Brasso

Brasso is a metal polish designed to remove tarnish from brass, copper, chrome and stainless steel. It is available either directly as a liquid or as an impregnated wadding pad.

Brasso has been in use for over 100 years, and originated in Britain in 1905. In 1904 Reckitt & Sons' senior traveller, W.H. Slack, visited the company's Australian branch, where he discovered such a product in use. Samples from Australian and US producers were then analysed by Reckitt's chemists, and by 1905 liquid polish under the trademark "Brasso" was being sold, initially to railways, hospitals, hotels, and large shops.

Brasso is a metal polish designed to remove tarnish from brass, copper, chrome and stainless steel. It is available either directly as a liquid or as an impregnated wadding pad.

Brasso has been in use for over 100 years, and originated in Britain in 1905. In 1904 Reckitt & Sons' senior traveller, W.H. Slack, visited the company's Australian branch, where he discovered such a product in use. Samples from Australian and US producers were then analysed by Reckitt's chemists, and by 1905 liquid polish under the trademark "Brasso" was being sold, initially to railways, hospitals, hotels, and large shops.

The polish grew in popularity in Britain, eventually replacing the previous paste-style polishes. It has undergone very few changes in either composition or package design over the past century. Cans are often collected as a typical example of classic British advertising design.

In the U.S., the current Brasso product is not the same as the legacy product. The manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, has not produced the impregnated wadding version of the product for many years. The formula changed in 2008 to comply with U.S. volatile organic compounds law, and the metal bottle was replaced by a plastic one.