Keep your vessels squeaky clean

Here are a few tips to keep your old utensils shiny and new…

Vinegar
If you're short on lemons, you can substitute vinegar for the lemon juice. However, most vinegars are less acidic than lemon juice and may be less effective on heavily tarnished pieces.

Ketchup:
Squeeze a little ketchup onto the copper surface. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow ketchup's acidity begin to do its work.

Then scrub vigorously with a nylon scrubbing pad or soft sponge. Rinse thoroughly. Polish copper to a shiny finish with a cloth lightly moistened with olive oil. Allow to air dry.

Lemon and salt paste
Lemon and salt rank as an all-star combination for kitchen cures. You likely have these two nontoxic ingredients in the kitchen already, so why not put them to good, hard-working use? This concoction made quick work — instant, really — of removing a dull, well-worn finish from copper pots. Within seconds, the copper was gleaming again.

Flour, salt and vinegar paste
Add one tablespoon of salt in a cup of vinegar. Now add four carefully to make a paste. Remember the paste should not be too thin or too thick. Smear the paste all over the copper article. Leave it on for half an hour. Now rinse with warm water and polish with dry soft cloth. You can use dry wheat flour for polishing too.