Metals

When we talk about metal in the home, we are not usually talking about things like heavy metal music (though this can be an extremely interesting topic) but about such things like metal roofing and copper pots. You are never going to be cleaning your metal roofing the same way that you would your copper ptos and pans, or the brass hardware. Since each item is going to take individualized time and effort, you have two options. The first is to spend all day, laboriously scrubbing away using a trial and error method to get everything clean. Second, you could get the best time saving methods available (like those here). Is there really even a choice?

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Metals' topic. Click the article's title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

Cleaning a Dutch Oven
Used over an open campfire, a Dutch oven is a true oven; meaning that you can prepare pies, biscuits, cakes, and breads, just as you would at home in your range oven. When heated, a smaller baking pan can be placed inside the Dutch oven, with the lid tightly capped, to create a smaller outdoor version of your home oven. When cleaning a seasoned Dutch oven, simply wipe it out with a wet cloth, pat it dry with paper towels, and store it. New Dutch ovens require more care.

Cleaning Anodized Aluminum
Anodized aluminum can be found just about everywhere in the home, on everything from cookware to MP3 players. Considering how often it is used in our lives, it may be a useful idea to know the best way to clean this resilient and useful material. Here are the best methods available to clean anodized aluminum; in all the myriad of forms it is used.

Cleaning Cast Iron
Cleaning cast iron is not complicated. The basic rules are to clean and scrub down to the bare metal, and then treat it. The laborious part is the scrubbing, sometimes requiring hours to complete. Cast iron cookware is treated with animal fat, while cast iron furniture, grates, tools, and hinges are treated with paint or oil.

Cleaning Gold
Gold has long been seen as a symbol of wealth and success. If your gold isn't cleaned properly though, then you will present a poor image indeed. So, is your gold a little dingy? Here is how you go about cleaning gold.

Polishing Silver
Used to make flatware, jewelry, and dishes, silver is a versatile metal. While not as soft as gold, silver is soft and can scratch, dent, and bend. Use great care when washing and polishing silver when it tarnishes, and make sure that you use quality polishes and creams when you wash and polish your silver, and never use tarnish dips commonly hawked in television commercials.

Removing Rust Stains from Wood-burning Stoves
If you've ever used an iron skillet or pot, then you probably know that you have to safeguard the metal from rust, keep the metal dry, and cure it after use. The same principles apply when using a wood-burning stove. Follow these tips to remove rust from a wood-burning stove.

Simple Silver Cleaning and Polishing
Cleaning and polishing silver can be an expensive and time-consuming task. Here are some simple, inexpensive options that will surprise you.

More Information

The following are additional topics related to the subject of 'Metals'. A bracketed number after the topic indicates how many articles are related to that subject.