How to clean wrought iron?
Wrought iron can make wonderful decorations as well as many useful and practical items around the home. Beautiful stair railings for example or even a wrought iron railing.
Of course, wrought iron requires some maintenance to stay nice, clean, and rust-free. 10-Trucs offers you below tips and tricks for properly cleaning wrought iron.
1. Remove dust from wrought iron
Before even thinking about cleaning it is better to take the time to dust off the entire piece of furniture, bars or stair railing.
A simple trick is to use the house vacuum cleaner with a soft-bristled brush attachment. It’s fast, efficient and you will avoid spreading and scattering dirt and dust everywhere.
For other tips and tricks against dust, I invite you to read this guide: Remove dust from furniture.
2. Clean wrought iron with soapy water
How to clean a wrought iron stair railing? For the cleaning as well as the maintenance of an interior wrought iron it is best to use soapy water, quite simply.
Here’s how:
- Add a tablespoon of liquid soap (dish soap) to 1 1/2 liters of warm water.
- Pour the solution into a spray-type bottle and spray onto the wrought iron.
- Use a damp cloth and clean and scrub the entire stair railing.
- Thoroughly dry the wrought iron with a dry, soft cloth to complete the cleaning.
You can use this soapy water trick to clean both interior and exterior wrought iron.
3. Use white vinegar to clean wrought iron
Another tip for cleaning interior wrought iron is to use white vinegar. Here’s how:
- Add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to a liter of water.
- Rub wrought iron with a cloth or sponge.
- Dry the surface to finish cleaning the iron.
4. Remove rust from wrought iron
How to clean rusty wrought iron? If your iron gate or other exterior wrought iron surface has rust, don’t panic, it’s possible to fix it.
Here’s how to remove rust from wrought iron:
- Clean and dust all the wrought iron with a large jet of water.
- Allow to dry and then scrub the surface where the rust is present.
- You can use a mechanical brush or a manual wire brush to remove the rust.
- Use steel wool for the small recesses of the wrought iron such as: outlines, hollows, angles, circles, details and rungs.
Continue reading about anti-rust tips with this other article: How to remove rust?
5. Acetone before painting the wrought iron
Once all the rust has been removed from the wrought iron surface, one last step is necessary before painting again: acetone!
In fact, acetone eliminates all traces of dust but also eliminates grease that may still be present on the iron.
- Soak a cloth in acetone
- Rub the entire surface of the wrought iron with this product
- Let dry well before painting
As acetone is a powerful product, it is advisable to always wear protective glasses and gloves.
6. Which paint to paint wrought iron?
Once the dust and grease are completely removed from the surface you can start painting the iron gate.
Here are the important steps for successful painting:
- Apply a coat of primer specially designed for iron to the iron. The primer coat acts as a sealant and is essential.
- Apply a first coat of oil paint and apply a second coat once the first is completely dry.
Depending on the style of wrought iron desired, you can opt for oil paint: matte, glossy or semi-gloss.
If you are looking for an effective way to strip wrought iron furniture, read this article: Use of washing soda.
7. Galvanize an exterior iron staircase
Of course, to keep an exterior iron staircase in good condition for years, it is important to do regular maintenance.
But that’s not all, although anti-rust paint is necessary to prevent rust from forming another important step must be carried out.
Indeed, why not have the iron galvanized?
On average, you will have to pay between 20 and 30% more money for a galvanized staircase. On the other hand, it will require much less maintenance in future years.
If verdigris forms on iron or other metals, read our cleaning tips right here: How to remove verdigris?