Things looked bleak for my poor, beloved copper tea kettle. Truth be told, my sister ordered a rose gold looking one and got this one instead, so she gave it to me when her replacement arrived. Cleaning a copper kettle isn’t hard, but you have to put a little elbow grease into the job.
Before Cleaning Your Kettle
Before we talk about getting started, let me share just how much came off of this kettle on a first pass. This is the only time I’ve cleaned this kettle and the only time I’ve used this cloth.
Literally, so gross. I’ve had this piece for years and though I’ve never used it once, I’ve also never cleaned it. I love it as decoration for my stove, but it has clearly seen the brunt of all the meals we cook. We typically move the kettle if we’re cooking anything that’s a spatter risk but still, two years of not polishing or cleaning copper will surely result in tarnish.
Products to Clean Tarnished Copper
Like most, I took to the internet to do some research.
The first thing Google suggested was a vinegar, salt and flour combination. Seemed easy enough, and it was, especially since the ingredients are on-hand in most homes. It also mentioned to polish it at the end, and fam, THAT is the most important step in this process.
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
- Approx. 1 cup flour
- Miracle All Purpose Cleaning Cloth
- Two soft wash cloths
Cleaning Your Copper Kettle
- Mix one cup of white vinegar with one tablespoon of salt. This is plenty to coat a large tea kettle. At first that seemed scarce, but for this size kettle that’s totally enough.
- Slowly add flour and whisk until the mixture forms a paste-like consistency. It will still be a little liquidy, so be sure you have something to put the kettle/object on before coating.
- Let the coated copper sit for 30-60 minutes. Mine sat for 60 minutes and here’s what it looked like, don’t be alarmed:
4. Rinse the mixture off and dry with a gentle cloth (an old kitchen wash cloth works). The next step is where the real magic happens.
5. Open your Miracle All Purpose Cleaning Cloth (a.k.a. the most magical cleaning cloth ever) and follow the directions on the packaging. Basically, it will advise you to clean smaller patches at a time and follow with a dry microfiber cloth (this removes the excessive coconut oil off the kettle that the cloth uses to pick up the dirt). The cloth can be used over and over even after discoloration (which WILL happen). Discoloration does not affect the effectiveness of the miracle cloth, and I can personally attest to this.
6. Keep polishing with the Miracle Cloth and following with the dry cloth until you are happy with the shine. Some items will take more energy than others, I know my kettle was in bad shape so it took a lot of elbow grease to really see that brand new looking shine. But trust me, the effort is worth it. Your piece will be restored – it’s such a great feeling!
The Finished Product
Look at that SHINE! It seriously looks like the day my sister gave it to me. I’ve never been more impressed by the outcome of a restore I’ve done.
After I told my sister about the complete 180 with my kettle she ordered the same Miracle All Purpose Cleaning Cloth. She’ll be getting hers in the next few days and I can’t wait to see her before and afters.
Before and After
Cleaning a Copper Kettle Pro Tips
- Use gloves if you just did your nails. Your nicely done mani will NOT survive the process.
- Allow yourself 30-45 minutes just for the actual polishing. Depending on the damage, it can take a lot of time.
- Grab a pack of microfiber cloths to have home. You’ll want to finish your copper with one to avoid scratching it with regular paper towels or scratchy linens.
Have you done a deep clean of any of your copper before? Tag me on social when you share your beautiful work! Don’t forget to subscribe for more hacks and tutorials straight to your inbox.
