If you are like me, you probably have all kinds of things in your barn that you use to clean your tack. I hate using chemicals though! So, when I find out about anything natural that can replace the chemicals, I’m all about sharing it with you! This simple brass cleaning technique has only two ingredients that can be found in almost every home.
While working on a home renovation, I picked up a great tack cleaning trick from my fiance. He’s Hispanic and uses lime (limone) on literally everything…home renovation included! This 100+ year old house still has all the original hardware on the doors. We wanted to keep and restore all the hardware to its original glory. Rather than spend extra money from our very lean budget on cleaners, my fiance grabbed some limes (lemon will work too), baking soda and a toothbrush. He put about a tablespoon of baking soda on the metal and drizzled lime juice over it. After letting it bubble for a few seconds, he got to work scrubbing. We had NO idea how beautiful the front door hardware actually was! It was so dull and covered with decades of grime. But as he started working on it, the true beauty was revealed. I was astonished! And it only took about 15 minutes of our time.
This technique should work for most metals. However, as I have not personally tried it on silver, make sure to test a small area first. I will do more research on the different types of metals this can be used on and update you. Please let me know if you try this out and what results you got so I can share them here.
Lisa Carter is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist (CEMT), with multiple certifications from several different equine bodywork schools. She incorporates her knowledge and experience with Parelli Natural Horsemanship, equine bodywork, using essential oils for animals and as a veterinary technician to provide her clients with the resources they need to make informed decisions for their horses. She encourages and facilitates network building between equine health care professionals, working together to find the best combination of therapies to meet the needs of the “whole horse”.
