General Cleaning
Bronzes usually have an applied or natural colour (patina) created by the action of chemicals with the metal at its surface. This colour adds character to the bronze and is usually protected with a layer of wax or a lacquer. Vigourous scrubbing particularly with an abrasive will remove the patina and spoil the appearance of the bronze.
You should clean your bronze simply by dusting once a week with a soft cloth to remove any accumulated dust. If the build up of grime is extensive a more thorough cleaning may be carried out. Carefully wash with a solution of 1 tablespoon of salt and 3 1/2 quarts of water or alternatively use soapy water. You can use cotton buds or a tooth brush to get into the hard to reach places. After cleaning rinse well in water and dry preferably with a chamiox leather. Be particularly careful when cleaning protruding areas such as elbows, noses, toes etc, as it is very easy to remove the patination here. I would suggest that you do not clean these areas and avoid touching them too often.
Polishing
The wax finish on many bronzes is long lasting but will wear off with handling and cleaning. You may wish to renew the wax layer by applying a polish. Please ensure the polish you use is suitable for bronze and follow the manufacturers instructions. The bronzes that I sell have a traditional bees wax finish. You can purchase polishes that have a bees wax base and would be suitable for my bronzes. You can also use pure beeswax which should be softened to a runny paste like consistency with turpentine. Apply the paste sparingly with a soft paint brush and when thouroughly dry buff with a clean cloth. Some cloth materials can leave bits that stick to the wax, so I recommend the use of a chamoix leather instead. Also remember not to rub too hard, particularly on the protruding areas, infact it is best to avoid polishing these areas to avoid the gradual loss of the patina.
Patination
If the patination has been partially or completely removed, often due to over cleaning or removing it on purpose (People often think that the patination is a build up of grime and then scrub it off to the yellow base metal), then there is not much that you can do. Applying patination is an art in itself which is just as challenging as creating the actual bronze. There are hundreds of different patinas using mixtures of just as many chemicals that can be applied using dozens of different, often hard to master techniques. So the process is best left to a professional.