How to Clean Copper Wires
- 1). Use a pair of wire strippers to strip the plastic coating from the copper wire sections requiring cleaning. Use a light touch on the wires, cutting through the coating slowly to reach the wire within without cutting into or indenting the wire itself. After cutting a section of the coating, pull the wire through the cutters, peeling the coating off the wire as you do so.
- 2). Remove any corrosion present on the wire with sandpaper. You're most likely to find corrosion on wire previously exposed to the elements. Wrap the wire in sandpaper and then move the sandpaper up and down the wire with smooth, long strokes to remove all signs of the corrosion. Put on a pair of safety goggles, rubber gloves and a face mask to avoid contact with the corrosion from the wire during the cleaning process.
- 3). Wash the wire with a cleanser created by mixing 1/2 cup vinegar with 1 tsp. salt in a container. Place the wire into the container with the vinegar and agitate it gently. Watch the wire while moving it about for signs of tarnish and dirt removal. Leave the wire inside the container until it shines, then remove it and rinse the vinegar off using running water.
- 4). Spot clean the wire for areas not shined in the bucket of vinegar using a kitchen scrubbing pad saturated with the cleanser. Scrub those areas still requiring cleaning with the pad until they shine as much as the rest of the wire. Rinse thoroughly under running water then pat the wire dry with a paper towel.