For generations, peetal's outside was cleaned with tamarind pulp and ash. The method survives because it works, and because it is gentler than anything in the abrasive aisle.
When to use it: the outside has darkened past your liking and an occasion wants brightness back. Not weekly; this is an occasional reset, not a habit.
The method. Take a ball of tamarind pulp, dip it in clean wood ash or a little salt, and rub the wet surface in circles. The mild fruit acid loosens tarnish while the soft grit lifts it without cutting the metal. Work section by section on a cooled, dry piece. Rinse warm, then the non-negotiable step: towel dry completely and give the piece open air.
What not to substitute: steel wool, scouring powder, or oven cleaner, each of which cuts far deeper than tarnish and never stops at the surface you meant to treat.
Inside, skip all of this entirely. The kalai lining wants only soap, water, and a towel; polish is an outside conversation.
Shine is optional, after all. Cleanliness is not, and the tamarind ball handles both jobs without drama.
Hands rubbing tamarind pulp over a peetal vessel's darkened exterior in circular motions.