How to clean a garden bronze?

How to clean a garden bronze?

 Having a bronze decoration in your garden adds a certain cachet to your garden. Bronze is a bit like art in the garden. It enhances your garden pond.

It's not the first time we've been asked how to clean a garden bronze. We thought it was the right time to make a micro-guide.

If your bronze becomes greenish, don't worry, it's oxidation; a natural reaction that affects bronze over time, this color called “Vert-de-gris” can, depending on taste, make the bronze more beautiful or, on the contrary, cause it to lose its original color which is so representative.

If you have one or more bronze objects or decorations in your home and you want your bronze to keep its original color and shine, here are some tips for you:

There are different methods for cleaning bronze and/or restoring it, all the methods listed below will be feasible with only the help of a few everyday products and a little time.

Attention :  

For all the methods mentioned below, you must obviously carry them out with care. The following methods should not be used too frequently or too abruptly: this could damage the bronze.

1: Soapy Water:

The first method will be content with the use of hot water and unscented soap (the components of scented soap could damage the metal). Indeed, by diluting a little soap in hot water, you will obtain a mixture that you can use to clean your bronze, then you just need to rinse it thoroughly with clear water .
If the bronze object is small, you can also immerse it in previously boiled water, let it soak for a few minutes and then clean it with soapy water. You can then let it dry.

2: Toothpaste:

Another fairly simple method is possible; the use of toothpaste and a simple cloth or sponge.

Apply the toothpaste to the cloth and gently rub the bronze. Once the entire surface has been cleaned, all you have to do is rinse the bronze with clean water and dry it with a soft dry cloth.

3: Ketchup and other sauces:

As surprising as it may seem, ketchup sauce and slightly hot sauces can also be used to clean a bronze object.

To do this, simply put a little sauce in a container, then apply the sauce with a sponge or cloth over the entire surface of the bronze object, then wait a few moments before rinsing everything with lukewarm water. then dry everything.

4. Coke:

Coca, being used in small quantities can also serve as sufficient antioxidant to restore bronze to its former glory.

If it's a small object, just let it soak in the coke for a few minutes before rinsing it thoroughly and letting it dry.

If the object is larger, it will be necessary to favor the use of an object soaked in coca which will be used to gently rub the bronze. Then, just rinse and dry everything with a cloth.

5. White Vinegar:

Another way to maintain bronze is to use a mixture of white vinegar and salt.

Wear gloves, then mix the vinegar with hot water in a container and then add salt (about a small cup of vinegar for four handfuls of salt, halve the dosage if it is an old bronze) before mixing again. After preparing this mixture several options are available to you:

- If the object is small , you can immerse it completely in a small basin containing the previously prepared mixture and let it rest for about half a day. Once this time has passed, you can rinse it with lukewarm water and dry it with a soft cloth.

- If the object is large , you impregnate a cloth with the mixture and apply it gently to the entire surface of the bronze. You can then rinse with lukewarm water before drying it with a soft cloth.

There are of course other methods , all more or less conventional. But these five methods above are quite simple and effective to do at home without the need for a lot of materials and technique.

Before cleaning a bronze, we always recommend that you ask the manufacturer to avoid damaging the bronze :-) It is better to ask him the question to avoid the problem.