Getting your pooja things ready for Navaratri golu
Lamps for the steps, plates for guests and return gifts: a checklist for the nine nights of golu.
Green spots on copper and brass: what they are and what to do
Why copper plates and brass lamps turn green, whether it matters, and how to clean it off without harm.
Customers sometimes bring us a copper plate or kalasam with green or blue-green patches and ask if it has gone bad. It has not. The green is verdigris, a layer that forms when copper reacts with moisture, oil, salt or the acid in leftover offerings. Brass, which is mostly copper, does the same.
It usually appears in the same places: where water was left standing, where kumkum or lemon was in contact with the metal for days, and in the grooves of embossed work. In Madurai’s humid months, between October and December, it forms faster.
To remove it, make a paste of tamarind pulp and a pinch of salt, or use half a lemon dipped in salt. Rub the green patch with your fingers or a soft cloth, use an old toothbrush for grooves, and leave it for five minutes before rinsing in warm water. Dry the piece straight away with a cotton cloth, including the inside of any vessel. For heavy build-up, repeat once the next day rather than scrubbing hard. Avoid steel wool and powder cleansers, which scratch the surface so that it tarnishes faster.
To prevent it, empty and dry water vessels each evening, wipe the plate after every pooja and keep pieces out of damp corners. Do not store food or drinking water in copper with green patches until it is cleaned. If a piece is badly marked, we polish it at the shop from ₹150.
