innkeeping: environmentally safe cleaners for B&Bs

[rosedew@cycor.ca (Brenda and Edgar Dewar)]

        We find the vinegar-and-salt "recipe" you mentioned works better 
for
COPPER than for brass (works well on even the worst old copper kitchen 
pots).  

        For BRASS I suggest you try a mixture of 1/2 liquid dish detergent
and 1/2 lemon juice instead.  Put it on, wait a few moments, rub it off
gently and rinse with warm water... scarcely any rubbing necessary.... and
none of that miserable black that Brasso always produces. I do this only
once a year with our decorative pieces (we have a lot of brass things...
kapsa tray, huge gong, Saudi coffee pots, etc.  etc.) then when all is 
dry,
I wipe on a thin coat of Turtle Wax (yes, the same kind you'd use on your
car) to keep the oxygen away from the surface for months.  (I do NOT like
lacquers on brass as they are TERRIBLE to get rid of as you always must 
when
the lacquer chips eventually or  scratches let the oxygen reach the metal
underneath.)

        Both of these concoctions work chemically as mild electroylysis 
and
are akin to the method of cleaning SILVER that involves a few tablespoons 
of
TSP (trisodium phosphate) and a sheet of aluminum foil in a sinkful of 
warm
water.  This last one was the subject of a Consumers' Report article many
years ago.  That report indicated that you actually remove less of your
metal surface with the TSP and Al than if you used even the most expensive
commerical (all slightly abrasive) materials. 

        Isn't it great to find "old-fashioned" remedies that  are
environmentally friendly, EASY, and cheap !!?   

        Like many country places, we must sustain our own septic system so
we had a direct personal interest in watching what cleaners we used long
before environmental issues became so politicially correct.  And with a
chemical engineer in the family we invariably investigate such things 
rather
thoroughly. Hope these little hints that we've come to take for-granted 
may
be useful to you.

        Brenda Dewar   Roseneath B&B, PEI
Brenda and Edgar Dewar, 
Roseneath B&B, RR # 6, Cardigan, PEI, C0A 1G0
http://www.bestinns.net/canada/pei/roseneath.html