How To Clean Paint Off Brass Door Hinges

My steps for how to clean old brass hardware is rather simple.

How to clean paint off brass door hinges.

If the paint doesn t fall off by itself scrub lightly with a stiff plastic brush. The paint may contain lead so catch all the sludge and throw it in the garbage. Then re install all the top hinges and remove the middle hinges next. The paint came off easily the hardware didn t end up getting scuffed and it was a fairly pain free process.

Remove paint from door hinges without removing them. For example start with all the top hinges. How to clean brass hardware. It s also the best method if you re restoring multiple pieces at the same time.

Remove them and scrape the paint from all those hinges. The paint will harden as it cools so scrub the hardware as soon as you pull it out of the water. To clean the metal and restore its shine use a metal polish like brasso or noxon. Wipe off the paint chips with a dampened cloth or sponge.

All in all heat soaking your door knobs is the way to go. To avoid removing the doors systematically remove one hinge from each door. Brass door hardware that s covered with old oil paint latex paint or spray paint can be safely and effectively cleaned without the use of harsh chemical strippers or special tools. It took me the better part of a day but eventually all our hinges were beautiful and shiny again.

Don t worry about taking a door down or boiling hinges in vinegar or harsher chemicals. Once your paint is removed you ll need to clean the brass off once more. Wet a soft cloth and wring out the excess water and then use the damp cloth to gently wipe away any paint residue. It is the same method i use for cleaning any and all vintage hardware especially when i intend to paint the hardware.