the solution. Be sure that the penny is totally dipped. After a few minutes, take it out of the solution and polish it with cotton cloth. Now you have a sparkling penny free from copper oxide accumulation. 

Pennies are made of copper and copper oxide makes pennies look tarnished. Copper oxide is formed when it bonds with oxygen or air. The mixture of salt and lemon juice is a simple way to make a weak hydrochloric acid solution. Chemical reaction occurs when you soak a tarnished penny into the salt and lemon juice solution. The bonding of chloride ions and copper ions gets rid of layers of copper oxide giving your old penny a facelift. 

Another method thereby requires the use of a pencil eraser. The process is simple. A clean eraser is all you need to scour the penny. Use a pencil-size eraser if you have a lot of pennies to clean. You can also use a vinyl eraser to polish the penny.