Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How To Clean Grime Off Your Vintage Treasures

cleangrime


Last week, I had the opportunity to shop a private estate sale. The house was already set up estate-style and it was night which meant the lighting was pretty bad in certain rooms without overhead light. I was immediately drawn to this pink lamp but had no idea how grimy it was until I got it home and checked it out Saturday morning!

Even if I had seen the lamp in full light, a little dirt, grime, and/or rust doesn't get in the way of me taking home a new treasure. You can easily clean up most vintage wares with a few tools.

As I was cleaning up all my loot from the sale, I alternated between using soapy water and a product called Krud Kutter.


Krud Kutter is pretty incredible - I first discovered it when my mom broke it out to completely remove rust from my Heywood Wakefield desk. (Oh by the way, I don't know if it's actually Heywood Wakefield - does anyone know by looking at it?) 

It worked miraculously to remove rust and dirt from the desk and I knew it would be perfect for cleaning up this lamp!

I carefully sprayed Krud Kutter on the lamp then wiped with a paper towel. It works practically immediately - it really is amazing!
 
beforeafter

That's a lot of decades of dirt, y'all!!

This isn't a sponsored post or anything - I just wanted to share how to clean vintage items easily! This is the best way I've found without a doubt.

Next step: rewiring this lamp! I haven't decided whether or not I'll sell it or keep it. I think it would look pretty cute in my little attic craft room!



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6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tip. Is it easily available, aka grocery stores? And how strong is it - do you need gloves? I will be looking for this for sure :-)

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  2. My mom bought it at Lowe's but I think I found mine at Wal-mart. It says it's safe and earth-friendly, so I don't wear gloves. The first time we used it, my mom was pretty adamant on wearing gloves... I don't know if they changed the formula between then and now or if she is more OCD than me. (Which.. she is.) :-)

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  3. hey there girlie! :) ocd? me?
    there are two different formulas I'm pretty sure. One is concentrated, that's the one I use. I wouldn't use it straight for anything like this lamp....now an old greasy stove? for sure!

    I think what you bought is already diluted and safe without gloves.

    the mom

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  4. I am SO using this...! Thanks for the tip!

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