Ketchup

• Slathered on hot dogs or on the side with some french fries, ketchup may seem like only a food item, but it can also be a useful brass renewer. Use generic brands of ketchup to clean brass pieces, as the brand of ketchup does not matter. Place pieces of brass that need cleaning in a pan, and pour an entire bottle of ketchup over the pieces, or enough ketchup to completely submerge the pieces. Bring the ketchup to a boil on high heat, then turn down to a low heat and continue to cook the ketchup until the brass pieces are shiny again. Turn off the heat, remove pieces from the ketchup and submerge in lukewarm water. Once cool enough to handle, polish the brass pieces with a cloth.
  
  

Salt and Vinegar

• Vinegar makes for a useful, and relatively cheap, method of cleaning many items around the house. White distilled vinegar found in your local grocery store makes for the perfect homemade cleaner base. Pour enough vinegar into a plastic bucket to cover the brass pieces, then add roughly the same amount of regular table salt to the vinegar. Mix the vinegar and salt together thoroughly, then soak the brass pieces in the solution for one hour or longer, depending upon how dirty the brass is. Remove from the solution, and use nonabrasive kitchen scrubbers and cloth rags to clean the brass. Elbow grease will be needed for extra stubborn corrosion and dirt; protect your hands from the vinegar by wearing gloves.
  
  

Hot Sauce

• Like the ketchup method of cleaning brass, hot sauce may prove to be a surprising and effective method of renewing brass' polish and shine. Any brand of hot sauce will do, so find the cheapest brand in the largest quantity if using this method. Pour enough hot sauce into a plastic tub or bucket to cover the brass pieces. Do not use aluminum, or other metal, containers as the metals may react with the hot sauce and not renew the brass completely. Let the brass soak in the hot sauce for an hour or two, then remove it. Rinse the hot sauce from the brass pieces, then polish with a cloth.
  
  

Salt, Flour and Vinegar

• Add flour to a salt and vinegar brass-cleaning solution to make a paste that will renew pieces of brass. This method works wonders for larger brass pieces that are too big to submerge in a bucket, tub or pan, or pieces of brass that cannot be moved around readily. Whip up a batch of brass renewing paste by mixing equal parts salt, flour and vinegar in a bucket. Put on a pair of protective cleaning gloves, then rub the paste onto the brass that needs cleaning. Let this paste sit for one hour, then rinse the paste off. Dry the brass thoroughly, before buffing the brass to a shine with a dry cloth towel or rag.