Among metals, copper is vastly underrated, and it’s Abraham Lincoln’s fault. Pennies are made from copper, and you can’t buy anything with them. Bending down to pick up a dropped penny is thought to be a bad investment. That’s why you find them everywhere, and all of that reflects badly on copper. Cooks, electricians, plumbers, collectors, sculptors, and persons of taste know otherwise. Copper boasts a skill set unmatched by almost any metal. It conducts heat and electricity. It is extremely malleable. It even ages well. When it is new, copper – one of three non-silver metals – is mesmerizing. That is why I wanted to learn how to clean copper. I had an old copper pot that was tarnished and stained. Many collectors prefer that dark, caramel tarnish to the bright peach glow of clean copper, but not I. I wanted a decoration to dazzle my guests with. “Look how it glimmers!” they will say, and I will humbly agree. Not wanting to damage my pot, I researched thoroughly. In the end I settled on using a cheap, homemade copper cleaner and polisher, and it surpassed my expectations. Read my latest article on how to clean copper so you too can uncover the true majesty of this underrated metal.