The most effective way to clean and polish metals is regular commercial metal polish that can be purchased from most supermarkets; simply buff the metal and wipe off with a clean cloth, however, do read and be aware of the types of metal you are dealing with, whether it's copper, steel, silver etc, as this affect the result of your shine.
Stained, tarnished or flawed Copper and Brass can be cleaned and buffed with a solution of 3 Parts Salt to 1 Part Lemon Juice. The gritty texture, when rubbed over the item you wish to clean, will buff out most scratches and any discolouration will be returned to its original form.
Silver cutlery needs maintaining, and if not looked after, can give out the wrong impression; to keep your silverware looking pristine, bathe it in silver dip, which will take away discolouration, stains and give it an impeccable shine.
Silver Jewellery and all solid silver items really can lose their sparkle after time and neglect; to overcome this unattractive problem, try layering the base of a bowl in tinfoil and make sure that the shiny-side is facing up. Once you've covered the bowl, mix together boiling water and washing up crystals to form a solution that will put that amazing shine and twinkle back into your most expensive Jewellery, and silverwares. The shiny side to the foil, working together with the crystals and water, attracts the dirt and general filth that lodges itself into the tiniest of grooves like a magnet! Simply leave to soak for 10 minutes and tip away to reveal immaculate items!
Click here to read more from DIY Extra