You can clean brass with the common ingredients that you can find at home or you can even go for a commercial cleaner. Any ingredient that has natural acid in it will remove the tarnish in the brass and make it bright. You should know that brass is an alloy made of zinc and copper. That is why it tarnishes easily. Tarnishing is oxidizing. That is why brass is lacquered. If not lacquered, it will tarnish quickly. Unlacquered brass oxidizes quickly. You could use a soft cloth with little liquid ammonia to wipe off the brass utensils to make it shiny. Many commercial cleaners are also available which can be used to remove tarnish. Antique pieces of brass can be washed in hot soapy water and can be rinsed and dried. Another method to remove grease and dirt from brass is to use a cloth that is dipped in linseed oil and rub the surface. After cleaning like this you can use a soft cloth to polish the brass pieces.
[tags]Sheen, Polish, Oxidation, Alloy Polishing[/tags]