For routine maintenance and cleaning, always hand-wash your copper mugs. If you need to remove tarnish from your mugs, there are a variety of ways to do this. You can either use lemon and salt, a vinegar-baking soda paste, or ketchup to remove tarnish from your copper mugs.
Steps
Hand-Washing Copper Mugs
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Apply mild dish soap with a sponge. Then, scrub the mugs with the sponge in a circular motion. Scrub the mugs until dirt, grime, and dust are completely gone. [1] X Expert Source Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional Expert Interview. 15 October 2019. -
Rinse with water. You may use cold or warm water to rinse the mugs. Rinse until all the soap and residue are gone. [2] X Expert Source Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.Advertisement -
Dry them off with a cotton cloth. Thoroughly hand-dry each mug with a cotton cloth. Pay attention to small corners and crevices when drying. [3] X Research source
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Dry again. Use a new cloth to dry the mugs a second time. Drying the mugs a second time will ensure that all the water is gone. [4] X Research source
- Make sure to remove all drops of water since any remaining water can cause oxidation and tarnish.
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Removing Tarnish with Lemon and Salt
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Pour 4 tablespoons (59.1 grams) of salt onto a plate. You can use regular table salt, sea salt, or any other kind of plain salt. [5] X Research source
- Depending on how many mugs you are cleaning, you may need more salt.
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Cut one lemon into fourths. Use a kitchen knife to cut the lemon into fourths. Alternatively, you can cut the lemon into halves. [6] X Research source
- If you are cleaning multiple mugs, then you may need two or more lemons.
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Place the lemons onto the salt. Rub them into the salt. Make sure the fleshy part of the lemon is completely covered with salt. [7] X Research source
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Scrub the mugs with the lemons. Do this using a circular motion. Scrub the outside and inside of the mugs until all the tarnish is removed and their surfaces shine again. [8] X Expert Source Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional Expert Interview. 15 October 2019. -
Rinse them with water. Place the mugs under cold or warm running water. Rinse them thoroughly until all lemon, salt, and residue are removed. [9] X Research source
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Use two cotton cloths to dry them. Take the first cloth and rub it over the mugs, making sure to dry all traces of water. Then take the second cloth and dry the mugs again. This will ensure a thorough dry. [10] X Research sourceAdvertisement
Using Vinegar and Baking Soda
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Add 3 parts baking soda to 1 part vinegar to form a paste. Make sure to add the baking soda to the vinegar. Then mix them together until a paste forms. You want the paste to have a toothpaste-like consistency. [11] X Research source
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Apply the paste with a sponge. Cover the inside and outside of the mug with the paste. [12] X Research source
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Let the paste set for five minutes. Depending on how tarnished your mugs are, you may need to let the paste set for longer, i.e., 5 or 10 minutes more. [13] X Research source
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Scrub the mugs with a sponge. Do this after the paste has finished setting. Using a circular motion, scrub the mugs until all the tarnish is gone and their surfaces shine. [14] X Research source
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Rinse with water. Rinse the mugs with cold or warm water. Rinse them until all traces of the paste and residue are gone. [15] X Research source
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Double dry the mugs. Take a cotton cloth and wipe down the mugs once. Then go over the mugs again with a second cloth, making sure to dry all traces of water. This will prevent further oxidation and tarnish. [16] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Squeeze ketchup onto a plate. Use 1/3 cup (80 ml) of regular ketchup. Depending on how many mugs you are cleaning, you may need to use more ketchup. [17] X Research source
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Dip a toothbrush into the ketchup. Spread a thin film of ketchup over the outside and inside of the mug. [18] X Research source
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Let the ketchup set for 5 minutes. If your mugs are very tarnished, you may need to let the ketchup set for a longer amount of time like 10 to 15 minutes. [19] X Research source
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Scrub the mugs with the toothbrush. Scrub the mugs in a circular motion with the toothbrush. Scrub until all the tarnish is gone and the mugs’ surfaces shine again. [20] X Research source
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Rinse with water. Run the mugs under cold or warm water until all the ketchup is removed. [21] X Research source
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Dry thoroughly. To dry the mugs thoroughly, dry them twice. Use a clean cotton cloth to wipe the mugs down. Then wipe them down again with a second cotton cloth. [22] X Research source
- Make sure all traces of water are gone before storing your mugs.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionCan copper mugs go in the dishwasher?Raymond Chiu is the Director of Operations for MaidSailors.com, a residential and commercial cleaning service based in New York City that provides home and office cleaning services at affordable prices. He has a Bachelors in Business Administration and Management from Baruch College.You may be able to get away with it, but you're probably better off washing them by hand. You can use a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice, and a tablespoon of salt. Just make sure that you dissolve the salt in the vinegar or lemon juice. Also, rub the copper in a smooth, circular motion to avoid scratching it. Rinse the copper off with warm water and dry it by hand.
Video
Warnings
- Never use the dishwasher to clean your copper mugs.Thanks
References
- ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.
- ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/how-to-clean-copper-moscow-mule-mugs/
- ↑ https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/how-to-clean-copper-moscow-mule-mugs/
- ↑ https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/how-to-clean-copper-moscow-mule-mugs/
- ↑ Raymond Chiu. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 15 October 2019.
- ↑ https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/how-to-clean-copper-moscow-mule-mugs/
- ↑ https://somethingnewfordinner.com/blog/how-to-clean-copper-moscow-mule-mugs/
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Clean-Copper-Mugs-/10000000205732651/g.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
- ↑ http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/tip/how-to-clean-copper.html
About this article
To clean copper mugs, hand-wash them with a sponge and mild dish soap after each use. Rinse the mugs in cold water, then dry them thoroughly with a cotton cloth. To ensure there is no water that can tarnish the copper, dry the mugs a second time with a new cloth. If the mugs have already tarnished, dip a lemon wedge into a bowl of salt, then scrub the mugs with the lemon in a circular motion until all of the tarnish is removed. Rinse the mugs and dry them thoroughly after you have cleaned them. Keep reading if you want to learn how to clean your copper mugs with baking soda and vinegar!