If only it were that easy… actually, sometimes it is. You just need the right solution. So…
We know How To Clean Metal,
But Where Do We Begin..?
If you’re like me, you have probably scoured the internet on how to clean metal. With so much information out there… Who do you trust? Who do you look to when it comes to putting in your own time and effort into polishing metal or other materials?
We here have gathered as much information as we can about how to clean metal and other materials. We have scoured the internet for you to determine what it takes to restore any kind of metal to the state of what it once was. Take your time and easily discover what solution would match your desire of what you are looking to achieve.
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[one_third last=”no”][content_box title=”Stainless Steel” icon=”wrench”]Stainless Steel is a metal that does not rust but still corrodes given the right circumstance. Chances are your stainless steel is in good condition but perhaps just needs a clean or a protective coating.[/content_box][/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”][content_box title=”Aluminum” icon=”eg. tablet, random, wrench”]Aluminum is also a metal that does not rust, but does corrode through oxidization. This causes a white powdery substance to form. Easily wipeable. Your aluminum could do with a protective layer to prevent oxidization.[/content_box][/one_third]
[one_third last=”yes”][content_box title=”Copper” icon=”eg. tablet, random, wrench”]Copper does not rust. However, copper does corrode through oxidization. When this happens you will see a shade of green and blue. This process of oxidization on copper produces patina.[/content_box][/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”][content_box title=”Brass” icon=”eg. tablet, random, wrench”]Brass is a metal that will corrode. Brass will also produce tarnish over time, giving a slight blueish hue. If your brass is looking unclean and continues to tarnish, it could do with a clear coat.[/content_box][/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”][content_box title=”Silver” icon=”eg. tablet, random, wrench”]Silver does not rust but does produce tarnish. As silver begins to tarnish, it starts to turn dark eventually turning black. This can simply be removed and coated to restore and protect from further tarnish. [/content_box][/one_third]
[one_third last=”yes”][content_box title=”Gold” icon=”eg. tablet, random, wrench”]Gold does not corrode nor tarnish. What causes the other metals to rust and corrode, does not interact with gold in the same manner. Gold can however, lose it’s shine when not protected.[/content_box][/one_third]
[tagline_box link= title=”Sometimes it’s not just ‘metal’ that needs to be cleaned” description=”Vehicles, Equipment, Tools, Jewellery, Hard Plastics are just some of the extras that need a good clean or polish. You’ll find here all you need to get the best out of what you’ve got.”][/tagline_box]
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It is not enough to just clean or polish,
you have to…
Protect to Prevent.
You have no idea how often people are looking to clean, shine, enhance, protect, restore, make new… the list goes on and on.
But it’s true, metals do not last forever. Metals rust, corrode, oxidize as well as produce tarnish and patina. This is primarily due to the metals being bare and/or not protected. So if anyone is going to go out of their way to make new whatever they are polishing, it sure makes sense to protect it also.
There are many ways and possibilities on how we can protect our metals from deteriorating at the rate they do. Some are better than others, and others just simply do not work. Here we will give you all that we can to provide you with ways of restoring many kinds of materials and metals.
Solutions on how to restore metal
1. Homemade Solutions
There are many homemade solutions for metal cleaning. Generally, there are some people who would choose to use something natural vs others who are willing to use chemicals. Depending on which way you want to go, there are solutions for both groups of people.
2. Store Bought Solutions
Store bought solutions are generally the best option, depending on what you are trying to achieve. First, determine the condition of what you are trying to clean before you go buying. You may just find something you have at home is all you really need. As for the products themselves, like the homemade solutions, some are natural while others contain chemicals.
[one_half last=”no”][info_box title=”Homemade Solutions” icon=”home” url=”” target=””]Looking for homemade solutions on how to clean metal? You probably have what you need right at home.[/info_box][/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”][info_box title=”Store Bought Solutions” icon=”shopping-cart” url=”” target=””]Store Bought Solutions for metal cleaning have their perks – obviously. Particularly so for protective coatings. [/info_box][/one_half]
There are many homemade solutions to metal cleaning as well as fantastic products we know work – absolutely 100% of the time.
What would be the point in investing your own time, money and effort into something that does not work 100% of the time?
Of course, for the homemade solutions, they generally require more effort to make work. As for products, sometimes it’s as easy as applying a gel. Letting it work it’s magic and then wiping away with a wash.
There are plenty of homemade solutions for metal cleaning, some of them are great… but long term, most have no match with a high quality, truly tested product that works… 100% of the time.
The thing about metal is.. if it is not protected in the first place, you’ll always be having to clean it. Which is why we like to state the obvious…
Protect to Prevent.
My own personal how to clean metal case study
Case Study 1: Cleaning aluminum window frames
My partner and I purchased recently purchased a house. I wont bore you with all the details… So, this house has aluminum joinery but the windows are not double glazed. We opted for retrofit to have double glazing installed.
With retrofit, they do not remove the outside of the aluminum framing. They merely remove the windows and ranch slider as well as the framing in between. Therefore when replacing it with the new double glazed windows and framing, the colour of the new aluminum framing is far far more delightful to look at than the original.
So the problem we faced? Having to clean the existing aluminum frame to match the look of the NEW aluminum framing that fits inside the old. Because if the old does not match the new… it’ll be unsightly.
The process goes like this:
- We clean the outer framing as best as we can.
- The glass company then comes to match the colour of the now cleaned aluminum.
- They then make and install the new double glazed aluminum.
- Hopefully matching the colour that we were able to restore it to.
Now obviously they’re not going to match the colour of faded aluminum. They have a matching tool that allows them to match the original colour as best as. So if our aluminum does not come up as new, we will certainly notice a difference in colour that will be somewhat unsightly.
So how did we do?
First, we had to decide on whether or not it was going to be worth it buying a product or trying some homemade solutions on how to clean metal.
Because the aluminum framing is very noticeable, we decided to look for a product that was going to do the work 100% right the first time. There is no point in spending time, money or effort in doing something that is not going to work.
So we decided on and bought a product. Our aluminum frames were roughly 25 years old and never restored. They were oxidized and very faded. So we didn’t get our hopes up. But it worked flawlessly. It was like magic in terms of the difference between what is was and how it turned out. Check out the photos!
The difference was so dramatic, that when he glass company come to do the colour match, he himself was in disbelief. Having spent so may years in the market, he couldn’t believe the results we had.
3 weeks later, the new double glazed windows installed… And the colour match is bang on. We literally got our 25 year old faded aluminum windows back to a brand new look! You cant even notice a difference between the old and new!
Because I use a brutally fantastic product that gets the job done… 100% of the time. It’s of such high quality, it seriously saves me so much time and effort of having to polish and go through the whole process.
It is painlessly easy to apply and is virtually self working. The best part? It works on pretty much any kind of metal, hard plastic, wood, antique, jewellery… again, nearly everything.