WATCH: Brasso and brown sugar: Raj's viral guide to perfect prayer lamp maintenance

KNOWN for his energetic Bhangra dancing, TikTok creator Raj has unexpectedly gone viral with his passionate tutorial on cleaning prayer lamps using an unconventional mixture of Brasso and brown sugar.

Watch his step-by-step method that's captivating viewers beyond the dance community.

In the video Raj takes viewers through a step-by-step method of cleaning traditional prayer lamps and offering practical tips.

“Today's topic we are going to talk about how you shine your lamp, how you can keep your lamp shining for so long,” Raj begins in the video, showing one of his gleaming lamps. 

“So, this is one of my lamps, right. It's so beautiful. It looks so nice, so shining and all even on the tip.”

Raj explained that his preferred method involved an unconventional mixture of Brasso metal polish and brown sugar.

“So normally to keep your lamp shining for so long, what I normally do is I take brasso and brown sugar. Mix it all together. Don't add water. Brasso already has its own different water then with brown sugar, specifically brown sugar not white sugar then you just scrub your lamp nicely,” he said.

Addressing common questions from followers about how long the mixture should sit, Raj added humour to his explanation. 

“Some people ask how long do you wait. The lamp is the one which is waiting for you to wash it,” he jokes. 

“I don't normally wait 14 minutes. I can start by washing my lamp right now. Placing it on the side and I'm washing other things. Already the lamp is waiting for me.”

After scrubbing, Raj recommends rinsing the lamp in hot - but not overly hot - water and following up with dishwashing liquid. 

“You add your Sunlight, your dishwasher Sunlight. It's a green one then you just squeeze it on your sponge. You scrub it nicely. It will be just shining like that." 

According to Raj, the brown sugar plays a key role in removing tarnish. 

“What the sugar helps with, the sugar helps with removing the green stuff especially. Normally you find other lamps where the green doesn't come out, so the brown sugar helps you to scrub off the green stuff and the brown sugar also helps it to shine a little bit longer.”

He also shares alternative, more traditional cleaning methods using natural ingredients. 

“Normally people take the lime, you can take lime juice and the ashes,” he says, noting that a mixture of ash and lime or even tamarind, works well, particularly for brass murthis (religious idols). 

“I also tried the ash and the lime on my lamp and it's still shining. It works that way. But now if I want it to shine like nobody's business, then I use the Brasso and the sugar.”

Beyond cleaning, Raj’s video delves into the decorative aspects of preparing a lamp for prayer. He explains the process of “dotting” the lamp with sacred powders, emphasising that there is no strict rule on the number of dots applied.

“Some people always ask how many dots do you put? Is there a specific number for the dots and everything? The dotting is just to make the lamp so beautiful, even if it's just one dot it's also okay. It's up to you how many dots you wanna put and make it so beautiful, as long as it looks beautiful to you.”

He describes preparing manjal (turmeric) paste into small balls, topping them with kungumam (kumkum) and placing rice beneath the lamp before positioning it in the prayer area. 

“When you are going to place your lamp in your prayer place, it's also good there on your tray, right? You put some rice, then you can place your lamp on top of that, then you can put the coin inside. that one is perfect. Hundred percent complete." 

Encouraging engagement from viewers, Raj ended the video by inviting others to share their own methods. 

“Y'all are all welcome to comment, so others can also know how to wash the lamp and how you actually shine it. The easier way to shine it, the faster way to shine it. Because others also, you know, people do things in a different way. that's why I'm telling,” said Raj in the video. 

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