Polishing My Brass Thresholds
When does the spring cleaning bug hit you? For me, spring cleaning starts as soon as the New Year arrives.
Spring cleaning is a great opportunity to refresh and re-organize. I have already cleaned out and re-organized my giant Equipment Barn and several basement storage areas. I've also cleaned all my every day stainless steel pots, pans, and steamer baskets - did you see my Instagram post @MarthaStewart48? And last week, my housecleaner Carlos took on the task of polishing my home's thresholds, the horizontal metal strips at the bottom of my entrance doorways.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Dahlia is always so curious. Whenever there is activity at my home, she’s right there watching – or is she conducting an inspection?
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- For cleaning various metals, I have long used Wright’s Copper, Brass, and Silver Cleaning Creams. These come in small and large sizes.
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- For this job, Carlos gathers the Wright’s Copper Cream, which comes with an application sponge, an old toothbrush, some cleaning rags, and a tub of water with another sponge for removing the cleaner. I always tell my team to collect all the needed supplies first, so it saves time hunting them down later.
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- All the thresholds needed a good polishing. Brass and copper thresholds tarnish over time primarily from exposure to environmental factors such as air, humidity, moisture, and use. My thresholds are cleaned at least once a year.
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- Carlos starts by moistening the area to be cleaned. He uses a wet sponge to loosen the dirt along the threshold. He does this with protective rubber gloves for this cleaning chore.
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- Then he applies some of the Wright’s cleaning cream and gently wipes the dirt from in between the grooves of this threshold.
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- Carlos also uses an old soft-bristled toothbrush to get deep into the grooves.
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- This is a very repetitive process and one that takes patience.
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- After a few minutes, some areas are looking cleaner. Tarnish ranges in color from a light yellowy gold to almost black, depending on how long it has been allowed to develop.
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- After about 15 minutes, the threshold is looking much better.
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- Carlos uses the brush to gently clean the edges, where the door frame meets the metal.
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- Finally, he wipes it down with a wet sponge to remove the cream and dries the entire area with a soft rag.
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- Here is another part of the threshold before cleaning.
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- Carlos uses a generous amount of cream and goes back and forth through the grooves. Whenever polishing metals, be sure you use a product that is specifically made for the type of metal being cleaned.
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- Once again he uses the soft-bristled toothbrush. Always avoid using highly abrasive scrubbing cloths, metal-bristled brushes, or steel wool; these will scratch the surface of the brass or copper.
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- It’s a good idea to change the water and replenish the rags with every threshold.
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- Here, Carlos works on the door to my courtyard.
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- The sponge starts to darken as the dirt and tarnish are removed.
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- Carlos also polished the doorknobs. Look how they shine.
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- Everything glistens once cleaned and polished. The thresholds look so much better. It’s still January, but let the spring cleaning begin!
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