Bronze
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Artists with specially paints can re-create the look of weathered bronze in a faux finish called vedigris, which is very popular and can be costly. But if you're patient, real bronze will do the job all by itself. With time, bronze creates its own protective patina--a pretty, earthy green color. But with the no-cost natural process, you still have to clean it, and you must be careful to remove all residue of water. Lingering moisture and even plain old grit can degrade bronze. If you lose a little of a patina during the cleaning process, don't worry--it will keep coming back, like a, well, good penny.
To clean bronze, remember that, in essence, you're cleaning two different metals at once. An alloy, bronze is a combination of copper and any other metal except zinc. Like any decorative surface that is exposed to the environment, bronze can accumulate a layer of film or dust (or dusty film) that needs removing. First, wipe away any loose or surface dirt with a soft cloth, then go at it again with a soft toothbrush to get into crevices and ornamental work that are more difficult to reach.
Wipe Lightly and Carry a Soft Cloth
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You can buy bronze with a factory-finish lacquer, which will protect it from changes in color as well as corrosion.
Never apply a chemical cleanser to lacquered bronze. A weekly swipe with a damp cloth will keep it in good shape.Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean and author of How the Queen of Clean and author
of How the Queen Cleans Anything, recommends using a damp microfiber cloth, and she prefers the Act Natural brand. "It's like thousands of scrubbing fingers that remove dirt," she says. Best of all,
you might not have to polish, because the microfiber cloth actually polishes as it cleans.
Lacquer, like luster, doesn't last forever. It is begins to crack or peel, Cobb recommends a fresh coat ( a job for a professional metalworker). Otherwise, weather and dampness will creep in and corrode the bronze beneath.
Regular dusting with a soft cloth is considered good maintenance. But don't rub too vigorously. Just wipe, especially if there are any decorative projections.
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For a more thorough cleaning, carefully wash the bronze with a solution of 1 tablespoon salt dissolved into 3 1/2 quarts of water.For the toughest grime, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of white vinegar, then add enough flour to make a paste. Let it sit on the bronze for 15 minutes to an hour. Rinse with clean, warm water. Be sure to towel-dry the piece thoroughly, because moisture and salt by themselves can degrade the bronze. Imagine the damage lingering salty water could do!
Burns
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If your clothing has a burn mark, most professional cleaners will tell you that you're sunk; reweaving by a professional cleaners will tell you that you're sunk; reweaving by a professional is your only
option. That may be true. But what if you're going to meet your future in-laws for the first time and your spouse-to-be lands redhot cigarette ash on your jacket? Here's an easy quick fix that will get you through dinner.
How They Button Up at Sea >
Because boats have lots of rubber, sailors know how to keep the stuff clean. Try this on rubber buttons: Buy a small bottle of glycerin. (If there isn't a marina near you, ask your pharmacist.) Just rub the glycerin into the buttons with a towel. They'll come clean, and they'll repel water and dirt for a long time to come.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artists with specially paints can re-create the look of weathered bronze in a faux finish called vedigris, which is very popular and can be costly. But if you're patient, real bronze will do the job all by itself. With time, bronze creates its own protective patina--a pretty, earthy green color. But with the no-cost natural process, you still have to clean it, and you must be careful to remove all residue of water. Lingering moisture and even plain old grit can degrade bronze. If you lose a little of a patina during the cleaning process, don't worry--it will keep coming back, like a, well, good penny.
To clean bronze, remember that, in essence, you're cleaning two different metals at once. An alloy, bronze is a combination of copper and any other metal except zinc. Like any decorative surface that is exposed to the environment, bronze can accumulate a layer of film or dust (or dusty film) that needs removing. First, wipe away any loose or surface dirt with a soft cloth, then go at it again with a soft toothbrush to get into crevices and ornamental work that are more difficult to reach.
Wipe Lightly and Carry a Soft Cloth
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can buy bronze with a factory-finish lacquer, which will protect it from changes in color as well as corrosion.
of How the Queen Cleans Anything, recommends using a damp microfiber cloth, and she prefers the Act Natural brand. "It's like thousands of scrubbing fingers that remove dirt," she says. Best of all,
you might not have to polish, because the microfiber cloth actually polishes as it cleans.
Lacquer, like luster, doesn't last forever. It is begins to crack or peel, Cobb recommends a fresh coat ( a job for a professional metalworker). Otherwise, weather and dampness will creep in and corrode the bronze beneath.
Regular dusting with a soft cloth is considered good maintenance. But don't rub too vigorously. Just wipe, especially if there are any decorative projections.
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For a more thorough cleaning, carefully wash the bronze with a solution of 1 tablespoon salt dissolved into 3 1/2 quarts of water.For the toughest grime, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of white vinegar, then add enough flour to make a paste. Let it sit on the bronze for 15 minutes to an hour. Rinse with clean, warm water. Be sure to towel-dry the piece thoroughly, because moisture and salt by themselves can degrade the bronze. Imagine the damage lingering salty water could do!
Burns
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If your clothing has a burn mark, most professional cleaners will tell you that you're sunk; reweaving by a professional cleaners will tell you that you're sunk; reweaving by a professional is your only
option. That may be true. But what if you're going to meet your future in-laws for the first time and your spouse-to-be lands redhot cigarette ash on your jacket? Here's an easy quick fix that will get you through dinner.
- Lay the garment on a table with the lining facing up. With scissors, snip a couple of inches of lining loose at the seam. Snip only as much as is necessary to find the garment seam underneath. Then cut a small piece of the garment fabric, approximately the size of the burn, from the inside seam.
- Locate the burn on the inside of the garment. Take a piece of duct tape, large enough to cover the burn amply, and apply the tape to the burn on the inside of the clothing. With a needle and thread, sew the lining back into place temporarily with long, loose stitches. temporarily with long, loose stitches. Turn the garment over to see the burn from the outside.
- Using your scissors, snip the small piece of garment seam fabric into the smallest pieces you can. You want the cut-up fabric to look as much like fibers as possible. Then press the "fibers" into the burn so that they adhere to the duct tape underneath. It won't have the same seamless effect as reweaving, but you'll likely be the only one to know there's burn.
For burns on upholstery, cross your fingers. If the burn didn't completely penetrate the fabric, you might be able to disguise the scorch mark. Wet a paper towel with plain water and dab it on the burn. Blot with a dry paper towel. If that doesn't take most of the charred spot out, put a drop of mild liquid laundry detergent on a wet paper towel and blot the spot. Follow up by blotting with first a wet paper towel to remove the detergent and then with a dry paper towel to absorb the char stain.
For more serious charring or burn holes, there' not much you can do beyond patching the fabric, which probably won't be pretty. Take the furniture to a restorer to discuss whether it would be cost-effective to re-cover the piece.
If your upholstery is fake leather, you may be able to fix burns with a hole-patching kit, available at hardware stores and auto supply stores. This repair will involve spreading a colored paste over the hole and letting it dry. Follow the package directions.
With burns on wood floors and furniture, there's a little more hope. If the burn isn't all the way through the wood, you might be able to remove enough of the burn to make it unnoticeable.
If the burn is small, use a cotton swab to apply a little turpentine to it.superfine steel wool (0000). If your handiwork leaves a small indentation in the surface, fill it in with clear nail polish. You might need to apply several layers of nail polish to build up the surface until it is level and smooth.
If char remains, rub lightly with some
If the burn is mostly just a scorch, you might find that a little bit of rubbing alcohol works a lot of magic. Put a little on a soft cloth and dab it on the scorch. It will dry quickly, but wipe away any residual moisture. Repeat the process until you are satisfied. If you don't have rubbing alcohol on hand, heavily sprinkle dry baking soda on a wet sponge and tub in small circular motions until the char disappears.
If it's burned beyond a scorch but not too deeply into the surface, you might do a cosmetic fix using a thin paste of cigarette ashes mixed with a little mineral oil. With a soft cloth, gently rub in the direction of the grain. Do that twice and follow with coats of clear nail polish as described above.
Butcher Blocks
For more serious charring or burn holes, there' not much you can do beyond patching the fabric, which probably won't be pretty. Take the furniture to a restorer to discuss whether it would be cost-effective to re-cover the piece.
If your upholstery is fake leather, you may be able to fix burns with a hole-patching kit, available at hardware stores and auto supply stores. This repair will involve spreading a colored paste over the hole and letting it dry. Follow the package directions.
With burns on wood floors and furniture, there's a little more hope. If the burn isn't all the way through the wood, you might be able to remove enough of the burn to make it unnoticeable.
If the burn is small, use a cotton swab to apply a little turpentine to it.superfine steel wool (0000). If your handiwork leaves a small indentation in the surface, fill it in with clear nail polish. You might need to apply several layers of nail polish to build up the surface until it is level and smooth.
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| sponge with dirty |
If the burn is mostly just a scorch, you might find that a little bit of rubbing alcohol works a lot of magic. Put a little on a soft cloth and dab it on the scorch. It will dry quickly, but wipe away any residual moisture. Repeat the process until you are satisfied. If you don't have rubbing alcohol on hand, heavily sprinkle dry baking soda on a wet sponge and tub in small circular motions until the char disappears.
If it's burned beyond a scorch but not too deeply into the surface, you might do a cosmetic fix using a thin paste of cigarette ashes mixed with a little mineral oil. With a soft cloth, gently rub in the direction of the grain. Do that twice and follow with coats of clear nail polish as described above.
Butcher Blocks
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Ask a professional chef how to clean a butcher block that has a protective coating, and he or she will tell you to take it to the dump. Varnish or polyurethane should never be an ingredient in food preparation.
The first step in keeping an unvarnished butcher block like new is to season it when you first bring it home and regularly there after. To season a butcher block, warm a little mineral oil in a small saucepan on the stove. Don't let it get hot--warm will penetrate the wood nicely.
Using a soft cloth dabbed into the oil, rub in the direction of the grain. Let the oil soak in for four or five hours, then wipe off any excess using a soft, dry cloth. Repeat the process. Seasoning your butcher block once a month sets the stage for a clean, sanitary work surface.
To clean a butcher block, don't ever use any household chemical cleaners. They could be harmful and, at the least, the residue will be distasteful on food. All you need to keep those prep surfaces sanitary is 1/2 tablespoon of chlorine household bleach mixed with 2 quarts of water in a bucket. Dip a small scrub brush in the chlorine water and scrub in hand-sized circles, taking care
not to saturate the wood. When wood absorbs water, it swells. Then when it dries out, the wood cracks, making a convenient trap for food, grime, and germs. So brush the butcher block clean and quickly wipe away water with a hand towel.
When bleach isn't in the pantry, here's another solution to getting the grime out of a butcher block without wetting the wood too much: Mix just enough salt into lemon juice to make a paste. Rub it, with a cleaning cloth or sponge, hard enough onto the wood to free chose stuck-on or wedged-in food particles. Then rinse out the cloth or sponge, hard enough onto the wood to free those stuck-on or wedged-in food particles. Then rinse out the cloth or sponge and wipe the butcher block clean. The result won't be as germ-free clean as cleaning with bleach, but it's a good alternative.
If the surface is oily or sticky, even after a brisk scrub, you might need to get out the toolbox. Scrape up any buildup with a putty knife. Then gently attack the block with superfine sandpaper, beginning with a 60-grit. Graduate to finer grades of sandpaper--all the way to 220 grit--until you're satisfied.
Then wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.
Finally, don't forget to season the block again. Some say linseed oil will do, but chefs prefer mineral oil, because it won't turn ranacid.
Buttons
Ask a professional chef how to clean a butcher block that has a protective coating, and he or she will tell you to take it to the dump. Varnish or polyurethane should never be an ingredient in food preparation.
The first step in keeping an unvarnished butcher block like new is to season it when you first bring it home and regularly there after. To season a butcher block, warm a little mineral oil in a small saucepan on the stove. Don't let it get hot--warm will penetrate the wood nicely.
Using a soft cloth dabbed into the oil, rub in the direction of the grain. Let the oil soak in for four or five hours, then wipe off any excess using a soft, dry cloth. Repeat the process. Seasoning your butcher block once a month sets the stage for a clean, sanitary work surface.
To clean a butcher block, don't ever use any household chemical cleaners. They could be harmful and, at the least, the residue will be distasteful on food. All you need to keep those prep surfaces sanitary is 1/2 tablespoon of chlorine household bleach mixed with 2 quarts of water in a bucket. Dip a small scrub brush in the chlorine water and scrub in hand-sized circles, taking care
not to saturate the wood. When wood absorbs water, it swells. Then when it dries out, the wood cracks, making a convenient trap for food, grime, and germs. So brush the butcher block clean and quickly wipe away water with a hand towel.
 |
| bucket with sponge |
When bleach isn't in the pantry, here's another solution to getting the grime out of a butcher block without wetting the wood too much: Mix just enough salt into lemon juice to make a paste. Rub it, with a cleaning cloth or sponge, hard enough onto the wood to free chose stuck-on or wedged-in food particles. Then rinse out the cloth or sponge, hard enough onto the wood to free those stuck-on or wedged-in food particles. Then rinse out the cloth or sponge and wipe the butcher block clean. The result won't be as germ-free clean as cleaning with bleach, but it's a good alternative.
If the surface is oily or sticky, even after a brisk scrub, you might need to get out the toolbox. Scrape up any buildup with a putty knife. Then gently attack the block with superfine sandpaper, beginning with a 60-grit. Graduate to finer grades of sandpaper--all the way to 220 grit--until you're satisfied.
Then wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.
Finally, don't forget to season the block again. Some say linseed oil will do, but chefs prefer mineral oil, because it won't turn ranacid.
Buttons
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Before beginning, make sure you know what your buttons are made of. You don't want to put strong metal polish on buttons with a gold or silver finish. And you never want to use shoe polish on buttons--body heat could transfer the polish to the garment. If your bottom are covered with the same fabric as the garment, or if they're plastic, care for the buttons the way you should for the garment.
To clean leather buttons, remove them from the garment. While a wool sweater might make it through a machine wash, leather and some other natural button materials won't. Saddle soap or a leather cleaning and conditioning solution with lanolin (mink oil, for instance) will clean leather or leather-covered buttons beautifully. But don't wash it off. Let it dry and then buff it to a shine with a soft cloth.
To clean wooden buttons, remove them from the garment and use a wood oil cleanser, such as Murphy Oil Soap. Follow the directions on the container. The buttons will absorb most of the wood oil soap. Remove any residue with a soft cloth.
To clean bone or ivory buttons, remove them from the garment. Mix a small amount of lemon juice with enough salt to make a paste. Lightly brush it on with a soft toothbrush and then wipe them clean with a damp cloth.
Before beginning, make sure you know what your buttons are made of. You don't want to put strong metal polish on buttons with a gold or silver finish. And you never want to use shoe polish on buttons--body heat could transfer the polish to the garment. If your bottom are covered with the same fabric as the garment, or if they're plastic, care for the buttons the way you should for the garment.
To clean leather buttons, remove them from the garment. While a wool sweater might make it through a machine wash, leather and some other natural button materials won't. Saddle soap or a leather cleaning and conditioning solution with lanolin (mink oil, for instance) will clean leather or leather-covered buttons beautifully. But don't wash it off. Let it dry and then buff it to a shine with a soft cloth.
To clean wooden buttons, remove them from the garment and use a wood oil cleanser, such as Murphy Oil Soap. Follow the directions on the container. The buttons will absorb most of the wood oil soap. Remove any residue with a soft cloth.
To clean bone or ivory buttons, remove them from the garment. Mix a small amount of lemon juice with enough salt to make a paste. Lightly brush it on with a soft toothbrush and then wipe them clean with a damp cloth.
To clean buttons made of horn, dampen a soft cloth with a small amount of mineral oil or baby oil. Rub to remove stains, then wipe with a dry cloth. Do not immerse horn in water.
To clean metal buttons, you can try the age-old remedy of toothpaste, but make sure it's natural, like Tom's, or one that doesn't have the chemicals that wear down surfaces. (Avoid anything that boasts "tartar control" or whitening.") An alternative: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of moniodized salt in 1 quart of water. (Iodized salt can cause discoloration.) Dampen a soft cloth in the salt solution and polish the surface. Rinse well with water. Then polish with a soft, dry cloth.
simple SOLUTIONS
To clean metal buttons, you can try the age-old remedy of toothpaste, but make sure it's natural, like Tom's, or one that doesn't have the chemicals that wear down surfaces. (Avoid anything that boasts "tartar control" or whitening.") An alternative: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of moniodized salt in 1 quart of water. (Iodized salt can cause discoloration.) Dampen a soft cloth in the salt solution and polish the surface. Rinse well with water. Then polish with a soft, dry cloth.
simple SOLUTIONS
How They Button Up at Sea >
Because boats have lots of rubber, sailors know how to keep the stuff clean. Try this on rubber buttons: Buy a small bottle of glycerin. (If there isn't a marina near you, ask your pharmacist.) Just rub the glycerin into the buttons with a towel. They'll come clean, and they'll repel water and dirt for a long time to come.
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