That’s right…your Crockpot is no longer just for buffalo chicken dip, stews and pot roast. Did you know that it has multiple uses? HOWEVER…after using it for the following reason, I no longer recommend using it for your favorite slow cooker recipes…please use an OLD crockpot that you no longer plan on using for food.
Our house is old. Really old…like 100 years old, old. And within those 100 years, people thought it was a great idea to get really lazy (or design challenged…) and paint over the beautiful original hardware on our doors and windows. I can tell by chipping away at one the doorknobs that at one point, it was red, sea foam green, black, white, and brown. While those are all…lovely colors…they do not belong on brass hardware. Now, there was NO way I was going to sit there with a screw driver and chip away at this ancient paint and buying new hardware was out of the question: One, modern hardware would not fit, literally, on the doors. Two, new hardware would take away from the style of the house and three, refurbished original hardware will cost you a pretty penny. I looked up the closest doorknob to our house and it was going to run us around $100…per knob.
So, a Googling I went and came across one common cure for repeatedly painted hardware…a warm, sudsy spa treatment in a Crockpot! Let me tell you, I was skeptical, but THIS is a miracle worker!
First a foremost, when removing your hardware, PLEASE keep all original screws. I will tell you now it’s impossible to use new ones on old hardware. They don’t fit.
Simply follow these steps and you’ll have your shiny, original, beautiful hardware in no time!
1) Fill the crockpot with the pieces of hardware you wish to clean
2) Fill the crockpot with warm water and 1/2 cup of laundry detergent
3) Turn the crockpot on medium/high and let your hardware soak for 8-10 hours, or overnight for best results. Depending on how many layers of paint are stuck on the pieces, it could take more, or less time.
4) After time as passed, remove your pieces of hardware with a tongs, keeping the water hot. The paint will come off much easier when the water is still hot. Do not let your pieces cool out of the water.
5) Using a plastic pan scraper, start removing the paint…it should fall off. If you find that the paint is hardening again, simply put it back in the crockpot for a couple minutes. You can also use an old toothbrush to get into the detailing on your pieces.
6) Once you have removed all the paint, rinse all of your pieces in warm water and lay out to dry on a paper towel. If your hardware is ancient, like mine…there will be rust buildup inside the knobs and you won’t want this to get over any nice towels…
7) You may choose to apply a polish to your finished pieces….voila! See my before and after pictures…it really works! Thank you thisoldhouse.com!
The Simple Elements 