Expert: Jamie Novak - 3/8/2010

Question
I've come across a job that has a huge copper range hood that has years of layered cooked on cooking grease. Do you know what will remove this easiest and what will polish the tarnished copper back to life?

Answer
Hi Lisa, me again :)

Sorry I was not clear- these solutions are perfect for cleaning the grime. The lemon cuts the grease and the other scrubs gently.

Hope this helps to clarify...again happy cleaning, Jamie





Hi Lisa,

Sounds like an interesting job. Personally I prefer natural cleaners I can make from stuff in my pantry, you could try:

Salt/Vinegar/Flour
Dissolve 1 tsp of salt in 1 C white vinegar then add flour slowly to make a paste. Apply the paste to copper and let it sit for 15-45 minutes. Rinse with warm water, and polish dry using a microfiber cloth.

Lemon/Baking Soda. Cut a lemon in half, dip the cut end into baking soda then rub copper with the lemon slice and rinse with water then dry.

Lemon Juice/Cream of Tartar. Make a paste of lemon juice with cream of tartar. Apply, leave
on for 5 minutes, and then wash in warm water. Dry with a soft microfiber cloth.

Or Amazon.com and home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot carry copper cleaners and polishes.

Of course I have to add the fine print which is: it is suggested you try these ideas in small areas first to test.

I hope this helps, happy cleaning, Jamie