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Baldwin brass does not tarnish. I don't know if has any antimicrobial properties though. Plain copper or brass if you don't want spend a lot time buffing or po
by anfilt 7y ago
Baldwin brass does not tarnish. I don't know if has any antimicrobial properties though.
Plain copper or brass if you don't want spend a lot time buffing or polishing can actually be easily cleaned with sodium cyanide. Although I am sure there are other cleaners that would be easier to properly dispose of. Although, I know in factories they use it clean brass and copper quickly. Apparently vinegar can work well too never tried it though.
- gus_massa 7y agoI think we agree that Sodium Cyanide not safe enough to use nearby general public. (I used Potassium Cyanide in my secondary school because it has an specialization in Chemistry. It is usable in a lab or factory environments, but you must be careful.) Ammonia should also be useful, because it forms a nice blue complex with cooper, but it is not as strong as the cyanide complex. There are 5% solutions for home use, but I'm not sure that they are good enough for cleaning the rust and safe enough for a hospital room nearby a patient. About vinegar, I'm not sure if it forms a complex, but can apparently dissolve the rust. I don't remember trying it, but from one of the first links in Google https://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/copper_caper.html https://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/copper_caper....
- tropo 7y agoSulfuric acid will remove the oxide without damaging the copper. Tested and known to work: a syrupy-thick 18 molar concentration. So that's a cyanide-free answer to the problem. Cover the ceiling and walls with copper foil, and regularly mop them down with 18 molar sulfuric acid to keep them pretty. Rinse carefully, especially the ceiling. The cleaning solution is also a great disinfectant all by itself.