How to Maintain Your Brass Rim Lock

If you have brass rim locks in your home you will soon realize that they do need a little maintenance in order to stay looking shiny and bright. While brass is not as difficult to maintain as silver, it does require a little upkeep.

The first step in maintaining your brass rim lock is to first of all make sure that it is clean and free from tarnish or grime that does tend to build up over years of use. If it is particularly dirty, or if it is mounted on wood doors you may want to take it off the door first before cleaning—at least the door knob and the outer casing. This is usually fairly easily done just by unscrewing it.

Unlacquered brass requires more care than lacquered brass. In order to keep it from tarnishing you will need to polish it fairly frequently. It is difficult to say exactly how often you should polish it as different environmental conditions can make a difference in how quickly it needs it. Keep an eye on your brass and if you see it getting dull you should clean it right away. Another long-term solution which makes a lot of sense if you have a lot of brass work in your home is to lacquer the brass. You can do this fairly easily with a small brush and a can of lacquer. As a stop gap measure you can also apply car wax to your cleaned brass rim lock. You will need to apply it every couple of months if the door handle gets a lot of use, but it is a simple solution to stopping tarnish from appearing.

On a final note, do not use hot water with lacquered rim locks, it can cause the lacquer to split and peel as the metal underneath expands. They should also not get too wet while cleaning as that will also cause the lacquer to peel off. Use warm water and a soft cloth to clean it, with a little detergent placed either in the water or directly on the cloth.

Caring for your rim locks will ensure that they keep looking great with no tarnish, and that they last for a long time. It is a fairly simple procedure to care for them with most cleaning agents used on brass readily available in the kitchen.

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