I was sent this recipe by a colleague so I could restore some brass hardware on furniture in my showroom. Amazing, non-toxic, make as you need it, and great results!
In a glass or plastic bowl (never metal) mix 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar with 2/3 cup flour. All I had was whole wheat flour, so my cleanser is for heart-healthy tarnish. Once the mixture is smooth, add 1/2 cup of salt and stir until mixed in. This isn’t the sort of thing that keeps well, so make this polish on an as-needed basis.
Arrange all your items on a platter or cookie sheet. (I used parchment paper underneath because my cookie sheet is metal.) If I could do it again, I would have made a double or triple batch and dumped it in a 9×13 pan. You’ll see why in a minute.
Take your mix and glop it all over your tarnished brass. The mix should be thick and sticky. I think I could have used an extra tablespoon of flour, but no biggie. I just took care to cover all the nooks and crannies. Had I made a larger batch and dumped it into a 9×13 pan (mentioned above) I could have just buried everything in there and saved myself some time.
Let it sit for a couple of hours, overnight if needed. I let mine sit overnight because the handles and pulls were just terrible. I knew 1-2 hours of salty-sour flour wasn’t going to cut it.
See all that green? That means it’s working. The next day I just dumped everything in the sink and washed off the dried goop. If your pieces are intricate make your mixture thicker.
I think the results are better than very good.