You can find out how to counteract the development of verdigris in different materials and how to remove verdigris in our helpful guide. Whether it’s a wooden bench or copper coins – with our housewife’s tips against verdigris, you will no longer get verdigris in your house. And: Is verdigris poisonous?
Even if verdigris lends the right mystical flair to many a setting, it is generally not welcomed in the home. Verdigris is actually small crystals that form from a copper salt of acetic acid due to weather influences and lead to a green to blue-green discoloration of an object. They are therefore small color pigments.
What exactly is verdigris?
When we talk about verdigris in everyday life, we mean two things: On the one hand, we speak of verdigris when copper or brass objects turn a green-blue color. On the other hand, we also speak of verdigris when it is actually green growth on stones, wood, plastic, or other materials. Green growth is usually organic material such as moss, lichen, and algae, while the discoloration that occurs in copper and brass objects takes place in the copper or brass itself. Both types of verdigris infestation require different strategies to control and get rid of them. You can find out how here.
Removing verdigris from copper and brass
Verdigris infestation is most common on copper and brass items, such as coins and ornaments. Various home remedies will help you to remove the verdigris and restore the affected piece to its former glory.
1) Cleaning in a vinegar bath
Cleaning small objects is relatively easy: a bath in vinegar water helps here. Simply mix enough vinegar in a bowl and let the items be cleaned and soak for a few hours. The objects must then be rinsed off with clear water and they will shine in their old glory. Stubborn spots can be treated with a toothbrush dipped in vinegar.
2) Polish with vinegar
For extra polish, simply rub the object with a soft cloth that has also been moistened with the universal household remedy vinegar and place it in the sun. The vinegar has an effect on the copper and brass structure and the verdigris cannot spread again so quickly. You can bring new splendor to your home easily, quickly, and without much effort and banish the verdigris from your four walls.
3) Mixture of salt and ammonia
No vinegar on hand? Salt and ammonia solutions will also help. Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in 125 ml ammonia solution and rub the object to be cleaned with the mixture. Then you should leave it on for about an hour. Then simply rub off the solution with a soft cloth and copper and brass will shine like new again. Please also note our general tips on how to clean and care for the copper.
4) flour, salt, and alcohol
But what if the objects to be cleaned are built-in cranes or fittings? Then a paste of flour, salt, and alcohol will help. To do this, fill a coffee cup with 2 tablespoons of flour, 3 pinches of salt, and some alcohol. The paste has to be thick and sticky so that it sticks to the appropriate parts of the object… even in hard-to-reach places. The longer the porridge can work, the better the result will be. You can then rinse off the paste with clear water and polish the area with a dry cloth. Also, note our tips for cleaning awnings.
5) Softsoap and lye solution
Here we recommend a soft soap or lye solution to treat the area affected by verdigris. You can simply wet the object generously with the solution, an old kitchen sponge is suitable for this. After a few days, you will notice a change in the wood, and the verdigris will recede or fall off. If necessary, you can repeat the process.
6) High pressure against verdigris
If the verdigris infestation is already more advanced, reaching for the high-pressure cleaner will help. Such a device can be rented for a day from any standard hardware store. Or maybe you share a high-pressure cleaner with your neighbor? Since the high-pressure cleaner involves a large amount of water, it is best to take this measure on a warm, sunny day so that the furniture and other affected objects can then dry thoroughly. Subsequent wood care is also advisable.
