Cleaning Copper
Most pieces of decorative, modern copper are
protected by a factory-applied, baked-on lacquer. Only
dusting and an occasional washing with lukewarm, soapy
water are needed to keep lacquered objects shiny. Never
polish them.
Lacquer must be removed from eating and cooking
utensils before using. To remove lacquer, place the item
in 2 gallons of boiling water to which 1 cup of washing
soda has been added. The lacquer will peel off.
An alternate method to remove lacquer is to rub with
a cloth saturated with acetone or alcohol.