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By Salma Ahmed, House Digest
A lot of people have in their houses at least one piece made of pewter. It is used in many things like kitchen utensils, dishware, and jewelry. Pewter includes several metals; according to Cleanipedia, it is an alloy that is mostly forged from tin, but it also has other metals like copper and antimony. If you own pewter then there are certain rules you should follow. For example, StoweCraft advises against bringing any kind of heat near pewter. So if you thought about getting your pewter near direct flame, please don't.
Is it difficult to clean pewter? The answer is no. Pewter is very easy to clean, and according to The Spruce it is also not difficult to polish since one of its benefits is that it doesn't tarnish like silver. Over time, the patina existing on pewter will start to darken, but this actually makes it more valuable to many people. When it comes to cleaning pewter more regularly, you need to check which type you own. The Spruce sets three categories when it comes to the various kinds of finish that pewter has: polished, satin, or oxidized pewter.
We have listed different methods you can use to clean your pewter no matter what type of finish it has. You should know that to preserve the finish, you should never use a dishwasher to wash pewter pieces. Don't worry about the time you will spend because this cleaning process won't take more than 30 minutes.
Read More: How To Clean Silver
1. Water and dishwashing soap
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It is very easy to clean pewter with soap and water. According to Bob Vila, the materials you will need are a bucket, mild dish soap or baby shampoo, a sponge, and a soft cloth. The cloth must be soft because using abrasive products to clean pewter will leave scratches on it.
For starters, fill the bucket with hot water, but make sure it isn't boiling because pewter and heat don't go well together. After that, add some of the dishwashing soap into the bucket, and then put the sponge into the bucket. The Spruce suggests that you submerge the pewter piece and start cleaning it while in water. If it is impossible to put the piece into the bucket then you can simply clean it using the sponge. Before you can start washing, you have to give the sponge a squeeze to avoid having it saturated with water to the point where it keeps dripping while you clean.
Next, take the sponge and clean the pewter until you feel satisfied by its appearance. The last step in this method is, as The Spruce said, to simply rinse it off with hot water. Then dry the pewter piece with the soft cloth you brought. Just make sure to follow Buyatankard's advice on making your movement while wiping go back and forth in a straight manner and avoid wiping in circles.
2. An easy-to-make paste
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This next method could be regarded as additional cleaning because let's face it, who would say no to extra cleaning? The materials you will need here will be the same as the first method but you will add other things. Along with a bucket, mild dish soap, a sponge, a soft cloth, a soft towel, you will also need flour, salt, and vinegar. These materials will help you to create the paste.
The first steps to this method are the exact same steps as the previous one. So, after you dry the pewter piece you will start making the paste. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 cup of vinegar, and almost 1 cup of flour. You will then take a layer of the paste and put it on the piece and then rub it gently with the soft cloth. Unlike Buyatankard's advice on avoiding rubbing in circles, How To Clean Stuff.net has different advice, suggesting that you rub the paste using the cloth and move it in circles.
Leave the paste on your pewter piece for about half an hour and then rinse it, again, using hot water. The last step will be to dry the piece using the soft towel. It is important to dry the pewter completely because if water droplets are left on it to dry this could leave spots and then you will need to polish it.
3. Cabbage leaves
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Don't let the title fool you; it's not related to April Fools' Day. Although the first two methods we mentioned are not only easy when it comes to the materials used, they also don't take too much time. As mentioned, you will only need from 15 to 30 minutes.
However, not all people can spare 30 or even 15 minutes to clean any pewter piece that they own. Maybe you have several pewter pieces and that will add more time to both the cleaning process and the time you might need to gather all required materials. Instead of leaving your pewter pieces to fall prey to dust because you don't have an additional 30 minutes, you could follow this step which won't take more than five minutes. This is better, right?
You only need to have a cabbage for this method, from which you will cut off some of its leaves. Then you simply follow the process of rubbing the pewter's surface but instead of using a soft cloth, use cabbage leaves. Will this method actually work? Well, according to How To Clean Stuff.net, this is an old method that can be vouched for by all who have tried it. It will make the pewter pieces look great.
4. Ketchup
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Like the last method, this one may seem odd to you, but it is actually effective. It is also very simple like previous methods and it won't take a lot of time from your schedule. Let's say you don't have the mild dishwashing soap or the baby shampoo; that shouldn't stop you from cleaning your pewter pieces and getting rid of any dust that covers their surface. So, a lack of materials should not stop you.
For this fourth method, you will need ketchup, a soft cloth, some warm water, and a soft towel. Simply put some ketchup on the pewter piece and then wipe it with the soft cloth. After you wipe the entire surface of the pewter, you should leave it for about 15 minutes.
When the time is up, wash the piece using warm water; you have to make sure that you washed it well and no ketchup is left on the pewter. HomeQuicks actually advises you to make sure that you dry the piece completely if you want visitors to notice how your pewter piece has a very shiny appearance.
Read More: How to Deep Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda
5. Baking soda
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This is the last effective method that we are going to mention that can help you clean pewter. You can always resort to the other four methods, but if you don't have the ingredients required for them then you can easily follow this guide based on using baking soda.
You will need baking soda and some water. After you mix these two ingredients you will have a paste that you can apply to a pewter piece. For the next steps, rub the paste over it using a soft cloth, and then rinse it with some water and dry it with a soft towel, just like method number two. HomeQuicks recommends this technique in case you will want to clean your pewter pieces and also make them shiner.
We gave you five methods to clean pewter and we can assure you that these are the only techniques you will need. The good part? All of them are equally effective.
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