Cleaning Mineral and Porcelain Knobs

 

Porcelain door knobs come in so many beautiful and colorful varieties … they are the only door knob medium that you can actually paint on, and the ones that we do have need to be well preserved. Here’s a few tips on how to safely clean and maintain porcelain, and also mineral (clay) door knobs.

The first step is pretty predictable – soft cloth, soap and water. Nothing too fancy though! Dish detergent will do just fine. If it can be easily done, remove your knob from the door for a more thorough cleaning. This is applicable to brass and other metal knobs as well.

 

The fittings are the easy part of porcelain knobs to clean. Fittings will usually be brass or iron (you can check our comprehensive brass cleaning guide for tips on safely and effectively cleaning brass), but since they are only fittings and not in public view, you probably won’t want to spend too much time or effort on this.

The basic theory with the fittings is to go from the scratchiest cleaning medium to the least scratchy. Easy, hey?! If there are layers of paint or grime on your fittings, use sandpaper first, then steel wool, then metal polish to remove all of this. It can be finger-breaking work trying to do all of this without scratching the lacquer or the porcelain itself, though! To save your hands for what they really like doing (whether that be the dishes, typing, or crocheting!), use either a sanding block, or some sandpaper affixed to an old toothbrush. When you get to the third step, Brasso is the most common type of brass polish to use, but if you go to an automotive supplies store rather than a supermarket for your metal polish, you’ll find a range of polishes suited to different sorts of metals.

Don’t put the metal polish away just yet though …. surprisingly, this is a great product to use for cleaning the porcelain itself! It is advisable to use brass polish, as it is gentler than other metal polishes, so it is handy if you have brass fittings in you porcelain knob. If not, don’t take any chances with your classical gem – grab some Brasso. Use a soft circular motion to polish your porcelain door knob – better to use more strokes than harder ones to remove the dirt, grime and oxidation. Remove the polish with a soft cloth, then reapply a coat of polish – but don’t rub it off just yet. Leave it to sit until it is dry, and then wipe it off with a soft towel.

Beeswax & orange oil products are great to use on porcelain and mineral door knobs, and these are absorbed best under warm conditions. You don’t need to chuck them in the dryer together though (!) – just massage them in by hand for a few minutes. Buff with a flannel cloth or chamois, and you’re done! Your porcelain knob is as beautiful as it ever was.

 

Photo credits: Knob by Bruno Furnari