Cleaning chrome
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| Final cleaned parts -- note copper revealed beneath rust |
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| Soaking chrome trim in vinegar |
Removing rust with aluminum foil and salt water
Cleaning enamel
Baking soda slurry seems to dissolve most of the gunk on my enameled parts. I mix just enough water with baking soda to make it goopy, and usually let that sit on the part for an hour or more. I warm some pieces in the oven (with the oven off). I scrub with a nylon-bristled brush or with an old non-scratching sponge, rinse or wipe off enough to see how it went, and repeat as necessary.
Occasionally there is blackened stuff on the enamel that doesn't respond to baking soda. In those cases I made some headway with plastic scrapers (any hard plastic with an edge, look in your recycling bin), and in some cases metal scrapers (I used a putty knife, metal dough blade, and for corners a soft metal brush). The blackened stuff takes a lot of energy, so in many cases I decided to leave it.
Cleaning hardware (screws, nuts, etc)
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| Old hardware soaking in vinegar |
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| Original bracket with new hardware; old cleaned screw and nut lower right |
First, before I remove any hardware I take a picture of it, just in case I need reminding about how it goes back together. I store hardware in paper cups with their location written on them. Next, I decide whether to clean or replace the items -- in many cases, I have found stainless steel replacements for screws and nuts, have replaced crumbling washers with new rubber ones, and have added rubber washers where metal meets enamel. Finally, if I need to clean the hardware, I soak it in a small jar of vinegar overnight. Swish the jar around a few times to loosen the rust, then brush it with a toothbrush or non-scratching sponge.
Cleaning Bakelite (plastic)
See my post on Knobs