Brass fixtures, whether in your living room, bathroom, bedroom, dining room or kitchen, add to the charm and overall interior design of your house. Brass has a unique character that adds to the rustic, classic and elegant look of your home. Some people are not bothered by the occasional tarnish and discoloration of brass materials. For others, this is considered unsightly.

Tarnish and discoloration becomes noticeable if you have a brass kitchen faucet. Do you know an easy way on how to clean a brass kitchen faucet? Before we go deeper into the tips and tricks, let us first answer the question: what is a kitchen faucet? Find out here.

What is a kitchen faucet?

It may sound a no-brainer question to many people. One might say, a kitchen faucet is a device installed in your sink so that water flow can be controlled. While this definition is true, the concept of kitchen faucet takes a bigger meaning when you realize just how important its role is.

Think about how many times you use the kitchen faucet in your house. You use it for cooking, washing dishes, watering plants or giving baby a bath. On the average, every hour spent in the living room is equal to five hours in the kitchen. See how busy a kitchen can get?

For a kitchen to function well, you need an efficient kitchen faucet to supply you with water. Imagine a broken faucet at home? Where is the next available faucet? In the bathroom? Will you bring your food to wash there?

Kitchen faucets come in different types. There are one-handled types, two-handled models and hands-free features. Depending on your daily use, you can choose a model best suitable for your household. 

You can also choose a suitable height for your kitchen faucet. High arch are best used if your household often uses large pots for cooking. For most kitchens, a low arc faucet is good enough for regular dishwashing.
If you want to match the overall interior look of your home, you can opt for brass kitchen faucets. But since they are always wet, brass faucets tend to discolor and look old. Rust will not eat it up, but constant water exposure can tarnish its shiny surface. What can you do about it?

 How To Clean A Brass Kitchen Faucet

To keep your brass kitchen faucet looking new and shiny, you can try any of these four tips and tricks. However, please be reminded to wear gloves when you clean brass faucets. Some brass cleaning chemicals can harm and hurt your skin. Also, the oil in your hands can leave marks on the faucet. Wear gloves when cleaning.

1. Wipe-down routine

The easiest way to clean brass faucet is to wipe it down and keep it dry after every use. Keep regular wipe-downs a part of your daily chore. It is the cheapest way to keep your faucet looking new. Don’t use abrasive materials or scrubs. It will cause scratches on your faucet. If a damp cloth does not work, soak the cloth in warm, soapy water and wipe the brass faucet. Make sure to dry it off. This will avoid dirt and residue build up.

2. Chemical brass cleaners

You can check stores for available brass cleaners. There are cheap and expensive ones. Read instructions carefully because some chemicals can remove light tarnish. Others require special application to remove heavy build up. You can bring a picture of your brass faucet and ask a store attendant to help you pick the right cleaning agent.

3. Ketchup trick

The citric acid found in Ketchup products can do miracles on your brass faucet. Apply a small amount of ketchup on a damp cloth and wipe it on the surface of the faucet. Use a clean cloth to wipe the ketchup off. Rinse with water to remove any residue. Make sure to dry it off afterwards.

4. DIY cleaning paste

An easy brass cleaner paste can be found in your cupboard. Mix one teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar and about 3 tbsp flour. Dissolve the salt in vinegar and add the flour to make a paste. Wipe it on the surface of the brass faucet and leave it for 10 minutes. Wipe if off with a dry cloth. Your brass faucet will look as good and shiny as new.

Keeping your brass kitchen faucet spick and span is not difficult. All you need is regular wipe-downs and occasional brass cleaners if the build-up has started to become troublesome.

Rosalie Alllen

Rosalie is the founder of UnderRoofs where she and her associates blog about the best kitchen gadgets, tip & tricks, and finest tech that will help you make exquisite in your home. she gathers and shares tips on how to improve home and kitchen for you to be able to make the most out of it.