HG Openhouse Blog

A few months ago I wrote a post about my experiences as a part-time paint stripper.  Well, after the wood was stripped  the hinges and knobs were still covered in layers of paint in the hard-to reach places.  I was dreading the fiddly work of trying to clean them up with paint stripper when I came across this simple recipe for cleaning paint off of hardware.

You definitely want to add this to your “how to” list of household remedies.  All it takes is a pot, baking soda, water and a stove top. (you will have to remove your hardware from the door/doorframe.

To remove paint from hardware, follow this simple recipe.

Use an old enamel or glass pot, fill it with enough  water to cover the hardware you are planning to clean and place it on a burner

Add enough baking soda to completely cover the bottom of the pot about 1/8″ thick.

Turn on the burner and heat the water until it begins to simmer.  Using a pair of tongs, place a piece of hardware into the pot — it should not be touching the sides of the pot.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.  Carefully remove from the water (using the tongs) and place in a plastic bucket.  Rinse the hardware in cold water (you may need to use a rag and/or dental pick to remove any paint residue).

Now you can repeat with your next piece of hardware.  If your pot is large you may be able to do more than one piece of hardware at a time.

Change your water if the baking soda is dark (from paint residue) or too thin so that it is no longer covering the bottom of the pan.

If you have a lot of paint on your hardware you’ll probably need to start with fresh water/baking soda each time — I found that I could usually do 2 hinges before I needed to start fresh.

(click on photo to see full before/after pic)

Dispose of your water carefully, if your paint is old it may contain lead.

Once your hardware is completely dry (24 hours )you can spray it with a coat of lacquer.