The Unexpected Kitchen Ingredient You Can Use To Polish Brass

High-quality brass polish can be fairly expensive for homeowners who rarely have a reason to polish their brass fixtures. However, if you notice that your brass doorknobs are looking grubby and lifeless right before you are set to entertain guests, don't worry! You may have never replaced the empty can of brass polish under your kitchen sink, but there may be an equally effective solution in your refrigerator.

Most homeowners don't know this, but Worcestershire sauce (a condiment with English origins) is surprisingly effective at polishing brass. beware though, according to The Baltimore Sun, in order to clean brass surfaces they need to be unlacquered. To polish your unlacquered brass, simply add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to a microfiber rag and rub the surface vigorously. For the finishing touch, simply wipe down the surface with a damp paper towel to remove any Worcestershire sauce residue or odor from the surface.

If you're wondering how Worcestershire sauce is able to polish brass instead of leaving it brown and sticky, the answer probably lies in the condiment's liberal use of vinegar. In fact, according to Martha Stewart, vinegar is one of the most powerful natural cleaners that can be found in nearly any home. For this reason, most items that can be cleaned with a vinegar solution, such as brass jewelry, can be polished up equally well if placed in Worcestershire sauce and left to soak for about an hour.

Unfortunately, if you're wondering whether other vinegar-based condiments in your refrigerator can be used to polish brass in a pinch, you might be disappointed. According to the Baltimore Sun, ketchup's goopy consistency does not make it ideal for most household cleaning tasks despite its abundance of vinegar. While there are advocates to be found for cleaning brass fixtures with ketchup, it's safe to say that vinegar or Worcestershire sauce will be a better solution for most homeowners who find themselves all out of polish.