My very own mother taught me today’s cleaning hack – how to clean copper pots with vinegar and salt.
My mother always kept a water bottle of white vinegar next to the sink so she could easily clean her copper pots quickly and easily after each use. Unfortunately, I once accidentally took a swig from that water bottle full of vinegar, thinking it was just water, and was seriously surprised and disgusted! Bleh!
How glad I am that vinegar is a natural product as well as a strong cleaning agent. It works great to clean copper pots and make them shine like new but won’t cause you any harm, other than to your sense of smell. Bonus: vinegar and salt are cheap.
How to Clean Copper Pots with Vinegar
Materials Needed to Clean Copper Pots
To clean copper-bottomed pots and get them shining like new again grab the following:
- Salt
- White Vinegar
- Scour Pad
- Dirty Copper Pots
Instructions for Cleaning Copper Pots with Vinegar
Instructions for Cleaning Copper Pots with VinegarStep #1 – Sprinkle salt onto the bottom of your pans.
Step #2 –Pour or spray your white vinegar on the salt.
Step #3 – It will change color! It’s working!
Step #4 – Now take your scour pad and rub that vinegar around and into that salt.
Step #5 – Add more vinegar and salt as needed and continue to scrub. And that’s it! Your pots will be shiny and brighter then ever before! Here’s a video I put together showing you how:
It really works!
Seriously! It’s that easy!
Apparently, you can also clean copper pots with ketchup (since it has vinegar in it)! Check out my tutorial with ketchup! Another great product that works to clean copper pots is Bar Keepers Friend. That stuff is great!
Now go clean those copper pots!
For more great cleaning tips, be sure to follow my Cleaning board on Pinterest!
For more tips on how to clean just about everything, check out these other popular kitchen cleaning tutorials!
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- How to clean stainless steel pans
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WOW! This is great. While I don’t have this type of pans, my parents do and they look horrible! I need to use this trick.
Wow, that’s pretty amazing! I love how it looks so pretty and shiny! I have heard of cleaning with vinegar and baking soda but now vinegar and salt! Cool. Thanks for linking up to Making Your Home Sing Monday!
the copper on pans I always use ketchup. minimal scrubbing. leave it on and wipe off. if it all didn’t come off then do a second try.
I use lemons, salt and a soft cloth.
Must be the acidity that does the trick! Thanks for sharing!
I just saw this idea on Pinterest! I can’t wait to use your idea. (It’s fun to see that you graduated at BYU! I work there. I manage two computer labs for the McKay School of Education…)
Great to hear from a fellow BYU person. 🙂 And I will be demoing this tonight for our Relief Society meeting.
Super jazzed about getting that knwo-how.
THANK YOU!!! I have antique revere ware that I’ve collected from thrift stores and they need a good cleaning. This is perfect! Thank you so much!
You are welcome!! I hope it works awesome for you!
Revere ware can be cleaned using ketchup or tomato sauce, too.
Just a little warning, be careful with this. I tried this last night on a tiny copper dipped revere ware pot and with very gentle scrubbing it started to take the copper right off and show through to the silver part of the pot. Maybe only use on thick copper coatings!
Tried this it works. But I have copper bottoms that have baked on gunk. Can I get it off without ruining the pan?
Wow, I just tried the vinegar & salt on the copper bottoms of 2 pans that belonged to my mom….they are well over 40 years old. They look like new! I try a lot of these cleaning “hacks” only to be disappointed, but this one works in minutes! Thanks for the tip!
Yeah!! So great to hear!
Does salt & vinegar clean brass? If not,what works to really get a shine. Brasso does not work any more & neìther do lemons or catsup.