With a little time and/or elbow grease and a few items found in your kitchen you can clean most metals without using harsh, toxic and pricey metal polishes:

1. For Brass – soak brass in equal parts warm water and milk.
2. For Copper – cut a lemon in half, sprinkle with salt and rub over copper.
3. For Pewter – rub with wet cabbage leaves.
4. For Silver – soak silver pieces in an aluminum foil pan filled with water with 2-3 tablespoons cream of tartar sprinkled into it. Let soak for an hour or until pieces are tarnish free.
5. For Gold – gently rub a paste made of 1 teaspoon liquid castile soap and 1 tablespoon of baking soda over the pieces to be cleaned. Rinse well.
6. For Aluminum – place 1 cup of canned or fresh tomato slices and 2 cups of water into a pot making sure to cover aluminum pieces.  Simmer for 30 minutes, rinse with cool water and dry.