How To Clean Up Vintage Metal Hardware ~ the Easy-peasy Way!

by Courtney @ All Things New Again

3 Hours

Easy

Here's a quick tip for restoring vintage metal hardware to its shiny glory using a product found in most refrigerators.

This is what the hardware looked like on a vintage buffet I am painting.

I kind of liked how the patina looked, but the handles felt a little … (ew!) grimy.

So I cracked open an ice cold Mountain Dew.

Red Solo Cup ... I lift you up!

But this wasn’t a party—just an easy-peasy way to clean gunk and grime off of metal drawer handles.

I plopped the handles into the Mountain Dew and let them soak.

NOTE: It does not have to be Mountain Dew—that’s just what I had in my fridge. You can use any carbonated beverage.

ANOTHER NOTE: DON’T DRINK IT!! (You wouldn’t think I would have to say that … but I said it to my 3-year-old about three times today!)

Here’s what the handles looked like a few hours later.

The handle on the left is fresh out of the Mountain Dew bath. It looks a little bit brighter than the “before” shot.

The handle on the right shows what it looks like after a little bit of elbow grease. I do mean just a little bit. The grime was coming off easily just by rubbing the hardware with my thumb. I gave it a good scrub with a scouring pad and you can see a big difference now. Look at that pretty flower detail.

Please visit our All Things New Again Blog for more DIY tips, tricks and tutorials ... and to see how this buffet looks when I'm finished with it.

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1 question

VS on Dec 31, 2018

Would this work to spray on metal bands attached to an old old vintage steam trunk? I’m afraid if I take them off I will not be able to reattach them. Also the rest of it looks like it was painted unprofessionally and needs to be stripped. Any ideas on that?

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Gonzalez-Moreno Samuel on Oct 29, 2017

Wlle thanks you I will use the idea of some one else too.
put a drop of dawn dish soap and one can of carbonated water, if that do not work I will try one more time.
one drop of dawn or dish soap, sodium bicarbonate 1/2 teaspoon, and one can of coca cola., by the way if the nuts in do not want to turn around I Spray them with Coca Cola wait and try couple more times.

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Sti48693937 on Oct 17, 2021

Help please! I am looking for matching hardware. Do you have any info on where to get these?

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