Brass & Gold-Tone Cleaning Tips
Brass Cleaning Tips
Our brass cleaning tips will help you keep your gold-tone rosary, chaplet, necklace, or bracelet in good condition.
Cleaning Tips for Gold-tone & Brass Rosaries
Although we recommend storing your rosary in a closed container between use, you may want to clean it from time to time.
Gold-Tone
We use brass wire for our gold-tone rosaries. Brass is a metal alloy composed of copper and zinc. Although it is a gold colour, it does not contain gold.
A protective coating helps our rosaries keep their original shine. We use parts with a protective finish except for one. The wire does not have a coating because we need to bend and shape it.
Patina
You will notice that the wire will seem to tarnish or get a dull finish with time. The technical term is patina. If you pray your rosary outdoors, especially in the salty air of ocean beaches, you will notice this more. The patina depends on how often you are touching it, the oils in your hands, and exposure to air. This means your favourite rosary will have wire that looks more aged.
TIP
It is a good idea to keep a small cloth (like the ones for cleaning eyeglasses) in the pouch with your rosary. That way, you can give it a quick buff from time to time.
To keep it dry, you can store it in a pouch with anti-tarnish paper, or a piece of chalk. A silica gel packet (like the ones that come with new shoes or purses) will also work but they are poisonous.
How to Clean Your Rosary
You can keep your rosary’s original gold luster by doing a simple surface buffing with a soft, dry cloth. A soft, clean, dry toothbrush will also work.
Deeper Cleaning
It may need a deeper cleaning. Start with a mild liquid detergent (not a degreaser). Mix a little soap with a small amount of warm water.
- Dampen a toothbrush and a corner of a lint-free cloth (like t-shirt fabric) with a soap and water solution. Surface clean it, one section at a time. If needed, toothpaste will work for the most stubborn stains.
- Dampen a corner of the cloth with clean water to wipe off any soapy residue.
- Finally, dab it with a clean, dry cloth and let the rosary completely air dry.
Are Dip Cleaners Safe?
We DO NOT RECOMMEND DIP CLEANERS because they could cause permanent damage. Some of them will corrode the metal and the beads. Even immersing a rosary in a gentle cleaner can leave moisture trapped inside the bead holes next to the wire. Our surface cleaning methods are the safest.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere in 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
Julia Kuzenkof shared her photo of an ocean beach on pexels.com.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet resources. We’d like you to use it as a starting point for your research to verify facts and build a reference list.
IN REVIEW
Our gold-tone rosaries have BRASS wire. The other rosary parts have a protective finish and will not appear tarnished. The wire, however, will get a dull finish from the oils in your hands and exposure to air.
If it needs a minor touchup, you can buff it with a soft, dry cloth or a soft, dry toothbrush.
For deep cleaning, dip a toothbrush in a soapy solution. (Toothpaste also works.) It should be damp and not dripping wet. Next, rinse with a damp, clean cloth. Finally, dab it dry and let it air dry for a day or two. Find more details on our website.