Heat 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 cup of water in a pot on a stove. Pour the heated mixture into an old cake pan with the painted hardware. Let the hardware sit in the vinegar until the paint softens. Remove the hardware from the vinegar, and clean using a soft bristled brass brush.
Mix 1 tablespoon each of salt, flour and vinegar until it forms a paste. You can use a toothbrush to brush it on to the handles, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then wash it off with warm water. Buff the handle to a nice shine with a clean, lint-free cloth.
Use a salt-and-vinegar mixture with one cup of white vinegar and one tablespoon salt. The mixture will create a paste that you can rub on your brass to remove the green coloring. After the green oxidation has been completely removed, you can rub a little olive oil on your brass to make it shine like new.
With the hardware fully wet, sprinkle on a powdered cleaning product so the metal is completely covered. If you are using vinegar and baking soda, first brush the hardware with a layer of vinegar, then sprinkle on baking soda. The mild chemical reaction of vinegar combined with baking soda is what loosens the tarnish.
Mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia with 1 pint of water. Wipe chrome and steel knobs with this solution and soft rag, buffing them until the tarnish and dirt is dissolved. Rinse with clear water and wipe dry with a clean rag.
While you can give many metal surfaces a scrub with baking soda, use caution if you're cleaning aluminum cookware. If you use it quickly and rinse it off, you might be fine, but allowing a baking soda mixture to sit on the surface for too long can cause it to oxidize, which means that the surface changes color.
Make a paste from vinegar, flour, and salt to clean heavily tarnished items. A good scrub with a mild vinegar solution should be enough to restore most metals.
Take a bowl and measure in one tablespoon of flour, one of salt, and one of vinegar. Mix it thoroughly until it turns to a paste, and then rub it on to the surface of the brass or copper. We now sell the microfibre cloths which you use. Leave it for a couple of minutes, and then wash it off with hot soapy water.
Take a bowl and put 1 tablespoon of vinegar, flour, and salt in it. Mix this up thoroughly. It will turn into a paste that will then be applied to the door handle. Let it sit for a few minutes and then it will need to be washed off thoroughly.
The best way to clean cabinet knobs is by using a damp cloth and wiping off whatever dirt and grime are still stuck on them. For ceramic handles, soak toothpicks in baking soda then rub them into the handles until they're shiny again. Ceramic cabinet hardware can also be cleaned with warm water or bleach if necessary.
The acetic acid in the vinegar and the sodium in the baking soda work together to dissolve the tarnish. And the baking soda provides just the right amount of grit to scrub all that tarnish away, without scratching the surface of the piece that you're cleaning.
You can tell the difference with the help of a magnet. If you hold a magnet against the item and feel a pull, you know the piece is brass plated. If there's no attraction, then the piece is solid brass.
Once you have removed the hardware (and the paint, if necessary), soak it for a few minutes in lukewarm water and a small amount of mild dish soap to remove any dirt or debris.
Mix equal parts white vinegar and baking soda in a bowl with steep sides. For example, you could combine two tablespoons vinegar and two tablespoons baking soda. The ingredients will fizz when combined. Dip a soft-bristled brush or a soft cloth in the mix and wipe down the brass hinge for a minute or two.
Mix ½ cup of baking soda with 1 cup of white vinegar to create a paste (you can also add 2 tbsp of table salt if your piece is badly tarnished). The paste will fizz for a few seconds. Once the paste has stopped fizzing, rub on to your brass hardware in circular motions with a toothbrush.